Archetypes

Themes and Patterns
(Name 3)

Immorality
Creation/Beginning
Innocence (or Loss of it)
The Quest
Survival
Withdrawal from Action: Shunned by society either intentionally or not.
Search for Self: Finding self acceptance, Eat, Pray, Love
Destruction of the Beautiful: Frankenstein

Tensions/Conflicts
(Name 3)

Male vs Female
Good vs Evil
Choice vs Consequence
Youth vs Maturity
Life vs Death
Light vs Dark

Archetype

A character type, plot, patterns, setting, symbol, or image which is rooted in the collective unconscious"of various cultures and recurs through literature; also called universal patterns.

Collective Unconscious

Part of the unconscious mind that is derived from ancestral memory and experience, and share among beings of the same species (founded by Carl Jung)

Archetypes maintain the same basic qualities across culture and time aka

the cookie cutter Stereotypes can change based on the culture in which they exist (the cookie dough)

Characteristics of a Hero

Morally good, Brave, Must encounter and overcome obstacles to achieve an ultimate goal, Often have a mysterious birth or unusual upbringing

Hero 1 - The Willing Hero

Runs toward danger
Motivated by obstacles
Brave, fearless, dangerous,
Ex : Captain America

Hero 2 - The Unwilling Hero

Faces challenges with doubt and fear
Does not wish to be a hero
Unsure of themselves
Ex: The Hulk, Han Solo, Aquaman

Hero 3 - The Tragic Hero

Deeply flawed
Flaw leads to hero’s downfall
Loses everything through an error
To be pitied by an audience
Ex: Aninkin Skywalker

Hero 4 - The Classical/Epic Hero

A legend
Represents the best of a culture
Superior in some way.
Ex: Wonder Women, Black Panther

Hero 5 - The AntiHero

Often lacks courage to do the right thing
Loyal to themselves
Yet vulnerable and sympathetic to the audience
Has some redeeming or understanding quality

The Outcast

Banished from society for real or imagined wrongdoings, wanderer, often meets up with the hero at some point

Damsels in Distress

Vulnerable women, narrative, need help, sometimes act as a trap.

Wise Old Man

Father figure, gives hero talisman (often a weapon, but also advice, food, shelter, magic)

Helper/Guide

Apcompanys hero on journey, or crosses paths with hero, gives assistance to them.

Sorcerer/Magician/Healer

Has knowledge of the physical world, acts on hunches or intuition to solve problems, often has supernatural powers.

The Villain

Worthy opponent must be destroyed for the hero to be successful. Often the opposite of hero, the evil to hero good, represents the hero’s dark side.

The Temptress

Unethical women who lure men into treacherous situations.

Settings: Garden

fertility, life, beginnings, Eden, paradise

Settings: Forest

Seclusion, tranquility, adventure, unknown, mystery, fear

Settings: Desert

wasteland, death, alienation, isolation, search for self, sadness

Settings: Ocean

Vastness, danger, exploration, infinity

Settings: Sunrise

beginning of a new day/era, life

Settings: Sunset

ending of day/era, death

Seasons: Spring

Birth, childhood, innocence, life, new beginnings

Seasons: Summer

Youth, early middle years, happiness

Seasons: Fall

Late middle years, possibly approaching death, wisdom, insight

Seasons: Winter

Old age, death, sadness, despair, peace

Natural Elements: Fire

Destruction, passion, anger, hell, cleansing

Natural Elements: Water

Cleansing, birth, life, purity, baptism, rebirth

Natural Elements: Wind

Freedom, euphoria, revolution, change, upheaval

Natural Elements: Earth

Mortality, circle of life, protective, feminine.

Shapes: Circles

unity, eternity

Shapes: Triangles

commitcation, trinity

Shapes: Squares

stability

Shapes: Rectangles

rational