why do we need stories?mrsmitchellsaplanguageclassblogs.weebly.com/uploads/5/9/...character...
TRANSCRIPT
Archetypes
Why do we need stories?
Why do we need stories?
To explain natural phenomenon such as great floods and the creation of the world
To answer such questions such as why we are born and why we die
To help us escape reality by entering a world where the good guy wins, the forces of evil are defeated, and love conquers all
To help define the roles of good and evil such as the hero and the villain so that we might recognize them in reality
What is an “archetype”?
Original pattern or model of which all things of the same type are
representations.
A perfect example Recurring patterns of situations,
characters, or symbols existing universally and instinctively in the collective unconscious.
Carl G. Jung
What characteristics do
archetypes share?
Not individual but the part we share with all humanity.
Connect us to our past and connect our past to a common
source
Not directly knowable but instead express themselves in
forms.
Universal
Cannot be explained by interaction among cultures—
geography and history often made this impossible.
Recurrent, appearing in slightly altered forms to relate
present day situations to the past for meaning
Character Archetypes
Situational Archetypes
Symbolic Archetypes
Three types of archetypes
Character Archetypes
Character Archetypes
THE HERO— mother is sometimes a virgin; circumstances of birth are unusual; some attempt is made at birth to kill him; raised by foster parents, returns to his kingdom to right wrongs; marries a princess; becomes king; meets a mysterious death; body is sometimes burned or missing rather than buried
Character Archetypes
YOUNG ONE FROM THE PROVINCES— hero is taken away as a young man and raised by strangers; when he returns home, he can view problems objectively and can solve them easier
Character Archetypes
THE INITIATE— young heroes or heroines who go through training; usually innocent and may wear white
Character Archetypes
MENTOR—teacher or counselor to the initiate; often are father or mother figures to the hero or heroine
Character Archetypes
PARENT/CHILD CONFLICT— father and son are separated and do not meet until the son is an adult; often the mentor is more loved and respected than the parent
Character Archetypes
The Herald—
Heralds act to signal change and invite the character to answer the call to adventure. Their job is to motivate the hero into action, despite the hero’s frequent desire to maintain the status quo. Heralds can be people, objects or acts of nature.
Character Archetypes
Threshold Guardians—
The Threshold Guardian's job is to ensure the protagonist is worthy of passing the threshold, and thus they act as part of the tests the protagonist must face in the journey. They can also be inanimate objects or forces of nature
Character Archetypes
HUNTING GROUP OF
COMPANIONS—
loyal companions
willing to face any
number of dangers to be
together
Character Archetypes
LOYAL RETAINERS-
somewhat like servants
to the hero who are
heroic themselves; their
duty is to protect the
hero and reflect the
honor and nobility of the
hero
Character Archetypes
FRIENDLY BEASTS –
These creatures aid or
serve the hero/heroine
and symbolize how
nature is on the side of
the hero/heroine
Character Archetypes
DEVIL FIGURE—
evil incarnate; offers
worldly goods,
fame, or knowledge
to the hero in
exchange for
possession of the
soul
Character Archetypes
CREATURE OF
NIGHTMARE—
animal or creature
disfigured or
mutated; monsters
who are the
antagonists in the
story
Character Archetypes
EVIL FIGURE WITH
GOOD HEART—
redeemable evil figure
saved by the nobility or
love of the hero.
Character Archetypes
SCAPEGOAT—animal or human who is unjustly held responsible for others’ sins; sacrificed but they often become more powerful force dead than alive
Character Archetypes
OUTCAST—figure banished from a social group for some crime against his fellow man (could be falsely accused of a crime or could choose to banish himself from guilt), or for a questionable past
Character Archetypes
EARTHMOTHER—
offers spiritual and
emotional nourishment
to those she meets;
shown in earth colors
and has large breasts
and hips symbolic of
her childbearing
capabilities
Character Archetypes
TEMPTRESS—
sensuous beauty;
tries to bring about
the hero’s downfall
because he is
physically attracted
to her
Character Archetypes
PLATONIC
IDEAL— female
figure who provides
intellectual
stimulation for the
hero; he is not
physically attracted
to her
Character Archetypes THE UNFAITHFUL
WIFE— a married
woman who finds her
husband dull or
unattractive seeks a
more virile or interesting
man. Archetypically, the
woman is the center of
the family and is
responsible for keeping it
together.
Character Archetypes
DAMSAL IN
DISTRESS— The
vulnerable woman must
be rescued by the hero.
She is often a trap by the
devil figure or the
temptress to ensure the
unsuspecting hero
cannot finish the journey.
Character Archetypes
STAR-CROSSED
LOVERS— two
lovers forbidden to
be together because
of the rules of
society or family;
often ends tragically
Situational Archetypes
Situational Archetypes
THE QUEST—search for someone or some object, which when it is found and brought back will restore life to a wasted land, and the desolation of which is mirrored by a leader’s illness and disability.
THE TASK—to save the kingdom, to win the fair lady, the hero performs some superhuman deed to identify himself so that he may assume his rightful position
Situational Archetypes
THE JOURNEY—the hero goes in
search of some truth or information
to restore life to the kingdom; he
must descend into a real or
psychological hell and is forced to
discover the blackest truths about
himself (usually his faults); he must
then decide to return to the world of
the living; this could also appear as
a group of isolated people (trapped
on a boat, bus, island) to represent
society
Situational Archetypes THE INITIATION— the
awakening of a teenager or an
initiation into adult life; the
adolescent comes into his/her
maturity with new awareness
and problems along with a
new hope for the community
THE RITUAL— actual
ceremony that marks a new
stage (rite of passage) in life
(weddings, funerals,
coronations)
Situational Archetypes
THE MAGIC WEAPON— The weapon the hero needs in order to complete the quest; represents the extraordinary quality of the hero because no one else can wield the weapon or use it to its full potential. It is usually given by a mentor figure and can only be used by the hero.
Situational Archetypes
THE FALL—descent from a higher to a lower state of being; characters experience a loss of innocence and often experience an expulsion from a kind of paradise as a penalty for their disobedience and moral transgression
Situational Archetypes
THE UNHEALABLE WOUND— a wound that is either physical or psychological; it cannot be healed fully; indicates a loss of innocence; always aches and may drive the sufferer to desperate measures
Situational Archetypes
DEATH AND REBIRTH— deals with the similarities between the cycle of nature and life; morning and springtime represent birth, youth, or rebirth; evening and winter suggest old age or death
Situational Archetypes
NATURE vs. MECHANISTIC WORLD — that which is natural, or part of the natural order is good. Technology which separates people from nature, or the natural world, is bad.
Situational Archetypes
BATTLE BETWEEN GOOD AND EVIL— good triumphs over the opposing force of evil despite great odds, keeping mankind hopeful (optimism)
Symbolic Archetypes
Symbolic Archetypes
LIGHT VS. DARKNESS— light suggests hope, renewal, or intellectual illumination; darkness suggests the unknown, ignorance, or despair.
Symbolic Archetypes
INNATE WISDOM VS EDUCATED STUPIDITY— Uneducated characters can often be wise using their common sense while some very educated characters have no common sense
Symbolic Archetypes
SUPERNATURAL INTERVENTION— the gods or special forces most often intervene on the side of the hero to assist him in his quest
Symbolic Archetypes
FIRE VS. ICE— fire, a
positive archetype,
can represent
knowledge, light, life,
and rebirth while ice
can represent
ignorance, darkness,
sterility, and death
Symbolic Archetypes
HAVEN VS.
WILDERNESS— for
the hero, places of
safety are required for
time to regain health
and resources; these
hideouts are often in
unusual places
Symbolic Archetypes
WATER vs. DESERT—
Because water is necessary
to life and growth, it
commonly appears as a birth
symbol, as baptism
symbolizes a spiritual birth.
Rain, rivers, oceans, etc.
also function the same way.
The desert suggests the
opposite.
Symbolic Archetypes
HEAVEN VS.
HELL— gods live in
the skies or
mountaintops; evil
forces live in the
bowels of the earth