1. Introduction to ARCHETYPEs
The Hero’s Quest

2. What IS an archetype?
An archetype is a universal symbolic pattern. (
There can be archetypal characters and archetypal stories. Some examples:
Characters
Stories
The trickster
The underworld
The wise old man / sage
The apocalypse
The great mother
A paradise
The evil one (devil / Satan)
The great flood

3. Different Stories, Same Archetype
Pair up with a partner and try to find an example of each character archetype.
Characters
Stories
The trickster
The underworld
The wise old man / sage
The apocalypse
The great mother
A paradise
The evil one (devil / Satan)
The great flood
(Five minutes, then we’ll share)

4. Why?
Now that we have a few examples of how different stories and characters represent common archetypes, any ideas on why this happens? Discuss with your partner.

5. Joseph Campbell World famous mythologist.
His cross-cultural studies of ancient people allowed him to conclude that different cultures had similar myths, or archetypes.
He further concluded that there was an archetypal plot line, or formula, within these myths which remained constant from one culture to the next.

6. The Hero’s Quest
According to Campbell, “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.”
From The Hero with a Thousand Faces. Princeton: Princeton University Press, p.23.

8. A Simplified Version:

9. The Journey: Star Wars and the Matrix!
Campbell
Star Wars
The Matrix
I: Departure
The call to adventure
Princess Leia's message
"Follow the white rabbit"
Refusal of the call
Must help with the harvest
Neo won't climb out window
Supernatural aid
Obi-wan rescues Luke from sandpeople
Trinity extracts the "bug" from Neo
Crossing the first threshold
Escaping Tatooine
Neo is taken out of the Matrix for the first time
The belly of the whale
Trash compactor
Torture room
Adapted from

10. The Journey: Star Wars and the Matrix!
Part II: Initiation
The road of trials
Lightsaber practice
Sparring with Morpheus
The meeting with the goddess
Princess Leia (wears white, in earlier scripts was a "sister" of a mystic order)
The Oracle
Temptation away from the true path1
Luke is tempted by the Dark Side
Cypher (the failed messiah) is tempted by the world of comfortable illusions
Atonement with the Father
Darth and Luke reconcile
Neo rescues and comes to agree (that he's The One) with his father-figure, Morpheus
Apotheosis (becoming god-like)
Luke becomes a Jedi
Neo becomes The One
The ultimate boon
Death Star destroyed
Humanity's salvation now within reach

11. The Journey: Star Wars and the Matrix!
III: Return
Refusal of the return
"Luke, come on!" Luke wants to stay to avenge Obi-Wan
Neo fights agent instead of running
The magic flight
Millennium Falcon
"Jacking in"
Rescue from without
Han saves Luke from Darth
Trinity saves Neo from agents
Crossing the return threshold
Millennium Falcon destroys pursuing TIE fighters
Neo fights Agent Smith
Master of the two worlds
Victory ceremony
Neo's declares victory over machines in final phone call
Freedom to live
Rebellion is victorious over Empire
Humans are victorious over machines

12. The Journey: Star Wars and the Matrix!
Common Archetypal Elements
Two Worlds (mundane and special)
Planetside vs. The Death Star
Reality vs. The Matrix
The Mentor
Obi-Wan Kenobi
Morpheus
The Oracle
Yoda
The Prophecy
Luke will overthrow the Emperor
Morpheus will find (and Trinity will fall for) "The One“
Wearing Enemy's Skin
Luke and Han wear stormtrooper outfits
Neo jumps into agent's skin

13. In conclusion… Archetypes are universal patterns.
They have developed over time, in different cultures and areas of the world, because we make sense and understand the world in similar ways.

14. When you identify one, ask yourself the following questions:
As we read The Odyssey and examine different characters, look for the archetypal characters.
When you identify one, ask yourself the following questions:
What name would you give this archetype? (Hero, villain, trickster, sage, etc.) Support with evidence.
How do they compare to other forms of the same archetype?
What aspects of The Odyssey does Homer include that convince you that this particular character or part of the story was an archetype? (Events in plot, interaction with other characters, etc.)