Joseph Campbell Hero And Quest

“ Joseph Campbell’s Monomyth: Hero with a Thousand Faces By Dr. L. Nicosia

Based on the pattern of :
Separation
Initiation
Return

Separation:
The Call to Adventure
Refusal of the Call
Supernatural Intervention
Crossing the first threshold

Initiation:
The Road of Trials
Meeting with the Goddess/Witch
Temptation
Atonement with Father
Apotheosis
The Boon

The Hero returns

Upon His Return He Faces:
A fallen homeland
A land in disarray
A trap
OR
A warm welcome as savior

Campbell identifies the hero’s journey with even more specificity…

Stages of the Hero’s Journey:
Birth with fabulous circumstances
Call to adventure
Helper/Amulet (wizard, dwarf, fairy godmother)
Crossing the threshold (The Ordeal)

And then…
The Test —violent encounters with monsters, sorcerers, warriors or forces of nature
Helpers assist in the tests and serve as loyal companions.
The final battle facilitates resolution

There’s still more…
The Flight
The Return (awakening, rebirth, resurrection or emergence from a cave or forest)
The Elixir (may be a restorative or healer, but may also define the hero’s role in society)
Home

These characters tussle with critical moral and ethical dilemmas:
They struggle with their own human flaws and weaknesses (Hamartia?)
They confront external obstacles and injustices (successfully or not)
They learn to navigate power structures (or capitulate to the hegemony)

Through their struggles,they teach us about who we are and who we wish to be (or not to be).

What is YOUR definition of a Hero?

What is the classical definition of a Hero as per Aristotle?
Protagonist of high standing
Hamartia
Downfall/Reversal of fortune as a result of hamartia
Catharsis
Epiphany
Death

Are they Heroes, today, according to Arthur Miller?
Protagonist may be a “Common Man”
Protagonist has a flaw or makes a mistake/misstep
Experiences a reversal of fortune
Audience experiences a purgation of emotion (catharsis)
Protagonist may experience a literal OR a figurative “death”

Tragedy and the Common Man
You can access Arthur Miller’s essay through “External Links” on our Blackboard site or at this address directly:
<http://vccslitonline.cc.va.us/tragedy/milleressay.htm>

As we read through these Great Books this semester:
We will question whether the Hero, his/her quest and his/her ideals are still valid and useful in today’s world.
We will search for commonalities between the texts of the ancients and our contemporary literatures of today.

The End… Or, is it just the beginning? L. Nicosia 2006

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Joseph Campbell Hero And Quest

by Laura Nicosia on Nov 10, 2007

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