characterarchetypes. the hero most concretely defined of any and all archetypes life is clearly...
TRANSCRIPT
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