In Star Wars IV: A New Hope, Campbell’s archetypes fit nearly perfectly. The following is a list of archetypes with definitions and examples for each from the movies that teachers can use in their classrooms. Complete the assignment at the end of the article.
The Hero
The hero endures self-sacrifice through hardship and separation for those he protects. He pays for his heroism. A hero travels to strange territory, but return to his old life, even though it has changed. A hero grows with the knowledge he acquires, and the obstacles he faces. There are willing and reluctant heroes.
- In Raiders of the Lost Ark, Indiana Jones sacrifices his love life, experience incredible hardship and pain. He travels to near land – Mongolia and the Middle East – to save the Covenant of the Ark. He is a willing hero.
- In Die Hard, John McClain travels for his home of New York to Los Angeles. He tries to save the building and occupants from terrorists, reluctantly because he is stuck in the building.
The Mentor
The mentor, usually an old sage, trains the hero. The mentor allows the hero the mean for success he whether it be weapons, wisdom, or physical training. The hero also passes a test before moving on past his mentor.
- In the Karate Kid, Miyagi is Daniel’s mentor. He trains with Miyagi and learns life lessons as he trains. The test he passes is when he wins the competition, after digging deep inside himself.
- In the Matrix, Morpheus trains Neo in the ability to fight in and to control the matrix. Neo must be able to jump across the building to past the test, but more importantly, he must have belief in himself.
The Threshold Guardian
The threshold guardian provides the first hurdle in front of the hero – the beginning of the adventure. The threshold guardian tests the hero’s worthiness and shows that the adventure will be dangerous. Occasionally, the threshold guardian joins the hero.
- In the Wizard of Oz, Dorothy first encounters the Cowardly Lion, who scares her and then joins her on her adventure.
- In the Losers, the threshold guardian is the Columbian drug dealer they kill to rescue the children.
The Herald
The herald, who has that piece of info that transforms the hero’s life, starts the hero on the adventure.
- In The Matrix, Trinity is the herald. She is the one that contacts Neo and tells him his mission is ready to begin.
- In Raiders of the Lost Ark, the herald is the dean and the government officials at the school where Indiana Jones teaches. They set him off on the adventure.
The Shapeshifter
The shapeshifter changes his role, either physically or by a personality changes. He can be bad out for himself, then become loyal to the cause or be a good guy early on before becoming a traitor to the cause later in adcenture.
- In the Dark Knight, Harvey Dent (aka Two Face) is the prototype of the shapeshifter. In the beginning of the movie he is good guy, but the end, he is not so nice.
- In the Terminator movies, the Arnold Schwartzenegger goes from a bad guy in the first one to a good guy in the second.
The Shadow
The dark, evil character is the shadow. We don't like him and want to get rid of him. The shadow can be the antagonist. In the end, the shadow and the hero must clash and one is rendered useless.
- In Dark Knight, the Joker is the dark, evil character, and he battles Batman at the end.
- In Toy Story 3, Lotso is the bad guy. The character we don’t like and he also has a showdown with Woody at the end of the movie.
The Trickster
The trickster make us chuckle, easing the dramatic tension. He a clown that sometimes uses his knowledge to defeat bigger and stronger foes.
- In the Hangover, Alan is the trickster. When looking closely at the movie, the characters find very little funny about what has happened. Only Alan jokes and makes us laugh.
- In Goodfella, Tommy DeVito (Joe Pesci) is the trickster. He even makes us laugh in the world of mobster, even though the jokes are disturbing at times.
This could be uses as a lesson in school to teach archetypes. Pose the question: Who represents these archetypes in Star Wars IV: A New Hope?
Terry Pruyne - I wrote for my high school and college newspapers on my way to teaching degrees in English and History. Later, I received a Masters Degree ...
Join the Conversation