Joseph Campbell’s Monomyth The Hero’s Journey

Characteristics of a hero: Brave High values Strong leader Honest Courageous Trustworthy Good communicator Motivated Extraordinary Talent Inspirational Confident Strength Hopeful Adventurous Responsible to others Positive Intelligent Good Role Model

Who are Your Heroes?

In Literature/Film, what is a hero? A person noted for feats of courage or nobility of purpose, especially one who has risked or sacrificed his or her life. In mythology and legend, a hero is a man, often of divine ancestry, who is endowed with great courage and strength, celebrated for his bold exploits, and favored by the gods. The principal male character in a novel, poem, or dramatic presentation.

Heroines A. A woman noted for courage and daring action. B. A woman noted for special achievement in a particular field. C. The principal female character in a novel, poem, or dramatic presentation. Many writers now consider hero, long restricted to men in the sense "a person noted for courageous action," to be a gender-neutral term. It is used to refer to admired women as well as men in respected publications.

The Hero Archetype What is an archetype? An original model or type after which other similar things are patterned; a prototype. Archetypes are the basic building blocks of story structure. Where did the hero archetype come from? Joseph Campbell, in his The Hero with a Thousand Faces, sees in the ancient hero-myths the eternal human struggle for identity. He calls the hero-quest archetype monomyth.

Might be named the nuclear unit of the monomyth. Joseph Campbell's Monomyth (Hero With A Thousand Faces) The standard path of the mythological adventure of the hero is a magnification of the formula represented in the rites of passage: separation--initiation—return Might be named the nuclear unit of the monomyth. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yZxs_jGN7Pg&list=PLEuG8yAzHJJ8ldcnsCrWwfhtOXIDHijUq&index=2

Mentor Birth/Home Elixir Call to Adventure Return Crossing the Threshold Tests Helpers Climax/Final Battle Flight Return Elixir

Ordinary World This is where the Hero's exists before his present story begins, oblivious of the adventures to come. It's his safe place. His everyday life where we learn crucial details about our Hero, his true nature, capabilities and outlook on life.  ** Though the hero may be born normal, there is usually **Seeing the hero as an ordinary person helps the audience relate to them.

Call to Adventure The hero is called to adventure by some external event or messenger. The hero may accept the call willing or reluctantly.

Mentor During the early stages of the journey, the hero will often receive aid from a protective figure. The (sometimes)supernatural helper can take a wide variety of forms, such as a wizard, an old man, a dwarf, a crone, or a fairy godmother. The mentor commonly gives the hero a protective amulet (charm worn against evil) or weapon for the journey.

Crossing the Threshold Upon reaching the threshold of adventure, the hero must undergo some sort of ordeal in order to pass from the everyday world into the world of adventure. This trial may be as painless as entering a dark cave or as violent as being swallowed by a whale. The important feature is the contrast between the familiar world of light & dark and the unknown world of adventure.

Tests & Helpers The hero travels through the dream-like world of adventure where he must undergo a series of tests. These trials are often violent encounters with monsters, sorcerers, warriors, or forces of nature. Each successful test further proves the hero’s ability and advances the journey towards its climax. In addition to a mentor, the hero might also have helpers or allies to aide them on their journey.

Climax This is the critical moment in the hero’s journey in which there is often a final battle with a monster, wizard or warrior which facilitates the particular resolution of the adventure.

Elixir The object, knowledge or blessing that the hero acquired during the adventure is now put to use in the everyday world. Often it has a restorative or healing function, but it also serves to define the hero’s role in society.

Flight (or the Road Back) After accomplishing the mission, the hero must return to the threshold of adventure and prepare for a return to the everyday world. If the hero has angered the opposing forces by stealing the elixir (remedy for ills) or killing a powerful monster, the return may take the form of a hasty flight. If the hero has been given the elixir freely, the flight may be a benign (mild/fortunate) stage of the journey.

Return The hero again crosses the threshold of adventure and returns to the everyday world of daylight. The return usually takes the form of an awakening, rebirth, resurrection, or a simple emergence from a cave or forest. Sometimes the hero is pulled out of an adventure by a force from the ordinary world.

Home This is the final stage of the Hero's journey in which he returns home to his Ordinary World a changed man. He will have grown as a person, learned many things, faced many terrible dangers and even death but now looks forward to the start of a new life. His return may bring fresh hope to those he left behind, a direct solution to their problems or perhaps a new perspective for everyone to consider. 

Who used the monomyth pattern? The series of Harry Potter books written by J.K. Rowling provide tremendous examples of the the hero's journey.   The Star Wars series written by George Lucas implement the monomyth pattern. This blueprint gave Lucas the focus he needed to draw his sprawling imaginary universe into a single story. Note that the Wachowski Brothers' wonderful film The Matrix is carefully built on the same archetype.