Joseph Campbell’s “Monomyth” The Hero’s Journey

Joseph Campbell An American professor, writer, and orator best known for his work in the fields of comparative mythology and comparative religion. The Hero with a Thousand Faces (1949), one of his best-known books, discusses the monomyth cycle of the hero's journey (a term Campbell borrowed from Joyce's Finnegans Wake), a pattern found in many cultures. Campbell held that numerous myths from disparate times and regions share fundamental structures and stages, which he summarized in The Hero with a Thousand Faces: ◦ “A hero ventures forth from the world of common day into a region of supernatural wonder: fabulous forces are there encountered and a decisive victory is won: the hero comes back from this mysterious adventure with the power to bestow boons on his fellow man.”

General Format: Monomyth In a monomyth, the hero begins in the ordinary world, and receives a call to enter an unknown world of strange powers and events. The hero who accepts the call to enter this strange world must face tasks and trials, either alone or with assistance. In the most intense versions of the narrative, the hero must survive a severe challenge, often with help. If the hero survives, he may achieve a great gift or "boon." The hero must then decide whether to return to the ordinary world with this boon. If the hero does decide to return, he or she often faces challenges on the return journey. If the hero returns successfully, the boon or gift may be used to improve the world.

The Hero’s Journey Hero’s Journey: Three Phases Phase 1: The Departure ◦ Introduced to the Hero—His Ordinary World ◦ The Call to Adventure ◦ Refusal of the Call ◦ Meeting the Mentor ◦ The Crossing of the First Threshold ◦ (The Belly of the Whale) Phase 2: The Initiation ◦ The Road of Trials—Tests, allies, and enemies ◦ The Approach ◦ The Ordeal ◦ The Reward ◦ The Road Back Phase 3: The Return (to Everyday Life) ◦ Resurrection ◦ Return with Elixir

Phase I: The Departure: The Introduction 1. ORDINARY WORLD The hero is introduced in his/her ordinary world.  Most stories ultimately take us to a special world, a world that is new and alien to its hero. If you’re going to tell a story about a fish out of his customary element, you first have to create a contrast by showing him in his mundane, ordinary world.  In STAR WARS you see Luke Skywalker being bored to death as a farm boy before he tackles the universe. Harry Potter under the stairs

2. The Call to Adventure The quest begins with the hero in a state of neurotic anguish. The quest is often announced to the hero by another character who acts as a "herald.“ The hero is presented with a problem, challenge or adventure. Harry Potter receives letters inviting him to Hogwarts. Luke Skywalker finds the hologram of Princess Leia. Shrek has to go rescue the princess to get his swamp back.

3. Refusal of the Call In many stories, the hero initially refuses the call to adventure. When this happens, the hero suffers somehow, and eventually chooses the quest. Harry’s Uncle Vernon refuses to let Harry read his letters. Bilbo Baggins informs Gandalf that he doesn’t want to go on any adventures.

4. Meeting with the Mentor Along the way, the hero often encounters a helper, usually a wise old man, who gives the hero both psychological and physical weapons. Hagrid arrives to find out why Harry hasn’t answered his letters. Dorothy meets a “Fortune Teller” who insists that she go home to her family.

5. Crossing of the First Threshold The hero eventually must cross into a dark underworld, where he will face evil and darkness, and thereby find true enlightenment. Before this can occur, however, the hero must cross the threshold between his home world and the new world of adventure. Often this involves facing off against and quelling a 'threshold guardian.' Percy Jackson enters Camp Half- Blood, but his mother cannot cross the threshold. Marty McFly gets the Delorean up to 88 mph and travels back in time.

Phase II: Initiation: The Road of Trials Once in the other world, the hero is repeatedly challenged with mental and physical obstacles that must be overcome. Often these take the form of a test, by which the hero improves his skills and proves his worth.

6. Tests, Allies, and Enemies The hero is forced to make allies and enemies in the special world, and to pass certain tests and challenges that are part of his/her training. In Star Wars, the cantina is the setting for the forging of an important alliance with Han Solo and the start of an important enmity with Jabba the Hutt. Dorothy must travel the Yellow Brick Road to the Emerald City.

(Allies) Luke Skywalker could count of Chewbacca and Han Solo to get him out of a jam. Hermione Granger and Ron Weasley traveled the same road as Harry Potter throughout their time at Hogwarts. The Lion, the Tin Man, and the Scarecrow all sought the same things that Dorothy needed to find in herself.

7. Approach to the Inmost Cave The hero comes at last to a dangerous place, often deep underground, where the object of the quest is hidden. In many myths the hero has to descend into hell to retrieve a loved one, or into a cave to fight a dragon and gain a treasure. It’s Shrek going into the castle to rescue the princess. In Star Wars it’s Luke and company being sucked into the Death Star where they will rescue Princess Leia. Sometimes it’s just the hero going into his/her own dream world to confront fears and overcome them.

8. The Ordeal, Death & Rebirth This is the moment at which the hero touches bottom. He/she faces the possibility of death, brought to the brink in a fight with a mythical beast. This is a critical moment in any story, an ordeal in which the hero appears to die and be born again. It’s a major source of the magic of the hero myth. What happens is that the audience has been led to identify with the hero. We are encouraged to experience the brink- of-death feeling with the hero. We are temporarily depressed, and then we are revived by the hero’s return from death. Harry must defeat Voldemort even in the face of death The Grail Knight tells Indiana Jones that he must “choose wisely” in order to claim the Holy Grail and save his father.

9. Seizing the Sword/ Reward Having survived death, beaten the dragon, slain the Minotaur, her hero now takes possession of the treasure he’s come seeking. Sometimes it’s a special weapon like a magic sword or it may be a token like the Grail or some elixir which can heal the wounded land. The hero may settle a conflict with his father or with his shadowy nemesis. In RETURN OF THE JEDI, Luke is reconciled with both, as he discovers that the dying Darth Vader is his father. Having reconciled with the father and achieved personal enlightenment, the hero's psychological forces are again balanced. His new found knowledge, or boon, also has potential to benefit society. Arthur draws Excalibur from the stone and becomes King of all England. Harry is able to see his parents and make peace with his past through the Mirror of Erised.

Phase III: The Return: 10. The Road Back- 11. Resurrection Phase III: The Return: 10. The Road Back-About three-fourths of the way through the story, the hero is driven to complete the adventure, leaving the Special World to be sure the treasure is brought home. Often a chase scene signals the urgency and danger of the mission 11. Resurrection The hero emerges from the special world, transformed by his/her experience. There is often a replay here of the mock death-and-rebirth of Stage 8, as the hero once again faces death and survives. The Star Wars movies play with this theme constantly – all three of the films to date feature a final battle scene in which Luke is almost killed, appears to be dead for a moment, and then miraculously survives. He is transformed into a new being by his experience

12. Return With the Elixir The hero comes back to the ordinary world, but the adventure would be meaningless unless he/she brought back the elixir, treasure, or some lesson from the special world. Sometimes it’s just knowledge or experience, but unless he comes back with the elixir or some boon to mankind, he’s doomed to repeat the adventure until he does. Dorothy wakes up and remembers that all of her friends and family were part of her dream Bilbo Baggins writes his memoires of his adventure and entitles them “There, and Back Again”

Freedom to Live Jack Sparrow and Will Turner survive to continue their adventures Harry Potter continues his education at Hogwarts School of Magic Shrek and Fiona are free to live their lives in the swamp