Situational and
Symbolic
Archetypes
Lesson 3
Situational Archetypes
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Situational archetypes are situations that appear
over and over in movies, literature, and stories of
all kinds.
Almost every story is based on a version of the
archetypal hero’s quest and contains other
situational and symbolic archetypes, as well.
Good vs. Evil
A battle between primal forces
 Humans show eternal optimism in the
continual portrayal of good triumphing
over evil despite great odds.
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The Ultimate Battle of Good
vs. Evil
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Georgia vs. Georgia Tech
The Hero’s Quest
 The
search for someone or
something which, when found and
brought back, will save the
kingdom.
 The quest is described by a set of
events the hero experiences.
The Hero’s Quest
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The Call - the hero gets a call to action
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The Herald - the person or event who delivers the call
The Task - the thing the hero must accomplish on the quest
The Crossing Over - the hero enters “wierdy world”
The Tests - problems the hero must solve
The Trials - things the hero must put up with
The Ultimate Battle - the hero faces the enemy
The Reemergence - now exiting “wierdy world”
The Return Home - duh.
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The Gifts - the “payment” for completing the quest
The Transformation - the hero is changed for the better
Initiation/ Rite of Passage
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The initiate or adolescent comes into
maturity with new awareness and
problems along with new hope for the
community.
The initiate goes through a ritual (rite of
passage) which symbolizes this maturity.
The Magic Weapon
Every hero has a special skill or
weapon only he can wield.
The Unhealable Wound
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Almost every hero has a weakness or
wound inflicted or taken advantage of by
his greatest enemy.
The wound never goes away and often
bothers the hero when his enemy is near.
The Fall
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This archetype describes a descent from a
higher to a lower state of being.
The experience involves defilement and/or a
loss of innocence.
Often, fallen characters are expelled from their
society or paradise as a penalty for
disobedience and moral transgression.
Death and Rebirth
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One of the most common of all situational
archetypes.
This archetype grows out of the parallel
between the cycle of nature and the cycle
of life.
Morning and spring represent birth and
youth; evening and winter suggest old age
and death.
Natural vs. Mechanistic World
 Nature
is good.
 Technology or society is evil.
Haven vs. the Wilderness
Places of safety contrast sharply
against the dangerous wilderness.
 Heroes are often sheltered for a time
to regain health and resources.
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Supernatural Intervention
The gods intervene on behalf of
the hero or sometimes against
him.
Symbolic Archetypes
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Symbolic archetypes usually appear in pairs
because the primitive mind tended to think in
terms of polarities (opposites) rather than make
fine distinctions.
Symbolic archetypes often appear in dreams
and can be interpreted.
Symbolic archetypes can tap a deep level of
meaning and truth in movies and literature.
Light vs. Darkness
 Light
suggests hope, renewal,
goodness, or intellectual
illumination.
 Darkness suggests the
unknown, ignorance, evil, and
despair.
Water vs. Desert
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Because water is necessary for life and
growth, it commonly appears as a birth or
rebirth symbol.
A barren desert setting suggests death
and despair.
Fire vs. Ice
Fire represents
knowledge, light,
life, and rebirth.
 Ice represents
ignorance,
darkness,
sterility,
and death.
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Heaven/ Hell
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Places that have been generally inaccessible to
humankind have been deemed the dwelling
places of the primordial forces that govern the
world.
The skies and mountain tops generally house
benevolent forces.
The bowels of the earth contain evil forces.
Other Paired Opposites
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Yin and Yang
Male and Female
The Sun and Moon
Colors
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Colors can hold symbolic significance.
White - innocence, purity (Death?)
 Black - evil, death, the unknown
 Red - passion, anger, love
 Blue - peace, solace, sadness
 Green - growth
 Yellow - happiness
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Case in Point – Lightsabers
Keep looking!
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Now that you are armed with the
knowledge of character, situational, and
symbolic archetypes, look for them
everywhere! You won’t be disappointed.
In the coming weeks, we’ll be looking at
various stories and pieces of literature and
analyzing them for these patterns.