What Is An Archetype? • Universal paerns in all stories regardless of culture or historical
time period. • Part of the human mind contains ideas (which are unconscious) that
are shared by all members of the human species. • Term was coined by a psychologist named Carl Jung. • Joseph Campbell, an American professor of mythology, applied
Jung’s idea to literature to show how all cultures have the same idea of what a hero is and what kind of journey these heroes experience.
Application • The term archetype can be referred to
– An image – A theme – A symbol – An idea – A character type – A plot paern
Expression • Archetypes can be expressed in:
– Literature – Myths – Dreams – Religion – Fantasy – Folklore
Heroic Archetypes
• Hero as a Warrior – A near god-like hero faces physical challenges and external
enemies • Example: Beowulf
• Hero as a lover – A pure love motivates hero to complete his quest
• Example: Prince Charming
More Heroic Archetypes • Hero as Scapegoat
– Hero suffers for the sake of others • Example: Jesus
• Transcendent Hero – Hero of tragedy whose fatal #aw brings about his
downfall but not before some kind of transforming realization or wisdom
• Example: Oedipus
More Heroic Archetypes • Romantic/Gothic Hero
– Hero with a dark side • Examples: Batman, Leonardo DiCaprio in The Departed
• Proto-Feminist Hero – Most female heroes (but can also be in other
categories) • Examples: Mulan, GI Jane, etc.
More Herioc Archetypes • Apocalyptic Hero
– Hero who faces the destruction of society • Examples: Will Smith in I Am Legend
• Anti-hero – Non-hero, given the vocation of failure; often humorous
• Example: Homer Simpson
More Heroic Archetypes • De"ant Anti-hero
– Hero who opposes society’s de"nition of a hero • Example: Will Smith in Hancock
• Unbalanced Hero – Protagonist who has (or must pretend to have) a mental or
emotional de"ciency • Example: Sam from I Am Sam
More Heroic Archetypes • The Other/The Denied Hero
– The protagonist whose status or essential otherness makes heroism possible
• Example: Po from Kung Fu Panda
• The Superhero – Exaggerates the normal proportions of humanity; frequently has
divine or supernatural origins. In some sense, the superhero is one apart, someone who does not quite belong, but who is nonetheless needed by society.
• Example: Superman, mythological heroes
Archetypal Journeys • The Quest for identity • Epic journey to "nd the promised land/to found the good city • Quest for vengeance • Warrior’s journey to save his people • Search for love (rescue damsel in distress) • Journey in search of knowledge • The tragic quest: penance or self-denial • Quest to rid the land of danger • Grail quest (quest for human perfection)
Characteristics of the Journey • Not all of these will be present:
• hero is naive and inexperienced • The hero meets monsters or monstrous men • Hero has a strange, wise being as a mentor • Hero yearns for the beautiful lady who is sometimes his guide or mentor • Hero must go on a journey, learn a lesson, change in some way, and return home • Hero often crosses a body of water or travels on a bridge • Hero is born and raised in a rural seing away from cities • Origin of the hero is mysterious or hero looses his parents at a young age, being raised
by animals or a wise guardian • Hero returns to the land of his birth in disguise or as an unknown • Hero is special/one of a kind; may represent a whole nation or culture
Characteristics of the Journey continued…
• Hero struggles for something valuable and important • Hero has help for divine or supernatural forces • Hero has a guide(s) • Hero goes through a rite of passage/initiation, an event that marks a change
from immaturity to a mature understanding of the world • Hero has a loyal band of companions • Hero makes a stirring speech to his companions • Hero engages in tests or contests of strengths (physical and/or mental) and
shows pride in his excellence • Hero suffers an un-healable wound, sometimes an emotional or spiritual wound
from which the hero never completely recovers
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