Lesson 8 - Action Adventure archetypes
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This document discusses the concept of an anti-hero in storytelling and asks the reader to identify which of several characters could be considered an anti-hero. It defines an anti-hero as a protagonist who lacks traditional heroic traits like idealism, courage, and morality. It also prompts the reader to name 3 archetypal heroes and explain why they fit that category.
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Lesson 8 - Action Adventure archetypes
- 18. Anti-Hero An antihero or antiheroine is a protagonist who lacks conventional heroic qualities such as idealism, courage, and morality. WHICH OF THESE CHARACTERS IS AN ANTI-HERO?
- 19. Identify 3 archetypal heroes and justify your reasons for placing them in the category
Editor's Notes
- The archetypal hero appears in all religions, mythologies, and stories of the world. He is an expression of our personal and collective unconscious, as theorized by Carl Jung and Joseph Campbell (see below). All archetypal heroes share certain characteristics. This fact has only come to light this century, after people like Joseph Campbell began comparing mythologies of the world. Heroes are constructions; they are not real. All societies have similar hero stories not because they coincidentally made them up on their own, but because heroes express a deep psychological aspect of human existence. They can be seen as a metaphor for the human search of self-knowledge. In other words, the hero shows us the path to our own consciousness through his actions. Jung called the process of forming a consciousness "individuation," which means the process by which we reconcile the conscious/unconscious aspects of the psyche (Davies, et al. 327-331). Thus, when the hero slays a monster, he is not literally killing it in the real world, but facing an aspect of the unconscious, such as lust or rage, in order to control that side of his being. The hero stories can be thought of as road maps to successful assimilation of the conscious, rational mind with the unconscious, animal mind. The images of the hero conquering death or returning from a successful battle provide the restricted conscious mind with new raw material into which to expand, thereby forcing the consumers of the hero stories to expand their conscious image of themselves (Davies, et. al. 331). The hero stories are both a record of primitive encounters with the unconscious and a prompt for individuals to enter into the struggle for higher consciousness. Functioning in this way, heroes give men and women hope for such things as life after death, reprieve from suffering, and a sense that order rules their lives.
- Carl Jung and Joseph Campbell are two of the most prominent explorers of the psychoanalytical and mythological origins for human and social behavior. Carl Jung expanded the work of Sigmund Freud and the unconscious mind to emphasize the mythological forces working within the individual to shape his or her personality. Jung formed the concept of archetype and collective unconscious to explain the commonality of dream images and situations found in all people. Jung believed individual and social behavior and thought have their roots in a common palette of characters and situations the mind retains from early human consciousness development. To Jung, the archetypal hero represents the psyche's quest for individuation, the process that makes each person unique. Joseph Campbell built on Carl Jung's concept of the collective unconscious to encompass all the world's mythologies. Campbell studied the world's religions, art, and stories and discovered common threads throughout all, including the hero. Campbell believed that mythology is the collective "dream" of mankind, the "song of the universe." Campbell's work highlights mankind's common search, both personally and socially, for meaning and truth through the ages.
- Carl Jung and Joseph Campbell are two of the most prominent explorers of the psychoanalytical and mythological origins for human and social behavior. Carl Jung expanded the work of Sigmund Freud and the unconscious mind to emphasize the mythological forces working within the individual to shape his or her personality. Jung formed the concept of archetype and collective unconscious to explain the commonality of dream images and situations found in all people. Jung believed individual and social behavior and thought have their roots in a common palette of characters and situations the mind retains from early human consciousness development. To Jung, the archetypal hero represents the psyche's quest for individuation, the process that makes each person unique. Joseph Campbell built on Carl Jung's concept of the collective unconscious to encompass all the world's mythologies. Campbell studied the world's religions, art, and stories and discovered common threads throughout all, including the hero. Campbell believed that mythology is the collective "dream" of mankind, the "song of the universe." Campbell's work highlights mankind's common search, both personally and socially, for meaning and truth through the ages.
- A hero's birth will always have an unusual aspect to it. Many heroes are born to royalty or are in danger at birth. Either way, they are marked by these circumstances as different and destined for greatness. Remember the beginning of Lion King? Simba's birth is being celebrated. The unusual aspect of his birth is his royal status. His father, Mumfasa, is the King of the Jungle. Moses wasn't born into royalty like Simba, but he grew up in the Pharaoh's household. Ramses II had decreed that all Hebrew male babies under age two be killed, so Moses' mother placed him in a raft on the Nile, where he was found by one of the Pharaoh's daughters. Although viewers of Star Wars must wait until the second movie to find out the truth about Luke's birth, hints about the unusual circumstances are given, such as the fact he lives with his aunt and uncle and didn't know his parents. King Arthur was not only born a prince, his father Uther Pendragon used Merlin's wizardry to seduce Arthur's mother, the wife of another man.
- Sometimes the circumstances are traumatic that force the hero to leave, as with Simba in The Lion King or Wallace in Braveheart, both of whom lose their fathers violently. With Luke in Star Wars and Arthur in the legends of King Arthur, the circumstances are more for protection than anything else. Either way, the hero must leave his home temporarily. Simba's father is murdered by Scar, which leaves our little hero helpless and forces him to leave his kingdom. Have no fear, however, heroes always return to their land. On the right is a small portion of a painting by Michelangelo in the Sistene Chapel. Michelangelo covered the walls and ceiling of this chapel with paintings depicting Biblical stories so people could see their heroes in action. Moses also had to leave. Remember what he did that forced him out of Egypt? He slew an Egyptian slavemaster in anger. That's Moses with the sword at the bottom of the painting. He is also shown at the top of the painting, fleeing Egypt. Moses appears many times in the same painting because Michelangelo tells Moses' entire life story in one picture. He did this because at the time most people couldn't read and depended on images to understand their religion. Now, granted, he was a man when this happened, but he still was forced out of his "land." Michelangelo showed the story of a hero visually, just like modern-day movies show the hero in action. The hero has remained the same through time, even until today. Pretty neat, huh?
- An event takes place that begins an adventure for the hero. Sometimes it is traumatic, like Wallace losing his wife in Braveheart, or it is coincidental, like Simba meeting Nala. Either way, the hero begins his adventure. Simba initially fights with Nala, but they soon realize they are friends. She tells him of Scar's reign, which begins Simba's quest to gain his father's kingdom back from Scar. William Wallace in Braveheart only begins to fight after his wife, Murron (on the right), is killed by the local British commander. Her death haunts him throughout the movie in addition to sparking the beginning of his quest for freedom. King Arthur began his quest by drawing the sword from the stone (not Excalibur). Not traumatic of course, but surprising because Arthur was a lowly squire at the time. Luke abruptly began his quest to fight the Empire when Stormtroopers murder his aunt and uncle. Luke left the farm and never returned, going on to become a Jedi master. Moses had nothing less than his god, Yahweh, appear in person to prompt Moses to go to Egypt and lead the Hebrews out of slavery. The picture on the right is another portion of the painting in the Sistene Chapel by Michelangelo. Yahweh (He's on the left) is telling a young Moses to return to Egypt and lead the Hebrews out of slavery.
- You can't be a hero without a cool weapon, right? It's true. In most hero stories, the hero has a special weapon, often one that only he can use. Luke uses a light saber, an outdated weapon of the Jedi Knights, in Star Wars. Here's Luke testing the light saber Ben has just given him. The saber belonged to Luke's father. Only a Jedi can master this weapon. This is an illustration from the 1800's of Arthur receiving Excalibur from the Lady of the Lake. When Arthur died, Excalibur was thrown back into the lake because only Arthur could wield this weapon. Here's Wallace with his sword. While it doesn't appear to be anything special, only he was allowed to carry it because it represented his power and prowess as a warrior. Here's another painting by Michelangelo from the Sistine Chapel depicting Moses at the Red Sea. Notice his staff (He's on the left, in yellow and green, with the staff over his right shoulder). That's the same one he used to perform miracles for Pharaoh, and also what Yahweh told him to raise to part and close the Red Sea.
- Heroes always seem to receive some sort of supernatural help, whether it be from a god, a wizard, or a spirit. Luke in Star Wars gets help from Ben even after Ben is slain by Darth Vader. Here is Ben healing Luke after Luke has been attacked by the Sand People. Ben has many powers that make him a wizard-like character, similar to Merlin. Ben teaches Luke about the Force and later guides him from the spirit world. Perhaps the most famous supernatural hero helper is Merlin, a wizard and counselor for King Arthur. Merlin is very powerful in sorcery and can even change shapes. His command of the supernatural world benefits Arthur both as a boy learning from Merlin and later as King. Simba sees his father's spirit and also gets helps from Rafiki, a medicine man-type character. Rafiki is the supernatural force in The Lion King. He doesn't play as large a part as Merlin or Ben, but he does influence Simba and provide him with guidance. This image by Michelangelo at the Sistine Chapel is of Moses first displaying the Ten Commandments, then destroying them after he sees the idol worship. Notice the person standing behind him in blue and yellow. That's an angel, representing Yahweh's supernatural help for Moses.
- JOURNEY The hero is always on some type of adventure with a purpose--a quest if you will. He experiences many things on this quest, among which is a descent into a kind of "hell." In this hell he experiences a low point in his life that leaves him scarred forever with a real or psychological wound that will not heal. The hero learns from this descent into "hell" much about himself and usually matures greatly from the experience. Luke in Star Wars perhaps illustrates this stage best. His quest, without knowing it at first, is to rescue his father from the dark side of the Force. Luke's descent into hell occurs when he decides to rescue his friends trapped on Cloud City, Lando Calrissian's gas mining operation. He leaves his Jedi training before it is completed to perform this rescue. Luke is not prepared to face Darth Vader, who is waiting for him at the gas mine. Check this out. This scene (above right) is in the carbon-freeze chamber on Cloud City, where Darth plans to trap Luke. Does the lighting and characters remind you of anything? Thought so. In the duel that takes place between Luke and Darth in this chamber and beyond (right), Luke loses his hand and chooses to jump to almost certain death rather than give in to Vader's proposal to join the dark side of the Force. Luke's loss of his right hand in the duel is his Unhealable Wound. Clearly, this is the lowest point in Luke's journey to become a Jedi Knight and save his father. His wound and this low point teach him about himself, however, and eventually help him to become a true hero. Other heroes suffer low points in their journeys. Arthur never recovers from the affair Guinevere has with Lancelot. William Wallace knew his execution would make him a martyr, so he was courageous as he was in his "hell"--the dungeon. Moses' doubt of himself and Yahweh cause him to suffer his Unhealable Wound: denial of entry to the Promised Land. Simba's descent into "hell" is combined with his defeat of Scar and the hyenas. Remember all the flames in the background as he fights Scar? He symbolically goes where none of the other lions could go in order to help his tribe and prove himself. Simba's Unhealable Wound? His past, where his courage failed him and his tribe, will always haunt him. ATONEMENT Atonement means to offer payment for a wrongdoing. Very often, heroes must avenge a father or make up for the father's evil. William Wallace's revolt was driven in part to avenge his father's death in the war with England. Indeed, the father's ghost haunts Wallace's dreams throughout the movie. Moses' "father," Yahweh, doesn't allow Moses into the Promised Land as a way of Moses atoning for his doubt, a situation that reverses the traditional atonement by the hero for the father. The spirit of Mumfasa, Simba's father, tells Simba to be strong and assume his place on the throne. Simba, who has been reluctant up to this point to return to his kingdom, realizes he has little choice but to avenge his father's murder. Arthur's father, Uther Pendragon, is unscrupulous and lustful. He uses his power to satisfy his personal urges, fathering Arthur deceitfully with a woman under a spell of Merlin that makes her think Uther is her husband. He looks a bit on the evil side, doesn't he? His father's evil legacy puts Arthur in a position to atone for his father's sins and be a good king, helping his people with selfless service. Luke's ultimate quest is rescuing his father from the evil of the Dark Side. Here, Luke consoles his dying father after his father saves Luke and atones for his own past by killing the Emperor, the leader of the Empire. Much like Arthur, Luke chooses to be good, the opposite of what the father chose, and therefore atones for the father's sins.
- A hero just can't claim he's a hero and assume his position, now can he? The hero must prove to himself and others that he is the true hero. For instance, Moses performs many miracles to free his people from Egypt as well as help them survive the desert and reach Canaan. Luke faces Darth in battle several times during the Star Wars trilogy. These battles, along with other services Luke provides for the Rebellion, his training with Yoda, and his personal maturing are part of the trials he must successfully pass through to become the hero. Here's Wallace at the front of his men, about to charge the enemy. Wallace's success in battle against overwhelming odds, along with his political ability, help him to overcome the obstacles to freedom, which was his ultimate quest. Here's Arthur leading a charge in one of the many battles into which he led his men. Arthur's success in battle, just like Wallace's, is part of the proof of his heroic status. Leadership and courage allow the hero to overcome obstacles that lesser men could not. That's the hero for ya'! Moses proves himself to the Pharaoh by performing miracles that the Pharaoh's magicians cannot equal, showing Moses' power through his god. Simba, like Luke, is immature at first and unable to be the hero he will eventually become. However, once Simba realizes Scar must be removed and Simba is the only one who can do it, Simba assumes his proper role as the hero and saves the land from the evil Scar. Hmmmmm, that -does- sound just like Luke, doesn't it?