ARCHETYPES
What is an Archetype?
 Archetype:
an original model or pattern
from which other later copies are created.
What is an Archetype?
 Archetype:
an original model or pattern
from which other later copies are created.

Especially a character, an action, or a
situation
Characteristics of Archetypes
A
very typical example of a certain person
or an idea, not a thing.
A
recurrent symbol or motif in literature,
art, or mythology
SITUATIONAL ARCHETYPES
 The
Journey
 The Quest
 The Task
 The Initiation
 The Fall
The Journey

Sends the hero in search
for some truth or
information necessary to
restore the kingdom.
Usually the hero
descends into a real or
psychological hell and is
forced to discover the
darkest truths, quite often
concerning his own faults.
The Journey

Batman

Leaves his place of
luxury, descends into
a rougher world, and
learns combat skills
etc then returns to
Gotham to protect its
people.
The Quest

The hero’s ultimate
goal. When achieved,
this will restore the
kingdom.
The Quest

Lord of the Rings
 Destruction of the ring
will save the world
from evil.
The Task

To save the kingdom,
to win the fair lady, to
identify himself so
that he may resume
his rightful position.
The hero must
perform some nearly
superhuman deed.
The Task

Harry Potter
The Initiation

An initiation into life that
is the depiction of an
adolescent coming into
maturity and adulthood
with all the problems and
responsibilities this
process involves. An
awakening, awareness,
or a larger view of the
world and the people in it
usually forms.
The Initiation

Snow White and the
Huntsman
The Fall

A decent from a
higher to a lower
being. This
experience involves a
loss of innocence and
happiness. Usually
accompanied by
expulsion from a kind
of paradise as a
punishment.
The Fall

Thor
CHARACTER ARCHETYPES








Hero
Young Man From the
Provinces
Mentor
Magic Weapon
Devil Figure (Evil)
Villain
Scapegoat
Star-Crossed Lovers






Hunting Group of
Companions
Outcast
Creatures of
Nightmare
Friendly Beast
Apparently Evil Figure
with an Ultimately
Good Heart
Woman Figure
The Hero (Protagonist)

His or her life can be
clearly divided into a
series of well-marked
adventures.
Young Man from the
Provinces

This hero is taken
away as a young man
or woman and raised
by strangers. He later
returns to his home
and heritage where
he or she is a
stranger who can see
new problems and
solutions.
The Mentor

A teacher, counselor,
and role model to the
hero.
 The mentor teaches
by example the skills
necessary to survive
the quest.
The Magic Weapon

This symbolizes the
extraordinary quality
of the hero because
no one else can wield
the weapon or use it
to its full potential. It is
often given by the
mentor.
The Devil Figure (Evil)

This character offers
worldly goods, fame
or knowledge to the
hero in exchange for
possession of his
soul.
The Villain & Scapegoat


This character
attempts to foil the
efforts of the hero.
An animal or human
whose death in a
public ceremony
atones some sin that
has been visited upon
a community.
The Star-Crossed Lovers

Two characters
engaged in a love
affair that is fated to
end tragically for one
or both due to
disapproval by
society, friends,
family, or some tragic
situation.
The Hunting Group of
Companions

These are loyal companions willing to face any
number of perils in order to be together.
Outcast

A figure banished from a social group for some
crime against his/her fellow man. The outcast is
usually destined to become a wonderer from
place to place.
The Creatures of Nightmare

A monster, usually
summoned from the
deepest, darkest part
of the human psyche
to threaten the lives of
the hero/heroine.

Dragon from Hobbit
The Friendly Beast

This character shows that nature is on the side
of the hero.

Finding Nemo

Whale
• Delivers them to the coast

Nigel
• “jump into my mouth…”
The Apparently Evil Figure
With an Ultimately Good Heart

This is a redeemable devil figure saved by the
nobility or love of the hero.
The Woman Figure
 The
Earth mother
 The Temptress
 The Platonic Ideal
 The Damsel in Distress
The Earth mother

This character offers spiritual and emotional
nourishment to those whom she comes in
contact.
The Platonic Ideal

A source of inspiration and a spiritual ideal, for
whom the protagonist has an intellectual rather
than physical attraction.
The Temptress

Sensuous beauty to
whom the hero is
attracted and who
ultimately brings
about his downfall.
The Damsel in Distress

The vulnerable
woman who must be
rescued by the hero
Symbolic Archetypes
Light/ Darkness

Light usually suggest
hope, renewal, or
knowledge.

Darkness implies the
unknown, ignorance
or despair.
Water/ Desert

Water suggests birth,
resurrection,
purification, fertility,
and growth.

Desert implies death,
hopelessness, and
spiritual emptiness.
Death/ Rebirth
 Death
represents evening, winter, and old
age.
 Rebirth suggests morning, springtime and
youth.
**Parallels the cycle of nature and cycle of life.**