Archetypes:
The Building Blocks
of Literature
English II
Essential Questions:
1.What is an archetype, and why do
writers use them in their works?
2.What are the various kinds of
archetypes, and how do they contribute
to the meaning of a text?
3.How do archetypes affect a text and
the reader/observer?
What Does Archetype Mean?
Archetype is from the Greek word
archetypon.
arche  “beginning; original”
typon  “model; pattern; mold”
In literature, an archetype is a character,
symbol, setting, plot element, or conflict
that is repeated throughout various works
from various cultures.
From Where Does This Idea of Archetypes
Come?
Carl Jung
• Observed that many cultures across
the world and in many time periods
have similar symbols, characters,
conflicts, etc. in their literature and
myths.
• The collective unconscious: humanity
keeps a memory of its shared
experiences throughout time, which
appears in archetypes.
Archetypes: Essential Understandings
1. In literature, an archetype is a character, symbol,
setting, situation, or conflict that is repeated
throughout various works.
2. Archetypes are building blocks for stories.
3. Archetypes exist for many reasons:
A.To explain natural phenomenon and religious
experiences
B. To answer questions about the meaning of life
and what it means to be human
C. To entertain
D.To teach cultural roles, morality, and wise living
Archetype Main Groups
• Plot
• Character
• Symbolic
• Setting
Plot Archetypes
The Journey
• A hero must leave his
kingdom to search for
truth or acquire an
object that will save the
kingdom.
• The journey includes the
numerous characters
encountered,
experiences had, and
life lessons learned.
The Quest
• What the hero must
accomplish to restore
order to his
kingdom.
• The quest often
includes attaining an
important object.
The Task
• The nearly
superhuman feat
the hero must
perform to
complete the
quest.
Battle Between Good and Evil
• Despite all
obstacles, good
triumphs over
evil.
Death and Rebirth
• Reflects the natural cycle of
life and death.
• Sometimes, characters
experience a physical—
literal—death, or they can
experience a more symbolic
decay.
• Sometimes, characters
experience a physical—
literal—rebirth or
resurrection, or they can
experience a more symbolic
return to life.
The Unhealable Wound
• Either a physical or
psychological wound
that cannot be fully
healed. This wound
often symbolizes a
loss of innocence.
Character Archetypes
The Hero
• The protagonist of the story
• Circumstances of his birth are
sometimes unusual; often raised by a
guardian, not his biological parents
• Leaves his kingdom to return only
when he matures
• Often characterized by courage,
strength, and honor; the hero will
sacrifice himself for the good of all
• He leaves what is familiar for a new,
challenging world
Mentor (Wise Old Man)
• Wise teacher of the
hero
• Often a father figure
• Serves as a role
model or the hero’s
conscience
• Sometimes gives the
hero gifts: weapons,
food, magic,
Hunting Group of Companions
• Loyal companions
of the hero who
are willing to face
conflicts and stay
together
The Devil Figure
• Person who
represents evil
incarnate
• Sometimes offers
worldly goods,
fortune, or
knowledge in
exchange for control
of the hero and/or
other good
The Outcast
• A character
banished from a
social group for a
real or imagined
crime
• Destined to
wander from place
to place
Damsel in Distress
• Vulnerable woman
whom the hero must
rescue
• She is sometimes
used as a trap to
capture the hero
Other Important Character Archetypes
• Star-crossed lovers – two characters engaged in
a love affair fated to end tragically for one or
both due to the disapproval of society, friends,
family, etc.
• Father-son conflict – tension occurs between a
son and his father, often due to psychological
and/or emotional tension
• Christ figure – a person sacrifices his own life for
the good of others or sacrifices himself so that
others do not die
Symbolic Archetypes
Light versus Darkness
Light
• suggests hope, renewal,
or knowledge, or
goodness
Darkness
• implies the unknown,
ignorance, despair, or
evil
Heaven versus Hell
Heaven
• Realm of gods, forces of
good, and life; often
associated with the sky
or mountain tops
Hell
• Realm of evil and/or
death; often associated
with the bowels of the
earth
Water
• Life, growth,
birth (or rebirth), spiritual
birth, cleansing,
purity
Fire
Positive
• light, knowledge, life,
purity, rebirth
Negative
• destruction,
suffering, death
Circle
• the life cycle,
completion, order,
power, strength,
unity, security
Colors
• Black – darkness, chaos, mystery, death, evil,
wisdom
• White – light, order, knowledge, life, goodness,
purity
• Red – blood, sacrifice, passion, disorder, evil,
warning
• Green – growth, hope, life, vegetation
• Blue – peace, order, security
Numbers
• 1 – unity; wholeness; power
• 3 – sacredness; Trinity (Father, Son, Holy
Spirit); mind, body, spirit; birth, life, death
• 4 – circle (life cycle); seasons; earth, nature,
natural elements (earth, fire, air, water)
• 6 – humanity; evil; devil
• 7 – completion; perfection; order
Setting Archetypes
Underworld
• place under the
earth where the
hero encounters fear
and where his
courage is tested;
may contain a maze
or labyrinth, which
can symbolize the
hero’s difficult
decisions; often
associated with
death
Forest
• normal rules do
not seem to apply;
people and things
run wild;
associated with
the unknown
Tower
• strong place often
where evil resides;
sometimes where
a person is locked
away, which
represents
isolation and the
need for rescue
River
• the journey of life;
change; metaphor
for the passage of
time; stages of
human life;
decision that
cannot be taken
back
Mountain
• obstacle; goal
of a spiritual
or emotional
journey;
mystery;
power