ARCHETYPES AND LITERATURE
Universal patterns and common human
experiences
• Reoccurring design, pattern
of action, character type,
theme or image which is
recognizable in a wide
variety of works of literature
representing common and
universal human
experiences.
What is an archetype?
• Carl Jung – Swiss
psychologist and psychiatrist
who studied the nature of the
human mind.
• Coined the term archetype to
define underlying
psychological patterns that
recur in stories and are
frequently found in symbols,
images, and themes of art,
mythology, sacred texts, and
popular entertainment.
Carl Jung
Archetype theory says that all characters can be understood relative
to a universal system of 12 personality types. – Added Value
Archetypes and Advertising
• Joseph Campbell, an American psychologist
and mythological researcher, wrote a famous
book entitled The Hero with a Thousand Faces.
• Campbell discovered many common patterns
running through hero myths and stories from
around the world.
• Years of research lead Campbell to discover
several basic stages that almost every heroquest goes through (no matter what culture the
myth is a part of). He calls this common
structure “the
monomyth.”
(Hero’s Journey)
Archetypes and Mythology
"There are of course differences between the numerous
mythologies and religions of mankind, but this is a book
about similarities; and once they are understood the
differences will be found to be much less great than is
popularly (and politically) supposed. My hope is that a
comparative elucidation may contribute to the perhaps notquite desperate cause of those forces that are working in the
present world for unification, not in the name of some
ecclesiastical or political empire, but in the sense of human
mutual understanding" Campbell- third edition, p. viii
• Influences come from James Joyce’
Ulysses
• A universal pattern common to heroic
tales of every culture.
• Common variations in the hero’s journey
which is an “operative metaphor, not only
for an individual, but for a culture as
well.”
• Common sequence of events/behaviors
that we all encounter in our lives.
Monomyth
• Campbell describes
17 stages or steps
along the journey
• Very few myths have
all 17 stages
• Stages may be
numbered in a variety
of ways
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The call to adventure
Refusal of the call
Supernatural Aid
The Crossing of the First Threshold
Belly of the Whale
The Road of Trials
The meeting with the Goddess
Temptation
Atonement with the Father
Apotheosis
The Ultimate Boon
Refusal of the Return
The magic Flight
Rescue from Without
The Crossing of the Return Threshold
Master of Two Worlds
Freedom to Live.
Stages of the Monomyth
• George Lucas, the creator of Star Wars, claims that
Campbell’s monomyth was the inspiration for his
groundbreaking films. Lucas also believes that Star Wars
is such a popular saga because it taps into a timeless
story-structure which has existed for thousands of years.
• Many followers of Campbell have defined the stages of
his monomyth in various ways, sometimes supplying
different names for certain stages. For this reason there
are many different versions of the Hero’s Journey that
retain the same basic elements.
Influence of myth and archetypes
Hero’s Journey
What do you make of this
similarity between Luke and
Harry? Consider the
common formula used in
many animated Disney
films or Hollywood
blockbuster movies- what
do they all have in
common?
THE HERO’S JOURNEY
Departure, Initiation, Return
• Heroes exist in a world is considered
ordinary or uneventful by those who
live there. Often the heroes are
considered odd by those in the
ordinary world and possess some
ability or characteristic that makes
them feel out-of-place.
• The Wonderful Wizard of Oz:
Dorothy in Kansas
• The Hobbit: Bilbo Baggins in
Hobbiton
• Star Wars: Luke Skywalker on
Tatooine
• The Lion King: Simba at Pride
Rock
THE ORDINARY WORLD
• For heroes to begin their
journeys, they must be
called away from the
ordinary world. Fantastic
quests don’t happen in
everyday life. Heroes
must be removed from
their typical environment.
Most heroes show a
reluctance to leave their
home, their friends, and
their life to journey on a
quest. But in the end they
accept their destiny.
THE CALL TO ADVENTURE
• Usually there is a
discovery, some event, or
some danger that starts
them on the heroic path.
Heroes find a mystic object
or discover their world is in
danger. In some cases,
heroes happen upon their
quest by accident.
Campbell puts it like this,
“A blunder—the merest
chance—reveals an
unsuspected world.”
• The new world the hero is forced
into is much different than the old
one. Campbell describes this new
world as a “fateful region of both
treasure and danger…a distant land,
a forest, a kingdom underground,
beneath the waves, or above the sky,
a secret island, lofty mountaintop,
or profound dream state…a place of
strangely fluid and polymorphous
beings, unimaginable torments,
superhuman deeds, and impossible
delight”. This description may seem
pretty vague, but think of all the
various fantasy realms characters
have entered throughout the years:
Middle-Earth, Oz, Narnia,
Wonderland. It could even be outer
space, a haunted house, or the
Matrix. Regardless of the details,
the new world is sure to be filled
with adventure.
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During the Call to Adventure heroes are given a task
or quest which only they can complete. They are faced
with a choice: accept the quest or deny it. Their choice
might seem like a no-brainer. If they don’t accept the
quest, there won’t be much of a story—or will there?
Actually, there are stories where heroes don’t accept their
destinies. When this happens, the stage is set for disaster.
There’s a reason why the powers-that-be have chosen a
particular hero. A refusal of the quest only brings trouble.
REFUSAL OF THE QUEST
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King Minos, the monarch of Crete who antagonizes the Greek
hero Theseus, does not do what the gods ask of him. Poseidon, Lord
of the Seas, sends him a beautiful white bull. The god’s only order is
that Minos must sacrifice the creature back to him. After seeing the
magnificent beast, Minos decides he just can’t bring himself to do
what the god asks and keeps the bull as a personal trophy.
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Enraged, Poseidon vows revenge and causes Minos’ wife to
burn with lust for her husband’s prized beast. The rest of this story is
taboo and results in the birth of the Minotaur, a creature half-bull,
half-human, a curse to his father King Minos.
Refusal of a god means trouble
• Campbell notes that heroes who refuse their quest often
become characters in need of rescuing or in Minos’ case,
the villain of another hero’s journey.
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Star Wars: Luke refuses the quest until he learns his
aunt and uncle are dead
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The Lion King: Simba refuses to return to Pride Rock
and accept his destiny
• ACCEPTING THE CALL: Once the adventure is accepted, the heroes advance into the
next stage of their journey.
• ENTERING THE UNKNOWN : As they embark on their journey, the heroes enter a
world they have never experienced before. Very often it is filled with supernatural
creatures, breathtaking sights, and the constant threat of death. Unlike the heroes’ home,
this outside world has its own rules, and they quickly learns to respect these rules as
their endurance, strength, and mettle are tested time and time again. After all, it is not
the end of the journey which teaches, but the journey itself.
• The Wizard of Oz: Dorothy must learn the rules of Oz
• The Matrix: Neo must come to grips with the realities and unrealities of the Matrix
• Lord of the Rings: Frodo has to navigate the world outside the Shire
The Journey begins
• Supernatural doesn’t have to mean magical.
There are plenty of hero stories that don’t have
wizards or witches per say. Supernatural
simply means “above the laws of nature.”
Heroes are almost always started on their
journey by a character who has mastered the
laws of the outside world and come back to
bestow this wisdom upon them.
• This supernatural character often gives them
the means to complete the quest. Some of the
time the gift is simply wisdom. Other times it
is an object with magical powers. In every
instance it is something the hero needs to
succeed. As Campbell says, “One has only to
know and trust, and the ageless guardians will
appear.” The job of the supernatural assistor is
to give the heroes what they need to finish the
quest—not finish it for them.
SUPERNATURAL AID
• A Special (and often
magical) items that
assist the heroes on
their quest:
• The Wizard of Oz: Ruby
Slippers
• The Hobbit: The Ring
• Star Wars: Lightsaber
TALISMAN
• Every hero needs a helper,
much like every superhero
needs a sidekick. Without
the assistance of their
companions and helpers
along the way, most heroes
would fail miserably.
• Lord of the Rings: Samwise
Gamgee
• The Wizard of Oz: The Tin
Woodsman, Scarecrow, and
Cowardly Lion
ALLIES/HELPERS
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The heroes progress through a series of tests, a set of
obstacles that make them stronger, preparing them for their final
showdown. At long last they reach the Supreme Ordeal, the
obstacle they have journeyed so far to overcome.
All the heroes’ training and toil comes into play now. The
journey has hardened them, and it’s time for them to show their
prowess. Once this obstacle is overcome, the tension will be
relieved. The worst is passed, and the quest, while not officially
over, has succeeded.
Star Wars: Blowing up the Death Star
Lord of the Rings: Mount Doom
The Wizard of Oz: Defeating the Wicked Witch
TESTS & THE SUPREME ORDEAL
• Typically, there is a reward given to
heroes for passing the Supreme
Ordeal. It could be a kingdom. It could
be the hand of a beautiful princess. It
could be the Holy Grail. Whatever it
is, it is a reward for the heroes’
endurance and strength.
• After the heroes complete the Supreme
Ordeal and have the reward firmly in
hand, all that is left is for them to
return home. Just because the majority
of the adventure has passed doesn’t
mean that the return journey will be
smooth sailing. There are still lesser
homebound obstacles to overcome.
REWARD AND THE JOURNEY HOME
• The Hobbit: The
Battle of Five Armies
• The Lord of the Rings:
Return to Hobbiton
• The Odyssey: Return
to Ithaca
• Success on the heroes’ quest is lifechanging, for them and often for many
others. By achieving victory, they have
changed or preserved their original
world. Often they return with “the
exilir,” an object or personal ability
that allows them to save their world.
• The heroes have also grown in spirit
and strength. They have proved
themselves worthy for marriage,
kingship, or queenship. Their mastery
of the outside world qualifies them to
be giants in their own.
• Lord of the Rings:
Frodo saves the
Shire
• The Wizard of Oz:
Dorothy rids Oz of
the Wicked Witch
• Odyssey rids
Ithaca of the
suitors
MASTER OF TWO
WORLDS/RESTORING THE WORLD
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Doppelganger
Female Archetypes
Hero/Epic Hero
Anti-hero/Reluctant hero
Byronic Hero/Tragic
Hero
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Sage/Mentor/Wise-man
Social Outcast/Scapegoat
Trickster
Villain
“People everywhere can relate to a Hero who overcomes great obstacles, a Magician
who helps make dreams come true, and a Jester who brings out the fun in a situation.
We tell and re-tell stories featuring these kinds of characters because they assure us
that our own needs can be met. In a sense, the stories provide the key to understanding
human meaning and motivation.”- Carol Pearson’s Archetypes
Character Archetypes
According to Joseph Campbell in the Hero with a
Thousand Faces, “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, which is then shared with other
members of the hero’s community.”
Definition of a Hero
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Central figures in stories (protagonists)
Give their life over to a higher purpose
Lowly/unusual birth
Judged by what they do
Does something beyond the normal range of
ability
Raised by a guardian
Leave the normal world into the
extraordinary.
Others will believe and follow the hero
Accomplish extraordinary tasks.
(Rocky, Beowulf, Captain America, Harry Potter,
King Arthur)
Heroes/Epic Heroes
• Imperfections that separate them from typical “heroic” characteristics
• Noble motives are pursued by bending/breaking the law
• Does things that may be regrettable, but still does the noble and “heroic”
thing.
• Displaced in society
• Tries to establish personal social codes
• Sometimes the most noble hero acts from the baser motives of the antihero?
(Robin Hood, Jack Sparrow, Hans Solo, Lancelot, Jay Gatsby)
Anti-Hero/Reluctant Hero/Unwilling Hero
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Is alienated
Has a fatal flaw: doomed to fail (Hubris)
Is a rebel
Has extremes of behavior – can be heartbreaker,
predator, or reckless (“Byron”).
• Is an outcast
• Has great appeal, good looks, and charm
(“Byron”)
(Edward Cullen, Bilbo Baggins, Hamlet, Batman,
Dr. Gregory House)
Byronic Hero/Tragic Hero/Flawed Hero
“The opposition between good and evil is the essence of the double, or
doppelgänger, an archetype found in mythology and literature. Good and evil
are often personified in mythology as twins”
• Contrasting counterpart
• Can be visible or invisible or material or spiritual
• Identical in appearance, but opposite in temperament
( The Hulk, Frankenstein, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, Dorian Gray)
Doppleganger/Double/Evil Twin/Mirror
• Encompasses the personal
mother, grandmother, step-mother,
mother-in-law, nurses, Surrogate
mother, and governess. Also
includes the goddess.
• The Mother archetype has both
positive and negative
representations – also known as
the loving and terrible mother.
They are associated with things
and places standing for fertility and
fruitfulness.
• Has three forms: the good, the
terrible and the good/bad mother
Characteristics
Positive Qualities
Maternal solicitation and sympathy
Life giving
Magic authority
Wisdom and spiritual
Encompasses all that cherishes and sustains
Fosters growth and fertility
Place of magical transformation and rebirth
Negative Qualities
Secret, hidden, dark, the abyss
The world of the dead
Anything that devours, seduces and poisons
Is terrifying and inescapable similar to fate
Female Archetypes
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Earth Mother
Old Hag
Great Mother
Temptress
Mother
Goddess
• Damsel in
Distress
• Step Mother
• Female Heroine
Female Archetypes: Positive and Negative
• The sage is a wise or holy figure who guides the hero
• Can appear as an oracle, a mentor, guide, teacher,
wise old man/woman
• Provides gifts to the hero
• Role model for the hero’s conscience or good
behavior
• Often an older man or woman
• Possesses insight or understanding beyond that of
ordinary people
• Serves as a guardian of special knowledge or a
helper or advisers to heroes
• Many times live in deep forests, on mountaintops or
in other places that are
• withdrawn from the world
• Some are divine beings or demigods
Sage/Wise-man/Mentor
• Banished from a social group for some real or imagined crime
or left it voluntarily
• Is alienated, the outsider, the criminal
• restless traveler – wanderer must go from place to place
• Alienated and an outsider and views the world as hostile
• Is alone and may be associated with sorcery, black magic and
demons
• It is possible Banishment is a result of a curse or for blasphemy
Social Outcast/Scapegoat
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Fondness for sly jokes and malicious pranks; Unpredictable behavior
Not really evil, but does the most atrocious things
Can be a destroyer and a creator
Impulsive, selfish, grotesque character.
Duality of character – half animal, half divine or human
Does not recognize the rules of society
Appetites dominate behavior
Cruel, cynical and unfeeling.
May assume the form of an animal such as a coyote or rabbit
Collective shadow – dark part of people’s psyche
Trickster
"A cruelly malicious person who is involved in or devoted to wickedness or
crime; scoundrel; or a character in a play, novel, or the like, who constitutes an
important evil agency in the plot.“
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Person guilty or capable of crime or wickedness
The person or thing responsible for specified problems, harm, or damage
Represents things we don’t like and would like to eliminate
Opponent with whom the hero must struggle
Negative force – break laws of nature Cunning
Madness is frequent in comic-book villains (Lex Luther)
Villain
1)Powerful: magical powers/resources such as highlytrained armies/vast wealth/influences
2)Intelligent: Avoid making stupid decisions
3)Immoral: pose a real challenge to the hero as they believe
so strongly in their own cause
4)Wounded: physically/emotionally. No human being is
born a monster-made into monsters? Their real human
experiences make them credible as the personification of
evil.
5)Determined: unstoppable force.
Main Traits of a Villain
From: “5 Characteristics of an Epic Villain” by Antonio del Drago http://mythicscribes.com/characterdevelopment/5-characteristics-epie-villain/
• The person or object who brings the Call to Adventure.
• Bring the challenge as well as signify the impending
change.
(R2D2’s hologram, Bumblebee, Nala, Hagrid)
Heralds
• A figure or event that tests the resolve of a Hero as he pursues his destiny and/or his
goal.
• The Guardian is not necessarily adversarial, but puts the hero in a position where he
must make a decision that reflects a sincere commitment to the task at hand
• Sometimes the Guardian's challenge is an illusion which must be penetrated; when it is
not, the Guardian himself is often the challenge, and defeating the Guardian can turn
them into an ally.
• Whatever form the Guardian and their challenge takes, their defeat forces the hero to
grow; heroes that are not yet ready for their journey are forced to turn back until they
have matured sufficiently to handle the task.
• A guardian challenging an Anti-hero may provide them with the opportunity to prove their
willingness or unwillingness.
Threshold Guardians
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Willing to face any amount of peril
Protect the hero
Often reflects the hero’s nobility
The hero likely would not succeed without help,
assistance, and loyalty.
Allies and companions
Archetypal Settings
and Symbols
• Forest/Trees/Gardens
Life, proliferation, immortality
• Mountains and Peaks
Gain insight, spiritual, powerful,
• Rivers
• Tower/Castle
Power, human pride and folly, protection
•Islands
Isolation with positive/negative effects
•Deserts/Wastelands
Emotional/physical wasteland
Journeys, decisions, paths to be crossed
• The Sea
Good/Evil side/ human unconsciousness?
•The underworld (caves,
tunnels, “death”, mazes)
Discovering one’s self, death, unknown
Archetypal Settings
• Black: Death/mourning, emotional darkness, hidden
desires/instincts, un-enlightenment. Black: darkness, chaos,
mystery, the unknown, death, wisdom, evil, melancholy.
• Blue: The color of the spirit, the spiritual, the heavenly, the
divine, intuition, inspiration. Has the association with the
unconscious and feminine qualities.
• Green: In positive terms, Mother Nature, fertility, hope, renewal,
health, youth, harmony, prosperity. The color of sensual and
spiritual passion.
• Orange: Balance, creative expression, pride and ambition,
cruelty, ferocity, luxury. As the color of fire, can represent
burning away impurities.
Archetypal Symbolic Colors
• Purple: The color of royalty, imperial power, pride, justice,
intuition, wisdom, truth. As a blend of red and blue, it is the color
of authority/ power and the wisdom to know how to use it.
• Red: Blood, life, life-force; embarrassment, anger; fire, lust,
passion. Associated with activity, energy, courage, will power, and
war.
• White: Purity, holiness, sacredness, redemption, mystical
enlightenment, innocence, joy, light and life it is transcendent
perfection. It signifies the union of opposites to form a whole as
well as the symbolic death of transformation and renewal.
• Yellow: The sun, illumination, intellect and generosity, maturity.
The color of fire and thus the purification of flame. Yellow:
enlightenment, wisdom.
Archetypal Symbolic Colors (cont.)
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Quest/Journey/Task
Battle b/w Good & Evil
Boy meets Girl
Rite of Passage
Loss of Innocence
Initiation
Archetypal Plots
The Quest
This plot concentrates on finding on object, such as the Holy Grail, that will
restore fertility to a wasteland, health to the ill, or plenty to the impoverished.
Battle between
good and evil.
This is a common plot that is pretty self-explanatory. Usually good triumphs.
Boy meets Girl
The basis of all romantic plot lines.
Rite of Passage
This is an organized event or ritual in which a young person officially becomes
an adult.
Loss of
Innocence
A good person, usually young and inexperienced, sees and experiences
something of the world and learns how things really work.
Initiation
This situation refers to a moment, usually psychological, in which an individual
becomes mature and accepts a certain responsibility. He/she expresses a new
understanding of problems and accepts that he/she is an important part of the
solution. Typically, a hero gets a calling or message or sign that sacrifices must
be made and he/she has to grow up.