ARCHETYPES
WHAT IS AN ARCHETYPE?
An archetype is the original pattern or model
 Archetypes can be applied to an image, a theme,
a symbol, an idea, a character type, or a plot
pattern.
 Archetypes can be expressed in myths, dreams,
literature, religions, fantasies, and folklore.
 Three main archetypes:
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Character
 Situational
 Symbolic
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CHARACTER ARCHETYPES
Character archetypes are recurring characters that you
keep seeing in different books and movies.
 Examples of Character Archetypes:
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The Hero
The Scapegoat
The Wise Counselor/Mentor
The Supernatural Guide
The Companions
The Villain/Evil Figure
The Damsel in Distress
The Temptress
The Good/Bad Mother
THE HERO
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“A hero is any male or female 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 status quo (the mundane), assertive
 Male Examples: Simba, The Lion King;
Aladdin; Aladdin; Harry, Harry Potter
 Female Examples: Dorothy, Wizard of Oz;
Mulan, Mulan; Ariel, The Little Mermaid
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THE SCAPEGOAT
A scapegoat is a person or group who takes all
the blame or suffers in place of another.
 Qualities: considered an outsider or criminal,
restless traveler, is alone, may be associated with
sorcery or black magic
 Example: Wile E Coyote
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THE WISE COUNSELOR/MENTOR
The Mentor is a wise or holy figure who guides
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
insight beyond that of ordinary people, helps the
hero see the world objectively
 Examples: Dumbledore, Harry Potter; Rafiki, The
Lion King; Yoda, Star Wars
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THE SUPERNATURAL GUIDE
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“The hero is covertly aided by the advice, amulets, and
secret agents of the supernatural helper whom he met
before his entrance into this 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).
 Example:
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
faithful and loyal support to the hero
throughout the journey.
 Qualities: faithful, loyal, unselfish
 Examples: Timon and Pumba, The Lion King;
Ron and Hermoine, Harry Potter; Sebastian
and Flounder, The Little Mermaid
THE VILLAIN/EVIL FIGURE
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“A cruelly malicious person 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, sneakiness
 Examples: Wicked Witch of the West,
Wizard of Oz; Lord Voldemort, Harry Potter;
Scar, The Lion King
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THE DAMSEL IN DISTRESS
The Damsel in Distress is a vulnerable woman
who needs to be rescued by the hero.
 She is often used as a trap to try to destroy the
unsuspecting hero.
 Examples: Fiona, Snow White, Sleeping Beauty,
Rapunzel.
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THE TEMPTRESS
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“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 attracted to and who ultimately brings
about his downfall.
 Qualities: almost always a woman, physically
beautiful, tries to tempt the hero in order to get
him off course
 Examples: Helen of Troy, Sirens, Calypso
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THE GOOD/BAD MOTHER
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The Good Mother is the positive representation of the mother,
grandmother, nurses, surrogate mother, goddess, etc.
Qualities: life-giving, magic authority, wisdom, spirituality,
fertility, fosters growth
Examples: Fairy Godmother, Cinderella; Glinda the Good
Witch, The Wizard of Oz
The Bad (Evil) Mother is the negative representation of the
mother, grandmother, step-mother, mother-in-law, goddess, etc.
Qualities: secretive, hidden, dark, is terrifying and inescapable
due to fate, often portrayed as witches
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:
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The Journey
The hero goes in search 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
 Vengeance
 To find the promised land
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SITUATIONAL ARCHETYPES CONT…
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The Fall
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Describes the descent 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 disobedience and moral
wrong doing.
o Good vs. Evil
oGood must face great evil and win out in the end. These show up
in classic conflicts such as threatening enemies, moral dilemmas,
problems with society, etc.
SYMBOLIC ARCHETYPES
These are symbols (something which represents 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 archetypes.
 Examples:
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Light vs. Darkness – light suggests hope, renewal, or
enlightenment; 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 purify himself from a wrong.
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