CHARACTERCHARACTER

ARCHETYPESARCHETYPES

THE HERO• Most concretely defined of any

and all archetypes• Life is clearly divided into a series

of well-marked adventures• Life cycle usually follows pattern• Typically characterized by self-

sacrifice, separation, and hardship

• Hero’s mother:– sometimes a virgin

– circumstances of conception are unusual or unknown (typically unknown)

• At birth, someone tries to kill hero

• Usually taken away, raised by foster parents

• Audience or reader knows little of his/her childhood

• When reaching adulthood:

–Returns home to future kingdom

–Defeats evil king or wild beast

–Marries a princess

–Becomes king

–Rules uneventfully

–Later loses favor with the Gods

• When reaching adulthood (cont’d):–Driven or exiled from the city or

kingdom–Lives alone or becomes a wanderer–Dies a mysterious death

• Often at the top of a hill

• Body is not buried

• ALL STEPS NOT NEEDED!!!

Examples

Edward

Aladdin

Perseus (Greek mythology)

Dorothy (The Wizard of Oz)

Ariel (The Little Mermaid)

King Arthur

Leigh Anne Tuohy (The Blind Side)

Robin Hood

Mrs. Frisby (Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of Nimh)

Moses (the Bible)

Jesus Christ (the Bible)

Giselle (Enchanted)

Frodo (The Lord of the Rings)

Bella Swan (Twilight)

Harry Potter (Harry Potter series)

Clark Kent / Superman

Neo (The Matrix)

Marlin (Finding Nemo)

Merida (Brave)

The Woman Figure• Most variations of all character

archetypes

• These women archetypes can be more than one or multiple archetypes at the same time

• 6 examples:

1. The Earthmother– Symbol of life

– Spiritual and emotional nourishment

– Often wears earth colors

– Large breasts and hips• Symbolic of childbearing

capabilities

Esme

Examples of the Earthmother

The Oracle from The Matrix trilogy

Examples of the Earthmother

Mother Earth

Examples of the Earthmother

Sally Field as Mrs. “Momma” Gump in Forrest Gump

Examples of the Earthmother

Mammy from Gone With the Wind

2. The Temptress– Sensuous beauty

• Dark hair (black or red)

• Attractive body (nice figure, “hot”)

– Protagonist is physically attracted to her

– Ultimately brings about his downfall

Examples of the Temptress

Delilah from the story of Samson and Delilah in the Bible

Examples of the Temptress

Lady Guinevere from the legend of King Arthur

Examples of the Temptress

The Sirens from The Odyssey (you’ll read it next year)

Examples of the Temptress

Lola (voiced by Angelina Jolie) in Shark Tale

Examples of the Temptress

Scarlet O’Hara (played by Vivien Leigh) in Gone With the Wind

3. The Platonic Ideal– Source of inspiration

– Spiritual ideal

– Attraction??• More intellectual

• Not necessarily physical

Alice

Examples of the Platonic Ideal

The Virgin Mary (from the Bible)

Examples of the Platonic Ideal

Princess Leia (played by Carrie Fisher) in the Star Wars trilogy

Examples of the Platonic Ideal

Mary Jane Watson (Kirsten Dunst) in the Spiderman trilogy

Examples of the Platonic IdealNotice the hair

color in this visual

representation of Lady Guinevere…

It’s blonde as opposed to

black/red, so the same woman can

be a different archetype

depending on the legend. Notice the color of her

dress, too.

Lady Guinevere from the legend of King Arthur

4. The Unfaithful Wife–Married woman

–Sees her husband as dull or distant

–Attracted to more interesting and virile man

Examples of the Unfaithful Wife

Lady Guinevere (shown with King Arthur [played by Sean Connery] on left and Lancelot [played by Richard Gere] on right) in First Knight

Examples of the Unfaithful Wife

Eva Longoria (Gabrielle) on Desperate Housewives

shown with husband Carlos on left & shown with lover John on right

notice her demeanor in each picture

Examples of the Unfaithful Wifemarried

toHelen of Troy King Menelaus

but has an affair with

Prince Paris — begins Trojan

War

5. The Damsel in Distress–Vulnerable, naïve, helpless

–Must be rescued by the Hero

–Often used as bait

Bella

Examples of the Damsel in Distress

Snow White (left) and Sleeping Beauty (right) from Disney films

Examples of the Damsel in Distress

Lady Guinevere (center) being rescued by Arthur’s knights

Examples of the Damsel in Distress

Princess Fiona (voiced by Cameron Diaz) in Shrek

Examples of the Damsel in Distress

Andromeda (played here by Judi Bowker) in Clash of the Titans

she is offered as a sacrifice to the Kraken; waiting for Perseus to

rescue her

Examples of the Damsel in Distress

Elizabeth Swann (Keira Knightley) in the The Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl

6. The Star-Crossed Lovers–Two characters engaged in a love

affair

–Fated to end tragically for one or both (in other words, one or both will die)

–Love is disapproved of by society, friends, or family

Edward and Bella

Examples of the Star-Crossed Lovers

Jack Dawson (Leonardo DiCaprio) and Rose DeWitt Bukater (Kate Winslet) in Titanic

Examples of the Star-Crossed Lovers

Noah Calhoun (Ryan Gosling/James Garner) and Allie Hamilton (Rachel McAdams/Gena Rowlands) in The Notebook

Examples of the Star-Crossed Lovers

Romeo (Leonard Whiting) and Juliet (Olivia Hussey) in the most famous example of the Star-Crossed Lovers in Romeo and Juliet

The Young “man” from the Provinces

• Spirited away at an early age• Reared by strangers• When returning home:

– Considered a stranger

– New problems exist need new solutions

• Tarzan, King Arthur, Dorothy (The Wizard of Oz), Tom Hanks’s character in Big

The Initiates• Young Heroes or Heroines• Prior to the quest:

–Ceremony of defeat–Training of some kind

• Usually innocent; wears white• Luke or Annakin Skywalker (Star

Wars), Daniel (The Karate Kid)

Mentors• Serve as guardians, teachers, or

counselors to the initiate• Sometimes work as role models• Often serve as father or mother figure• Mentors teach by example• Typically tend to be older; elderly• Mr Miyagi (The Karate Kid), Merlin (King

Arthur legends), Gandalf (The Lord of the Rings trilogy), Dumbledore (Harry Potter series), Yoda (Star Wars)

Loyal Retainers• Servants or guides to the hero• Usually heroic themselves• Duties:

– Protect the hero– Reflect the nobility of the hero

• “street smart”• Donkey to Shrek; Samwise to Frodo (The Lord

of the Rings); Dory to Marlin (Finding Nemo); Robin to Batman (Batman TV series); Little John to Robin Hood

Alice or Emmett

Friendly Beast• Nature is on the side of the hero

• Toto (The Wizard of Oz), Lassie, Old Yeller, Falcore (The Neverending Story), Willy (Free Willy), the Beast (Beauty and the Beast)

Seth or Jacob

The Devil Figure• E-V-I-L

• Offers fame and fortune

• The Catch ???– Must surrender possession of soul

• To be a “devil figure,” the character MUST offer a trade!

• The Emperor (Star Wars), Ursula (The Little Mermaid), Satan (the Bible), Hades (Hercules animated film)

Volturi

Victoria

The Outcast• Figure banished from a social group

from some crime against mankind–Real crime–Imagined crime

• Destined to become a wanderer

• Cain (the Bible), Simba (The Lion King), Batman (Batman Begins)

Jacob in Breaking Dawn 1

Hunting Group of Companions

• Companions of Hero• Loyal FIERCELY LOYAL• Willing to face any number of perils in

order to be together• Robin Hood’s Merry Men; Timon,

Pumbaa, and Nala (The Lion King); King Arthurs Knights of the Round Table; the hobbits/Fellowship (The Lord of the Rings); the Three Musketeers

The Cullens