Archetypes in
Literature
English I
S. Serrano
The Quest
 Describes the search for
someone or something
which, when found and
brought back, will restore
fertility to a wasted land
The Task
 Nearly superhuman deed the
hero must perform in order to
save the kingdom, win the fair
lady, identify himself so that he
may reassume his rightful
position, etc.
 NOT the same as the Quest
 A function of the ultimate goal
The Journey
 The hero must go in search for
some truth or information
necessary to restore fertility to
the kingdom
 Usually, the hero descends into
a real or psychological hell and
is forced to discover the blackest
truths, often concerning his
faults
The Journey
 Once the hero is at this lowest
point, he must accept personal
responsibility to return to his
normal world
 A second use of this pattern is
the depiction of a limited
number of travelers on a sea
voyage, bus ride, or any other
trip for the purpose of isolating
them and using them as a
microcosm of society
The Initiation
 This ritual usually takes the
form of a rite of passage
into adult life, or a coming
of age
 The hero comes into his/her
maturity with new
awareness, along with new
hope for the community
 Often the climax of the story
The Fall
 Describes a descent (drop) from
a higher state of being to a
lower state of being
 Involves a defilement or loss of
innocence and bliss
 Often accompanied by expulsion
from a kind of paradise as a
penalty for disobedience and
moral transgression
Death and Rebirth
 The most common of all
situational archetypes, this motif
grows out of the parallel
between the cycle of nature and
the cycle of life
 Morning and springtime
represent birth, youth or rebirth,
while evening and winter
suggest old age or death
Nature vs. Mechanistic World
 Nature is good
 Technology and society are
often evil
Good vs. Evil
 The battle between two
primal forces
 Mankind shows eternal
optimism in the continual
portrayal of good triumphing
over evil despite great odds
Light vs. Darkness
 Light usually suggests hope,
renewal, or intellectual
illumination
 Darkness implies the
unknown, ignorance,
despair, or evil
Water vs. Desert
 Necessary to life and growth,
water commonly appears as a
birth or rebirth symbol
 Water is used in baptismal
services, which solemnizes
spiritual birth
 Similarly, the appearance of rain
can suggest a character’s
spiritual birth
Water vs. Desert
 Desert, in turn, implies the
death of a soul and spirituality,
or a spiritual test or trial
Heaven vs. Hell
 Man has traditionally associated
parts of the universe beyond his
reach with the dwelling places of
the primordial forces that govern
his world
 The skies and mountaintops
house his gods; the bowels of
the earth contain the diabolic
forces that inhabit the universe
Innate Wisdom vs.
Educated Stupidity
 Some characters exhibit wisdom
and understanding of situations
instinctively, as opposed to those
who are supposedly in charge.
 Loyal retainers often exhibit this
wisdom when they accompany
the hero on the journey.
 Sam in Lord of the Rings
Haven vs. Wilderness
 Places of safety contrast sharply
with the dangerous wilderness
 Heroes are often sheltered for a
time to regain health and
resources
 Wilderness is often a symbol of
evil in early American literature;
town is a place of goodness and
safety
CHARACTER ARCHETYPES
The Hero
 Circumstances of birth often
unusual
 Attempt sometimes made to
kill him at birth
 Spirited away and reared by
foster parents
 Upon reaching manhood,
returns to lost kingdom
CHARACTER ARCHETYPES
The Hero
 After a victory over a
usurper or evil beast, he
reclaims his kingdom,
marries a princess, and rules
as king
 Sometimes later loses favor
of the gods and meets a
mysterious death
CHARACTER ARCHETYPES
The Hero
-- unhealable wound - Either physical or psychological
and cannot be healed fully
 Indicates a loss of innocence
 Wound always aches and often
drives the hero to desperate
measures
 Lancelot’s madness; Scar’s envy;
Harry Potter’s scar
CHARACTER ARCHETYPES
The Hero
-- magic weapon - No one else can wield the
weapon or use it to its full
potential
 Demonstrates the extraordinary
quality of the hero
 Excalibur; Odysseus’ bow
CHARACTER ARCHETYPES
Mentor
 Serves as teacher or counselor
to the young hero
 Sometimes is a role model and
often serves as mother or father
figure
CHARACTER ARCHETYPES
Hunting Group of
Companions
 Loyal companions willing to face
any number of perils in order to
be together
 Robin Hood and his Merry Men
 Knights of the Round Table
 Timon and Pumba
CHARACTER ARCHETYPES
Loyal Retainer
 Somewhat like servants who are
heroic themselves
 Duty is to protect the hero and reflect
his/her nobility
 Zazu to Simba
 Alfred to Batman
 Watson to Sherlock Holmes
CHARACTER ARCHETYPES
Devil Figure
 Evil incarnate, this character
offers worldly goods, fame, or
knowledge to the hero in
exchange for possession of
his/her soul.
 Voldemort to Harry Potter
CHARACTER ARCHETYPES
Evil Figure with
Ultimate Good Heart
 A redeemable devil figure
saved by the nobility or love of
the hero
 Scrooge
 Darth Vader
CHARACTER ARCHETYPES
Scapegoat
 An animal or human whose death
in a public ceremony expiates
some taint or sin that has been
visited upon the community
 Their death often makes them a
more powerful force in the
community than when they lived
CHARACTER ARCHETYPES
Woman Figure
-- earth mother - Symbolic of fruition,
abundance, and fertility, this
character traditionally offers
spiritual and emotional
nourishment to those with
whom she comes in contact
 Often depicted in earth colors
CHARACTER ARCHETYPES
Woman Figure
-- temptress - Characterized by her
beauty, she is one to
whom the hero is
physically attracted
 Ultimately brings hero’s
downfall
CHARACTER ARCHETYPES
Woman Figure
-- platonic ideal - A source of inspiration and
spiritual ideal
 Hero’s attraction to her is
intellectual rather than
physical
CHARACTER ARCHETYPES
Woman Figure
-- damsel in distress - Vulnerable woman who
must be rescued by the
hero
 Often used as a trap to
ensnare the unsuspecting
hero
CHARACTER ARCHETYPES
Woman Figure
-- star-crossed lovers - These two characters are
engaged in a love affair that is
doomed to end tragically for
one or both of them
 Disapproved of by society,
family, friends, or some tragic
situation
ARCHITYPAL NUMBERS
3
 Trinity
 Completeness
ARCHITYPAL NUMBERS
6
 Imperfection
 Ambivalence
 Evil
ARCHITYPAL NUMBERS
7
 Perfection
 7 colors of rainbow
 7 days of the week
ARCHITYPAL COLORS
Red
 Passion
 Excitement
 Blood
 Flame
 Danger
ARCHITYPAL COLORS
Black
 Darkness
 Evil
 Sin
 Mystery
 Ignorance
ARCHITYPAL COLORS
White
 Purity
 Enlightenment
 Knowledge
 Truth
 Light
ARCHITYPAL COLORS
Blue
 Peace
 Religion
 Positive
ARCHITYPAL COLORS
Green
 Jealousy
 New life
ARCHITYPAL IMAGES
Bridge
 Passage from one state
of being to another
 Often present as part of
the journey
ARCHITYPAL IMAGES
River
 Journey
 Travel
 Movement and growth
 Fertility
ARCHITYPAL IMAGES
Rain
 Cleansing
 Renewal
 Rebirth
 Baptism/new beginning
ARCHITYPAL IMAGES
Forest
 Dangerous
 Refuge of evil (puritanical
view)
 Wild, uncivilized, out of
control
ARCHITYPAL IMAGES
Sun
 Male
 Light
 Hope
 Rising sun = birth
 Setting sun = death
ARCHITYPAL IMAGES
Moon
 Female
 Cycle
 Change
 Mystery
ARCHITYPAL IMAGES
Desert
 Barren
 Lifeless
 Testing/Trial
 Self-purification
ARCHITYPAL IMAGES
Tree
 Life
 Renewal
 Seasonal
 Self-perpetuating