Archetypes 101

1. Archetypes 101 What roles do archetypes play in society, literature, media and personal experience?

2. Archetype Definition • An archetype is a prototype or model from which something is based. • The character archetypes listed here derive from Joseph Campbell's The Hero with a Thousand Faces and are deeply rooted in the myths and legends of many cultures.

3. What is an Archetype? • An original model which other things are similarly patterned after • An image, story pattern, character type, representation, or recurring idea • Evokes strong associations to the reader or observer

4. What should I look for to identify archetypes? • A shared idea with all humanity • An inherited part of the human being that connects us all • A constant and universal idea

5. What kinds of Archetypes are there? • There are three main archetypes: • Situational • Symbolic • Character We will begin with character archetypes…

6. Character Archetypes • A person or being that serves as a representative of a greater ideal • Characteristics, actions, abilities, or powers contribute to the archetype characterization

7. Hero • The essences of the hero is not bravery or nobility, but self-sacrifice. • The mythic hero is one who will endure separation and hardship for the sake of others. • The hero must pay a price to obtain his goals.

8. Hero • The hero's journey during a story is a path from the ego, the self, to a new identity which has grown to include the experiences of the journey. • This journey often consists of a separation from family or group to a new, unfamiliar and challenging world (even if it's his own back yard), and finally a return to the ordinary, but now expanded, world.

9. Hero • The hero must learn in order to grow. • Often the heart of a story is not the obstacles he faces, but the new wisdom he acquires, from a mentor, a lover, or even from the villain.

10. Hero • Other characters besides the protagonist can have heroic qualities. This can be especially true of the antagonist. • Can be willing and adventurous, or reluctant.  • may be group and family oriented, or loners • may change and grow themselves, or act as catalysts for others to grow and act heroic

11. Hero • Can be an innocent, a wanderer, a martyr, a warrior, a vengeful destroyer, a ruler, or a fool. • The essence of the hero is the sacrifice he makes to achieve his goal

13. Mentor • Is a character who aids, trains or teaches the hero • Essence of the mentor is the wise old man or woman • Represents the wiser and more godlike qualities within us

14. Mentor • An effective mentor may be an otherwise inept or foolish character who possesses just the skill or wisdom the hero needs for his challenge. • The mentor may occasionally be the hero's conscience, returning him to the right path after he strays or strengthening him when he weakens. The hero doesn't always appreciate this assistance, of course.

15. Mentor • The other major role of the mentor is to equip the hero by giving him a gift or gifts which are important in his quest. • These gifts may be weapons, medicine or food, magic, or some important clue or piece of information. • Frequently, the mentor requires the hero to have passed some sort of test before receiving the gift.

17. Threshold Guardian • Is the first obstacle to the hero in his journey • The threshold is the gateway to the new world the hero must enter to change and grow

18. Threshold Guardian • Is usually not the story's antagonist • Only after this initial test has been surpassed will the hero face the true contest and the arch-villain • Is frequently a henchman or employee of the antagonist

19. Threshold Guardian • The role of the threshold guardian is to test the hero's mettle and worthiness to begin the story's journey, and to show that the journey will not be easy. • The hero will encounter the guardian early in the story, usually right after he starts his quest.

21. Herald • The role of the herald is to announce the challenge which begins the hero on his story journey. • Is the person or piece of information which upsets the sleepy equilibrium in which the hero has lived and starts the adventure

22. Herald • Need not be a person, it can be an event or force • Is the inner realization that things need to change and that things can't go on the way they have been • Signals that the world (or just the hero himself) is out of balance and needs to be set right

23. Bruce Wayne- seeing his father and mother gunned down. • Aladdin- feeling as though he is living a lie. • Mulan- feeling like she can’t be herself.

24. Shapeshifter • Changes role or personality, often in significant ways, and is hard to understand. • That very changeability is the essence of this archetype. • The shapeshifter's alliances and loyalty are uncertain, and the sincerity of his claims is often questionable. This keeps the hero off guard.

25. Shapeshifter • The shapeshifter is often a person of the opposite sex, often the hero's romantic interest. • The shapeshifter is sometimes a catalyst whose changing nature forces changes in the hero • the normal role is to bring suspense into a story by forcing the reader, along with the hero, to question beliefs and assumptions.

27. Shadow • Is a negative figure, representing things we don't like and would like to eliminate. • Often takes the form of the antagonist in a story. (But not all antagonists are villains; sometimes the antagonist is a good guy whose goals disagree with the protagonist's.) • If the antagonist is a villain, though, he's a shadow.

28. Shadow • Is the worthy opponent with whom the hero must struggle. • In a conflict between hero and villain, the fight is to the end; one or the other must be destroyed or rendered impotent. • While the shadow is a negative force in the story, it's important to remember that no man is a villain in his own eyes. • In fact, the shadow frequently sees himself as a hero, and the story's hero as his villain.

30. What is a Situational Archetype? • A given experience that a hero or character must endure to move from one place in life to the next • Actions and events that add to the plot • A common event seen throughout stories in may different genres (myths, fairy tales, movie, literature, etc.)

31. Situations The Task • To save the kingdom, to win the fair lady, to identify himself so that he may reassume his rightful position, the Hero must perform some nearly superhuman deed. e.g., Odysseus must string the bow, Arthur must pull the sword from the stone, Harry must defeat Voldemort, Frodo must destroy the ring.

32. The Task: Examples Only the rightful heir to the throne can complete the task of pulling the sword from the stone. Only a daring prince can save the princess.

33. Situations The Initiation • This usually takes the form of an initiation into life, that is, the portrayal of an adolescent coming into maturity and adulthood with all the attendant problems and responsibilities that this process involves. • An awakening, awareness, or an increased perception of the world and the people in it usually forms the climax of this archetypal situation (e.g., Holden Caulfield of Catcher in the Rye, Huckleberry Finn, Mulan, Cinderella, etc.).

34. Situations The Journey • Usually combined with the task and/or the initiation, the journey is used to send the Hero in search of information or some intellectual truth. • Common elements of the journey archetype are: • the descent into hell/darkness • a series of tasks/trials (e.g., Odyssey, The Lord of the Rings, Harry Potter).

35. Situations The Journey • Sends the hero on a search for some truth or information • Forces the hero to discover many unpleasant truths • The hero will encounter trials that test his character on his journey

36. The Journey: Examples