THE HERO S JOURNEY: CHARACTERS AND THEIR ROLES

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Nancy O’Neal’
5 years ago
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1 CAMPBELL S ARCHETYPLAL CHARACTERS 1) The Hero 2) The Herald 3) The Mentor 4) The Threshold Guardian 5) Allies/Helpers 6) The Shadow 7) The Shapeshifter 8) The Trickster 9) The Tempter 10)Enemies/Rivals

2 1) THE HERO: to sacrifice for & serve others Our protagonist; the symbolic everyman Must learn to accept the sacrifice of ordinary physical/ emotional/ spiritual life for the service of others Must be driven by altruism: to right a wrong, to seek justice May coincidentally accomplish secondary/selfish needs (finding a husband/wife, getting rich, etc.) PRIMARY PURPOSE= TO SACRIFICE HIMSELF FOR THE SERVICE OF OTHERS ON THE JOURNEY AT HAND

3 1) THE HERO: to sacrifice for & serve others The hero need not be all good some of our favorite heroes are actually o Antiheroes o Outlaws o and/or Loner Heroes The hero invariably grows and learns the most during the Journey.

4 1) THE HERO: to sacrifice for and serve others

5 2) HERALD: to warn/announce/challenge May appear any time during the Journey, but often appears at the beginning of the Journey to announce the Initial Call to Adventure Announce other Calls to Adventure (potential dangers, changes, etc.) May be internal: dreams or visions May be external: a declaration of war, a storm, a news flash, a letter, an announcement, a word of caution, a warning Whatever its form, the herald is necessary to present/ frame the Challenge

6 2) HERALD: to warn/announce/challenge

7 3) MENTOR: to guide Provides motivation, insight, and training to help the Hero overcome his doubts and fears and prepare for the Journey. Must demand discipline and sacrifice. Has usually been there, done that May reward the Hero with magical gifts (a weapon, clothing, advice, a key, etc.) that will help him on the Journey Need not be a physical entity; may be instead an Inner Mentor (e.g., a Code of Honor, a promise made once upon a time, or a Family Thing, etc) Often is an "outcast," an undesirable, deformed, etc.

8 3) MENTOR: to guide JOSEPH CAMPBELL LAO TSU BOB SCOTT BOB SCOTT

9 4) THRESHOLD GUARDIAN: to test & protect Provide essential Tests to prove the Hero s commitment and worth Protect the Special World and its secrets from the Hero May be characters, a locked door or secret vault, an animal, a force of nature, such as a tornado, etc.

10 4) THRESHOLD GUARDIAN: to test & protect

11 5) ALLIES/HELPERS: To support, aid & assist Can be full time characters. Can be part time characters. Can help in major ways. Can help in minor ways. Aren t always humans. Often function deus ex machina.

12 5) ALLIES/HELPERS: to support, aid & assist

13 6) SHADOW: to destroy The antagonist May be external: the bad guy, demon, force, etc May be internal: fears, phobias, desires, impulses, flaws, etc.

14 THE HERO S JOURNEY: 6) SHADOW: to destroy

15 7) SHAPESHIFTER: to question and deceive Misleads the Hero by hiding intentions and loyalties Causes doubts and questions in the Hero s mind, thereby infusing suspense Seems to be one thing...turns out to be/into another

16 7) SHAPESHIFTER: to question and deceive

17 8) TRICKSTER: to disrupt/defy Relishes disrupting the status quo, turning the Ordinary or the New World(s) into chaos Characterized by antics, wit, turns of phrase, laughter to reveal the absurdity of the situation The Hero often dons the mask of the Trickster to outwit or disarm a villain or enemy Is often the voice of sanity/reason during the Journey s confusion Shakespeare s fools are examples

18 8) TRICKSTER: to disrupt/defy

19 9) TEMPTERS: to tempt, mislead, lure pull hero from the correct path Distracts with fear, doubt, desire, etc may pretend to be friends or even mentors, but their goal is inevitably selfish heroes must rely on their sense of purpose and judgment, and on their mentors/helpers to help them recognize tempters tempters always seem to strike at the hero s greatest weaknesses: his poorest skills; her shakiest knowledge; his most vulnerable emotions always appeal to the hero s needs/desires and fears

20 9) TEMPTERS: to tempt, mislead, lure If heroes are unable to identify and resist tempters, their quest will fail and they will turn back and re-cross the threshold into the prior secure/ known/ understood state of immaturity/ignorance

21 THE HERO S JOURNEY: 9) TEMPTERS: to tempt, mislead, lure

22 10) ENEMIES/RIVALS: to oppose/defeat This is a catch-all category, meant to include all Bad Guys not previously named. Can be minor characters. Not necessarily associated with the Shadow. Good Guys are simply allies/helpers; Campbell notes no subtypes; he has no equivalent Bad Guy category. The ultimate Bad Guy is the Shadow. Shapeshifters, Tricksters, (and occasionally Tempters) can be both Good Guys and Bad Guys.

23 10) ENEMIES/RIVALS: to oppose/defeat

Character Archetypes. with Bronte s Jane Eyre - and - Tolkien s Lord of the Rings

Character Archetypes. with Bronte s Jane Eyre - and - Tolkien s Lord of the Rings Character Archetypes with Bronte s Jane Eyre - and - Tolkien s Lord of the Rings Archetype Context Archetypes stem from research done by Swiss psychologist Carl Jung who maintained that the stories we