WHAT IS AN ARCHETYPE? noun

1. the original pattern or model from which all things of the same kind are copied or on which they are based; a model or first form; prototype.

2. (in Jungian psychology) a collectively inherited unconscious idea, pattern of thought, image, etc., universally present in individual psyches.

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WHAT IS AN ARCHETYPE? Think of an archetype as being the first model or

prototype of something. The Model T was the

first prototype of the modern automobile.

In literature, the same type of characters,

situations, and symbols have been modeled

for many years in many different types of

stories.

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• Carl Jung sought to explain the reason behind these patterns in literature.

• He discovered that humans have that humans have a “preconscious PSYCHIC disposition.” In other words, humans all share certain unconscious, INSTINCTUAL ideas, dreams and notions. When these ideas come out in images or in literature, we call them ARCHETYPES.

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CARL JUNG

CARL JUNG

• According to Jung, archetypes are

a result of a Universal

Unconsciousness, and because of

this, Universal Patterns begin to

surface in art.

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SO, WHAT DOES THIS MEAN?

• We all share a “collective unconscious” or a

subconscious mental record of all common

human experiences.

• Archetypes are universal themes that express

our “collective unconscious.”

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This shared collective unconscious is why so many stories, tales, epics and parables share SIMILAR characters, symbols, themes and stages of plot development; even literature written in different parts of the world, in different CULTURES and at different times in HISTORY!

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ARCHETYPE REDEFINED

It is a recurring pattern of

characters, situations, or symbols

existing universally and instinctively

in man’s unconscious.

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The hero/heroine is

the character who

must fulfill a

necessary task and

who will restore,

fertility, harmony,

and/or justice to a

community.

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HERO/HEROINE

http://ed.ted.com/lessons/what-makes-a-hero-matthew-winkler

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JOURNAL BREAK

Choose one of these topic to write about in your journal.

Explain how an experience has transformed you.

OR

What is the symbolic cave you fear to enter? Explain.

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• Mysterious birth

• Leaves family

• Experiences a traumatic event

• Loses favor

• Wields a special weapon

• Has supernatural help

• Proves himself

• Is often reborn in some way

• Realizes that they “have the power all along”

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CHARACTERISTICS OF A HERO/HEROINE

A hero does not need to have all of these

characteristics to be considered an

archetypical hero!!

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Wizard of Oz Hero's Journey

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The Ordinary World

Most stories take

the hero out of the

ordinary, mundane

world into a Special

World, new and

alien.

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STAGES OF THE HERO’S JOURNEY

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The Call to Adventure

The hero is presented with a problem, challenge, or adventure to undertake. Once presented with a call to adventure, he/she can no longer remain indefinitely in the comfort of the ordinary world.

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STAGES OF THE HERO’S JOURNEY

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AldxVQ8z5F

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THE CALL TO ADVENTURE

Refusal of the Call (The Reluctant Hero)

This one is about fear.

The hero balks or hesitates at the threshold of adventure.

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STAGES OF THE HERO’S JOURNEY

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PJaxd1BQr9

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REFUSAL OF THE CALL

Mentor (Wise Old Man or Woman)

The relationship between the hero and Mentor is one of the most common themes in mythology. It stands for the bond between parent and child, teacher and student, god and man.

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STAGES OF THE HERO’S JOURNEY

Crossing the First

Threshold

The hero finally commits to

the adventure and fully

enters the Special World of

the story for the first time.

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STAGES OF THE HERO’S JOURNEY

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CROSSING THE FIRST THRESHOLD

Tests, Allies, and Enemies

The hero naturally encounters new challenges and tests, makes allies and enemies, and begins to learn the rules of the Special World.

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STAGES OF THE HERO’S JOURNEY

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2eFubQuK0

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MEETING OF THE ENEMY

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z2itQkiQUOE

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MEETING OF AN ALLY

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RG2keYgBi

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EXAMPLE OF A TEST

Approach to the Inmost Cave

The hero comes at last to the edge of a dangerous place, sometimes deep underground, where the object of the quest is hidden.

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STAGES OF THE HERO’S JOURNEY

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SESI19h4wD

o

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APPROACH TO THE INMOST CAVE

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jtie6r27JeU

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APPROACH TO THE INMOST CAVE

The Supreme Ordeal

Here the fortunes of the

hero hit bottom in a

direct confrontation with

his greatest fear.

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STAGES OF THE HERO’S JOURNEY

Reward (Seizing the Sword)

The hero now takes

possession of the treasure

(reward) he/she has come

seeking. Sometimes the

“sword” is knowledge that

leads to greater understanding

or reconciliation with hostile

forces.

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STAGES OF THE HERO’S JOURNEY

In many stories the loved one is the treasure the hero has come to

win or recuse.

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THE ORDEAL/THE REWARD

The Road Back

This stage marks the

return into the Ordinary

World.

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STAGES OF THE HERO’S JOURNEY

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ky7DMCHQJZY

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THE ROAD BACK

Resurrection

Death and darkness get in one last, desperate shot before being finally defeated. It’s the final exam for the hero, who must be tested once more to see if he has really learned the lessons of the Supreme Ordeal.

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STAGES OF THE HERO’S JOURNEY

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ooM-

RGUTe2E

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THE RESURRECTION

Return with the Elixir

The hero returns to the

Ordinary World, but the

journey is meaningless

unless he/she brings

back some Elixir,

treasure, or lesson from

the Special World.

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STAGES OF THE HERO’S JOURNEY

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PweYu0v9_k

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RETURN WITH THE ELIXIR

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THE HERO’S JOURNEY IN THE HUNGER GAMES

ORDINARY WORLD

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ORDINARY WORLD

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THE CALL TO ADVENTURE

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THE CALL TO ADVENTURE

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REFUSAL OF THE CALL (THE RELUCTANT HERO)

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REFUSAL OF THE CALL (THE RELUCTANT HERO)

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MENTOR

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MENTOR

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CROSSING THE FIRST THRESHOLD

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CROSSING THE FIRST THRESHOLD

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TESTS, ALLIES, AND ENEMIES

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TESTS, ALLIES, AND ENEMIES

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TESTS, ALLIES, AND ENEMIES

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APPROACH TO THE INMOST CAVE

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APPROACH TO THE INMOST CAVE

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THE SUPREME ORDEAL

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THE SUPREME ORDEAL

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REWARD (SEIZING THE SWORD)

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REWARD (SEIZING THE SWORD)

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THE ROAD BACK

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THE ROAD BACK

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RESURRECTION

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RESURRECTION

?

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RETURN WITH ELIXIR

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RETURN WITH ELIXIR

?

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In groups of 3, think of a book or movie that follows the hero’s

journey.

You must complete all 7 steps on the back on your notes.

Once your group is finished brainstorming, you must draw your

hero’s cycle and write your explanations on the chart paper

provided.

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These individuals serve

as teachers and

counselors to the hero.

They can work as role

model or serve as a

father or mother figure.

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MENTORS

FATHER-SON CONFLICT

• Separation

• Disagreement between father and son

• Resentment of father by his son

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• A group of hunting

companions will

become lost in the

woods and

unwillingly discover

adventure and

danger there.

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HUNTING GROUP COMPANIONS

• Noble sidekicks to the hero

• Their duty is to protect the hero

• Stand beside the main character through

everything

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LOYAL RETAINERS

• Appears to be a

horrible monster,

but has a heart

of gold and helps

our hero.

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FRIENDLY BEAST

• Redeemable devil

figure (or servant to

the devil figure) is

saved by the hero’s

nobility or good

heart.

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EVIL FIGURE

WITH A GOOD HEART

• Banished from a

society or social

group

• Usually destined to

become a wanderer

• Disagrees with

societal norms

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OUTCAST

• Blamed for other’s actions or wrongdoings

• Death (often in a public ceremony) excuses some sin of the community

• Death makes him or her a more powerful force than when they lived

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SCAPEGOAT

• Represents evil incarnate

• May offer worldly goods, fame, or knowledge to the protagonist in exchange for the protagonists soul

• Main aim is to oppose the hero

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DEVIL FIGURE

• A monster that is

summoned from the

deepest, darkest

parts of the human

psyche

• Threatens the life of

the hero

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CREATURE OF NIGHTMARE

• Two characters

engaged in a love

affair

• Fated to end tragically

for one for both due to

disapproval of society,

friends, family, or the

gods

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STAR-CROSSED LOVERS

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• Symbolic of

fulfillment,

abundance, and

fertility

• Offers spiritual and

emotional

nourishment

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THE EARTH MOTHER

Mother Earth

Mrs. Potts

• Characterized by sensuous beauty

• Her physical attraction may bring about the hero’s downfall

• Tempts our hero to abandon his quest, often with promises of riches, beauty, love or lust.

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THE TEMPTRESS

• A physical and

spiritual ideal for

whom the hero has

an intellectual rather

than physical

attraction

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THE PLATONIC IDEAL

• Married to a man she sees as dull or distant

• Attracted to a more handsome or interesting man

• Commits an act of infidelity

• Through her adultery, an entire kingdom, quest, or world may be destroyed.

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THE UNFAITHFUL WIFE

• Vulnerable woman

who must be rescued

by the hero

• May also be used by

the evil figure, as a

trap, to ensnare the

hero

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THE DAMSEL IN DISTRESS

• A relatively

modern

archetype where

a female warrior

battles evil with

brute force,

strength, and

cunning.

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WARRIOR

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• The search for someone or some talisman which, when found and brought back, will restore fertility to a wasted land or bring peace

• The desolate state of the land is mirrored by a leader's illness and disability.

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QUEST

• The hero must

perform some super

human deed to save

the kingdom, to win

the fair lady, or to

assume his rightful

position

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TASK

• Sends hero in search of some truth or information which is necessary to restore the kingdom

• The hero usually descends into a real or psychological hell and is forced to discover many unpleasant truths

• These unpleasant truths can involve the hero’s own faults

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JOURNEY

• An initiation symbolizes a right of passage into adulthood

• Very much connected with growing up and maturity

• Generally initiates the hero into adult life

• After an initiation, the adolescent will come with new awareness, maturity, skills, and hope for the community.

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INITIATION

• This is the actual

ceremony that will

mark the initiate’s

rite of passage into

another state of

being.

• The ritual marks a

right of passage

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THE RITUAL

• Describes a descent from a higher to a lower state of being.

• The experience involves a loss of innocence and bliss

• Often accompanied by expulsion from a kind of paradise as penalty for disobedience

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THE FALL

• The hero goes through some form of metamorphosis (usually physical, psychological AND spiritual) which, in some way, symbolizes, or is symbolized by, his/ her death and rebirth.

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DEATH AND REBIRTH

• Nature = good

• Technology &

Society = bad

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NATURE VS. MECHANISTIC

WORLD

• Mankind often shows

eternal optimism in

the continual

portrayal of good

triumphing over evil

in spite of great

odds.

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BATTLE BETWEEN

GOOD AND EVIL

• The wound is either physical or psychological damage and cannot be fully healed.

• Indicates a loss of innocence

• These wounds often ache and can drive the sufferer to desperate measures

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UNHEALABLE WOUND

• A symbol of the hero’s extraordinary quality

• No other can wield the weapon or use it to its full potential

• Traditionally given by a mentor

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THE MAGIC WEAPON

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Light= enlightenment,

wisdom, good, hope,

renewal, intellectual

illumination

Darkness= the

unknown, ignorance,

evil

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LIGHT AND DARKNESS

• Water= birth, rebirth, creation, purification, growth

• Desert= spiritual aridity, death, hopelessness, loss of faith

• Water may symbolize a spiritual birth

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WATER AND DESERT

• Supreme beings and

mythological gods

live in the skies

• Evil forces, including

Satan, come from

the underworld

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HEAVEN AND HELL

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INNATE WISDOM VS. EDUCATED

STUPIDITY • Some characters exhibit

wisdom and understanding

of situations instinctively as

opposed to those supposedly

in charge. A hero often needs

the guidance of innate

wisdom.

• Loyal retainers often exhibit

this wisdom as they

accompany the hero on the

journey.

Sam from Lord of the Rings

Alfred the Butler in Batman

• Havens are places of comfort and safety.

• The wilderness is portrayed as a place of danger.

• Heroes may seek havens for time to regain health and resources

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HAVEN VS. WILDERNESS

• Sun= creative energy, thinking, enlightenment, wisdom, spiritual vision

• Rising Sun= birth, creation, the beginning of something

• Setting Sun= death, the end of something

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THE SUN

COLORS Red: blood, sacrifice, passion, disorder, violence

Green: growth, hope, fertility, nature

Blue: tranquility, security, truth

White: light, purity, innocence (negative: nothingness, terror, death)

Yellow: enlightenment, wisdom

Black: evil, darkness, chaos, mystery, the unknown, death

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• Symbol of energy

and pure force

(libido), corruption,

sensuality,

destruction, evil

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SERPENT/SNAKE/WORM

NUMBERS 3= light, spiritual awareness, unity, the trinity

4= mankind (four limbs), four seasons, four elements, life cycle

6= evil, sin, man

7= divinity (3) + mankind (4) = religious component of unity, completion of a cycle, perfect order

13= evil, unlucky

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Note: Many things come in sets of 7

• Seven deadly sins

• Seven days of the week

• Seven colors of the rainbow

• Paradise, innocence,

unspoiled beauty

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GARDEN

• Growth, proliferation, immortality, phallic symbol, denotes life of the cosmos

• Where we learn, tree of life, tree of knowledge

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TREE

SEASONS • Spring= rebirth, genre= comedy

• Summer= life, genre= romance

• Fall= dying, descent, genre= tragedy

• Winter= death, nothingness, genre= irony

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