Transcript Document 7175304

DEFINITION OF ARCHETYPE
A universal image or symbol that may
be found in the myths and literature of
many different cultures.
Archetypes can generally be divided
into THREE categories:
THREE KINDS OF ARCHETYPES
Character
Situational
Symbolic
What about the
Hero’s Journey?
The Hero’s Journey archetype is one of
the most common.
It would be classified as a situational
archetype.
In other words, it is a situation or pattern
encountered in many stories.
The Hero’s Journey – A Situational Archetype
Home/Beginnings
Refusal of the Call
Freedom to Live
Supernatural Assistance
Master of Two Worlds
Crossing the First Threshold
Crossing Threshold
Rescue from Without
Belly of the Whale
The Quest
Magic Flight
Refusal
The Return
The Ultimate Boon
Road of Trials
Meeting with the
Goddess
Apotheosis
Temptations
Atonement
New Archetypes!
Let’s take some time at the beginning
of this quarter to learn about new
archetypes that will enhance our
understanding of literature.
We will look at examples in all three
categories.
Character, Situation, Symbolic
Character Archetypes
The first category, character archetypes,
include many variations on the universal
character of the HERO.
See your notes to review the many
HEROIC archetypes.
A couple of highlights:
The Archetypal Hero
•TRADITIONAL HERO—traditionally, the hero
has unusual circumstances surrounding his birth.
Sometimes he is an orphan. The hero always
leaves his kingdom in search of a greater truth or
life lesson and returns wiser. According to Joseph
Campbell, heroes can take on different
personalities, including the orphan hero, the
warrior hero, the seeker hero, or the ruler hero.
•YOUNG MAN FROM THE PROVINCES—
often the hero is taken away as a young man and
raised by someone other than parents; he often
wishes to return to civilization. When he returns,
he can view problems objectively and can solve
them more easily.
There are also many archetypal
characters who support or challenge
the hero . . .
Character Archetypes
MENTOR – The mentor is often a crusty
old man who could wield magic and always
had advice for the hero. Generally, the
mentor serves a number of purposes: source
of wisdom, gift giver and conscience.
Objects, animals, and forces of nature may
also act as mentors.
Character Archetypes
ALLIES – (archetypal characters that help the hero)
•Hunting Group of Companions – loyal
companions willing to face any number of
dangers to be together
•Loyal Retainers – somewhat like servants to the
hero; their duty is to protect the hero and reflect
the nobility of the hero; they are expendable
Character Archetypes
• Friendly Beast - beast on the side of the hero showing
that nature sides with the forces of good (also Allies)
Character Archetypes
ALLIES – (archetypal characters that help the hero)
Scapegoat – animal or human who is
unjustly held responsible for others’ sins;
sacrificed but they often become a more
powerful force dead than alive.
•Earthmother— offers spiritual and
emotional nourishment to those she meets;
sometimes shown in earth colors with a
figure symbolic of her childbearing
capabilities
•Platonic Ideal— female figure who provides
intellectual stimulation for the hero; he is
not physically attracted to her
Character Archetypes
- continued •EVIL FIGURE WITH A GOOD HEART –the redeemable
evil figure saved by the nobility or love of the hero
•OUTCAST – figure banished from a social group for some
crime against his fellow man (could be falsely accused of a
crime or could choose to banish himself from guilt)
•STAR-CROSSED LOVERS – two lovers forbidden to be
together because of the rules of society or family; often ends
tragically
Character Archetypes
ANTAGONISTS (characters that hurt hero)
•Temptress— sensuous beauty; brings about the
hero’s downfall because he is physically attracted
to her
•Creature of the Nightmare— animal or
creature disfigured or mutated; monsters who are
the antagonists in the story
•Devil Figure- evil incarnate; offers worldly
goods, fame, or knowledge to the hero in
exchange for possession of the soul
Situational Archetypes
•THE QUEST – a hero’s journey, the
search for someone or some object, which
when it is found and brought back will
restore life or truth.
Situational Archetypes
The next category of archetypes
involves situations or patterns
repeated often in stories.
Situational archtypes and symbolic
archetypes sometimes overlap.
Situational Archetypes
•
THE INITIATION - this usually takes the
form of an initiation into adult life. The
adolescent comes into his/her maturity
with new awareness and problems along
with a new hope for the community.
Situational Archetypes
THE FALL - describes a descent
from a higher to a lower state of
being. The experience involves a
defilement and/or a loss of
innocence and bliss. The fall is often
accompanied by expulsion from a
kind of paradise as a penalty.
Situational Archetypes
DEATH AND REBIRTH - grows out of a
parallel between the cycle of nature and the
cycle of life. Thus, morning and springtime
represent birth, youth, or rebirth; evening
and winter suggest old age or death.
Situational Archetypes
•NATURE VS. MECHANISTIC WORLD - Nature is good
while technology and society are often evil.
Situational Archetypes
•BATTLE BETWEEN GOOD AND EVIL - Obviously the
battle between two primal forces. Mankind shows
eternal optimism in the continual portrayal of good
triumphing over evil.
Situational Archetypes
•THE UNHEALABLE WOUND - The wound is either
physical or psychological and cannot be healed
fully. This wound also indicates a loss of
innocence.
Situational Archetypes
THE RITUAL - The actual ceremonies the initiate
experiences that will mark his rite of passage into another
state (weddings, funerals, etc.).
Situational Archetypes
• LIGHT VS. DARKNESS—light suggests hope,
renewal, or intellectual illumination; darkness
suggests the unknown, ignorance, or despair.
Situational Archetypes
WATER VS. DESERT - water is necessary to life and growth
and so it appears as a birth or rebirth symbol; the
appearance of rain in a work can suggest spiritual birth or
rebirth
Situational Archetypes
HEAVEN VS. HELL - gods live in the skies or mountaintops;
evil forces live in the new of the earth
Situational Archetypes
INNATE WISDOM VS EDUCATED STUPIDITY - uneducated
characters can often be wise while some very educated
characters have no common sense
Situational Archetypes
•SUPERNATURAL INTERVENTION - the gods most
often intervene on the side of the hero to assist him in
his quest.
•HAVEN VS. WILDERNESS - for the hero, places of safety are
required for time to regain health and resources; these hideouts
are often in unusual places
Situational Archetypes
•FIRE VS. ICE - fire can represent , knowledge, light, and
life while ice can represent ignorance, darkness, sterility,
and death
Situational Archetypes
•MAGIC WEAPON - some object used to
fight the forces of evil that has magical
properties