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Archetype Notes

This document discusses various literary archetypes including characters, stories, rituals, and symbols. It describes common character archetypes like the hero, group, loner, willing/unwilling hero, antihero, tragic hero, and more. It also outlines the typical stages of the hero's journey including the ordinary world, call to adventure, crossing the threshold, challenges in the unknown world, atonement/rebirth, and return. Finally, it lists some common story archetypes such as the Cinderella story, fish out of water, hero's quest, creation myths, and symbols like water, seasons, and numbers.

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216 views4 pages

Archetype Notes

This document discusses various literary archetypes including characters, stories, rituals, and symbols. It describes common character archetypes like the hero, group, loner, willing/unwilling hero, antihero, tragic hero, and more. It also outlines the typical stages of the hero's journey including the ordinary world, call to adventure, crossing the threshold, challenges in the unknown world, atonement/rebirth, and return. Finally, it lists some common story archetypes such as the Cinderella story, fish out of water, hero's quest, creation myths, and symbols like water, seasons, and numbers.

Uploaded by

api-612131991
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Archetype Notes

(Literary Archetypes, Story Archetypes, Character Archetypes, Symbol Archetypes, The

Hero’s journey)

Literary Archetypes:

1. Characters

2. Stories

3. Rituals

4. Symbols

What is it?

● An organised pattern; means that something- characters or stories or rituals or symbols- is

familiar due to its recurrence

● That crosses culture and time; means that people have understood this content throughout

history and throughout the world

Character Archetypes

- Character Archetypes are common types of characters that are frequently seen in stories.

They have similar goals and traits. They develop in similar ways through familiar

situations

- Hero: protagonist, reader’s guide through story

- Group: Part of a society at the beginning, journey takes them to an unknown land,

separate from the group but eventually rejoin. Ex. Nemo, Simba
- Loner: story begins with hero apart from society, journey is one of reentry into the group,

an adventure within the group, then a return to isolation. Ex. batman, Hulk

Character Archetypes Cont.

- Willing?Unwilling: Committed to the adventure or full or doubts. Ex. Tarzan, frodo

- Anti: Specialized kind of hero, may be outlaws or villains from the point of view of

society, audience is in sympathy with them, they may win in the end over society’s

corruption, rebels. Ex. Jack Sparrow

- Tragic; flawed heroes, never overcome their inner demons, brought down and destroyed

by inner demons, may be charming, their flaw wins in the end. Ex. darth Vader

- Catalyst: central figures who act heroically, don't change much themselves, main function

is to bring about change in others. Ex. Dory

- Mentor; helps the hero on the right path

- Herald: announces the need for change that will kick the hero’s journey

- Threshold Guardian; tests the hero and must be defeated before the hero can progress

- Shapeshifter: changes between friend and enemy to the hero and can never be trusted

completely

- Shadow: the villain, exists to create threat and conflict for the hero

- Trickster: adds fun into the story

The Hero’s Journey

- Ordinary world; the normal world- setting, characters, beliefs, that the hero inhabits

- Call to change/Herald: the hero is presented with a problem, challenge or adventure


- The threshold/commitment to change: the hero commits to undertaking the challenge and

agrees to face the consequences

- The Unknown World/challenges, allies, enemies: A series of further problems to test the

hero along the way

- Into the abyss?danger zone: the hero confronts her/his greatest fear-the height or suspense

and tension in the story

The Hero’s journey cont.

- Transformation and revelation: return to the “ordinary world”, the road back: the hero

still has to deal with the consequences of the reward: evil forces might pursue him/her

- Atonement/rebirth: The turning point for the hero who is forced to use this new

knowledge or magic object to prevent his/her own ‘death”

- The return: the hero returns to the ordinary world with the new knowledge, or object to

heal or benefit the ordinary world.

Story Archetypes

● The Cinderella/underdog story

● “A fish out of water”

● The hero’s journey/quest

● Creation

● Flood

● Coming Home

● Initiation
● Sacrificial scapegoat

● Return to Paradise/ submersion in cyclical time

● Rescue

● Immortality

Symbols

● Water:bathing in, emerging from, crossing

● Seasons

● Storms

● Numbers:3,4,7

● Forest

● Sunrise,sunset

● The blind man

● sleep

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