Archetypes Guided Notes
What is an archetype?
 An archetype is the ______________________________ or model
 Archetypes can be applied to an image, a theme, a ____________________, an idea, a character type,
or a plot pattern.
 Archetypes can be expressed in _______________, dreams, literature, religions, fantasies, and
folklore.
 Three main archetypes: Character, ____________________ , Symbolic
Character Archetypes
 Character archetypes are _____________________characters that you keep seeing in different books
and movies.
 Examples of Character Archetypes:
 The Hero, The Scapegoat, The Wise Counselor/________________, The Supernatural Guide,
The Companions, The Villain/Evil Figure, The Damsel in Distress, The _________________,
The Good/Bad Mother
The Hero
 “A hero is any male or ________________ who leaves the world of his or her everyday life to
undergo a journey to a special world where challenges and fears are overcome in order to secure a
quest” (Campbell).
 Qualities: intellectual, independent, unhappy with the _____________________ (the mundane),
assertive
 Male Examples: ___________________, The Lion King; Aladdin; Aladdin; Harry, Harry Potter
 Female Examples: Dorothy, Wizard of Oz; Mulan, Mulan; ________________, The Little Mermaid
The Scapegoat
 A scapegoat is a person or group who takes all the ____________ or suffers in place of another.
 Qualities: considered an ______________________ or criminal, restless traveler, is alone, may be
associated with sorcery or black magic
 Example: Wile E Coyote
The Wise Counselor/Mentor
 The Mentor is a wise or holy figure who __________________ the hero in their journey.
 Can appear as an oracle, a mentor, a guide, a teacher, or a wise old man/woman.
 Qualities: usually an older person, possesses ____________________ beyond that of ordinary people,
helps the hero see the world objectively
 Examples: Dumbledore, Harry Potter; Rafiki, The Lion King; _____________________, Star Wars
The Supernatural Guide
 “The hero is covertly aided by the advice, amulets, and secret agents of the supernatural helper whom
he met before his _________________________ into the region. Or it may be that he here discovers
for the first time that there is a benign power everywhere supporting him in his superhuman passage”
(Campbell).
 Ex: Simba sees his father in the sky and receives advice so that he may continue with his journey.
The Companions
 Companions are friends or allies who show __________________________________________ to the
hero throughout the journey.
 Qualities: faithful, loyal, unselfish
 Examples: _________________________________, The Lion King; Ron and Hermoine, Harry
Potter; Sebastian and Flounder, The Little Mermaid
The Villain/Evil Figure
 “A cruelly __________________________________ who is involved in or devoted to wickedness or
crime; or a person who constitutes an important evil agency in the plot” (Campbell).
 The Villain/Evil Figure is the person who is capable of crime or wickedness. He/she is also the
opponent with whom the hero must struggle. They are the “bad guy” in the story.
 Qualities: represents things we don’t like and would like to eliminate, negative forces,
_____________________________
 Ex: Wicked Witch of the West, Wizard of Oz; Lord Voldemort, Harry Potter; Scar, The Lion King
The Damsel in Distress
 The Damsel in Distress is a vulnerable woman who needs to be ________________ by the hero.
 She is often used as a trap to try to destroy the unsuspecting hero.
 Examples: ___________________, Snow White, Sleeping Beauty, Rapunzel.
The Temptress
 “Lured man on until her sensuous beauty had fully captured and weakened him. [The temptress] is
sometimes seen as representing an alien culture or the unknown” (Burrows).
 The Temptress is someone whom the hero is physically _______________________ to and who
ultimately brings about his downfall.
 Qualities: almost always a woman, physically beautiful, tries to _______________ the hero in order to
get him off course
 Examples: Helen of Troy, Sirens, _______________
The Good/Bad Mother
 The Good Mother is the ______________________ representation of the mother, grandmother,
nurses, surrogate mother, goddess, etc.
 Qualities: life-giving, magic authority, __________________, spirituality, fertility, fosters growth
 Examples: Fairy Godmother, Cinderella; Glinda the Good Witch, The Wizard of Oz
 The Bad (Evil) Mother is the _______________________ representation of the mother, grandmother,
step-mother, mother-in-law, goddess, etc.
 Qualities: secretive, hidden, dark, is terrifying and inescapable due to fate,
______________________________________________
 Examples: Queen/Witch, Snow White; Step-mother, Cinderella; Ursula, The Little Mermaid
Situational Archetypes
 These are common situations, or plots, that are repeatedly seen throughout history and cultures in
literature, movies, television, etc.
 Examples:
 The ________________
 The hero goes in _______________ of some truth or information to restore order to
the kingdom. They journey involves them proving themselves, defending/saving
others, or finding something.
 The type of journey the hero takes depends on the type of hero they are.
 Some common journeys include:
 Identity, Knowledge, _______________________ ,To find the promised
land
 The Fall
 Describes the __________________ from a higher to a lower state of being. The
experience involves a ruining and/or loss of innocence and happiness. The fall
usually includes being forced to leave a kind of paradise as punishment for
______________________ and moral wrong doing.
 Good vs. Evil
 Good must face great evil and win out in the end. These show up in classic ________
such as threatening enemies, moral dilemmas, problems with society, etc.
Symbolic archetypes
 These are symbols (something which______________________ something else) that have occurred
again and again throughout history and various cultures. These symbols have always stood for the
same things; that is what makes them _______________________.
 Examples:
 Light vs. Darkness – light suggests hope, renewal, or __________________________;
darkness suggest the unknown, despair, or ignorance.
 Heaven vs. Hell – gods live above (heaven) and evils lives in the underworld (hell).
 Water for cleansing – when a water source is present; a character can ______________
himself from a wrong.