Campbell's hero's journey and archetypes

Interpretations of Joseph Campbell and the Hero’s Journey
The Hero’s Journey:
1. Heroes are introduced in the ORDINARY WORLD, where
2. they receive the CALL TO ADVENTURE.
3. They are RELUCTANT at first or REFUSE THE CALL, but
4. are encouraged by a MENTOR to
5. CROSS THE FIRST THRESHOLD and enter the Special World, where
6. they encounter TESTS, ALLIES, AND ENEMIES.
7. They APPROACH THE INMOST CAVE, crossing a second threshold
8. where they endure the ORDEAL.
9. They take possession of their REWARD and
10. are pursued on THE ROAD BACK to the Ordinary World.
11. They cross the third threshold, experience a RESURRECTION, and are transformed
by the experience.
12. They RETURN WITH THE ELIXIR, a boon or treasure to benefit the Ordinary
World.
The Seven Archetypes:
1. Hero: “The Hero is the protagonist or central character, whose primary purpose is to
separate from the ordinary world and sacrifice himself for the service of the Journey at
hand - to answer the challenge, complete the quest and restore the Ordinary World’s
balance. We experience the Journey through the eyes of the Hero.”
2. Mentor: “The Mentor provides motivation, insights and training to help the Hero.”
3. Threshold Guardian: “Threshold Guardians protect the Special World and its secrets
from the Hero, and provide essential tests to prove a Hero’s commitment and worth.”
4. Herald: “Herald characters issue challenges and announce the coming of significant
change. They can make their appearance anytime during a Journey, but often appear
at the beginning of the Journey to announce a Call to Adventure. A character may
wear the Herald’s mask to make an announcement or judgment, report a news flash,
or simply deliver a message.”
5. Shapeshifter: “The Shapeshifter’s mask misleads the Hero by hiding a character’s
intentions and loyalties.”
6. Shadow: “The Shadow can represent our darkest desires, our untapped resources, or
even rejected qualities. It can also symbolize our greatest fears and phobias. Shadows
may not be all bad, and may reveal admirable, even redeeming qualities. The Hero’s
enemies and villains often wear the Shadow mask. This physical force is determined to
destroy the Hero and his cause.”
7. Trickster: “Tricksters relish the disruption of the status quo, turning the Ordinary World
into chaos with their quick turns of phrase and physical antics. Although they may not
change during the course of their Journeys, their world and its inhabitants are
transformed by their antics. The Trickster uses laughter [and ridicule] to make
characters see the absurdity of the situation, and perhaps force a change.”
The Twelve Stages of the Journey
1. Ordinary World: “The Hero’s home, the safe haven upon which the Special World
and the Journey’s outcome must be compared.” The Journey begins in the Ordinary
World, travels to the Special World, and returns to the Ordinary World.
2. Call to Adventure: The Call to Adventure sets the story rolling by disrupting the
comfort of the Hero’s Ordinary World, presenting a challenge or quest that must be
undertaken.
3. Refusal of the Call: “A Hero often refuses [or is reluctant] to take on the Journey
because of fears and insecurities that have surfaced from the Call to Adventure. The
Hero may not be willing to make changes, preferring the safe haven of the Ordinary
World. This becomes an essential stage that communicates the risks involved in the
Journey that lies ahead. Without risks and danger or the likelihood of failure, the
audience will not be compelled to be a part of the Hero’s Journey.”
4. Meeting with the Mentor: “The Hero meets a Mentor to gain confidence, insight,
advice, training, or magical gifts to overcome the initial fears and face the Threshold of
the adventure. The Mentor may be a physical person, or an object such as a map, a
logbook, or other writing.”
5. Crossing the Threshold: “Crossing the threshold signifies that the Hero has finally
committed to the Journey. He is prepared to cross the gateway that separates the
Ordinary World from the Special World.”
6. Tests, Allies, Enemies: “Having crossed the threshold, the Hero faces Tests, encounters
Allies, confronts Enemies, and learns the rules of this Special World. The Hero needs
to find out who can be trusted. Allies are earned, a Sidekick may join up, or an entire
Hero Team forged. The Hero must prepare himself for the greater Ordeals yet to come
and needs this stage to test his skills and powers, or perhaps seek further training from
the Mentor. This Initiation into this Special World also tests the Hero’s commitment to
the Journey, and questions whether he can succeed.”
7. Approach to the Inmost Cave: “The Hero must make the preparations needed to
approach the Inmost Cave that leads to the Journey’s heart, or central Ordeal. Maps
may be reviewed, attacks planned, a reconnaissance launched, and possibly the
enemies forces whittled down before the Hero can face his greatest fear, or the
supreme danger lurking in the Special World.” The Approach may be a time for some
romance or a few jokes before the battle, or it may signal a ticking clock or a
heightening of the stakes.
8. Ordeal: “The Hero engages in the Ordeal, the central life-or-death crisis, during which
he faces his greatest fear, confronts his most difficult challenge, and experiences
“death”. His Journey teeters on the brink of failure. The Ordeal is the central magical
Stage of any Journey. Only through “death” can the Hero be reborn, experiencing a
resurrection that grants greater power or insight to see the Journey to the end.”
9. Reward (Seizing the Sword): “The Hero has survived death, overcome his greatest fear,
slain the dragon, or weathered the crisis of the heart, and now earns the Reward that
he has sought. The Hero’s Reward comes in many forms: a magical sword, an elixir,
greater knowledge or insight, reconciliation with a lover. Whatever the treasure, the
Hero has earned the right to celebrate. The Hero may have earned the Reward
outright, or the Hero may have seen no option but to steal it. The Hero may
rationalize this Elixir theft, having paid for it with the tests and ordeals thus far. But the
consequences of the theft must be confronted as the Shadow forces race to reclaim the
Elixir that must not see the light of the Ordinary World.”
10. The Road Back: “The Hero must finally recommit to completing the Journey and
accept the Road Back to the Ordinary World. A Hero’s success in the Special World
may make it difficult to return. Like Crossing the Threshold, The Road Back needs an
event that will push the Hero through the Threshold, back into the Ordinary World.
The Event should re-establish the Central Dramatic Question, pushing the Hero to
action and heightening the stakes. The Road Back may be a moment when the Hero
must choose between the Journey of a Higher Cause verses the personal Journey of the
Heart.”
11. Resurrection: “The Hero faces the Resurrection, his most dangerous meeting with
death. This final life-or-death Ordeal shows that the Hero has maintained and can
apply all that he has brought back to the Ordinary World. This Ordeal and
Resurrection can represent a “cleansing” or purification that must occur now that the
Hero has emerged from the land of the dead. The Hero is reborn or transformed with
the attributes of the Ordinary self in addition to the lessons and insights from the
characters he has met along the road. The Resurrection may be a physical Ordeal, or
final showdown between the Hero and the Shadow. This battle is for much more than
the Hero’s life. Other lives, or an entire world may be at stake and the Hero must now
prove that he has achieved Heroic status and willingly accept his sacrifice for the
benefit of the Ordinary World. Other Allies may come to the last minute rescue to
lend assistance, but in the end the Hero must rise to the sacrifice at hand. He must
deliver the blow that destroys the Death Star (Star Wars), or offer his hand and accept
the “magic” elixir of love.”
12. Return with the Elixir: “The Return with the Elixir is the final Reward earned on the
Hero’s Journey. The Hero has been resurrected, purified and has earned the right to be
accepted back into the Ordinary World and share the Elixir of the Journey. The true
Hero returns with an Elixir to share with others or heal a wounded land. The Elixir can
be a great treasure or magic potion. It could be love, wisdom, or simply the
experience of having survived the Special World. Even the tragic end of a Hero’s
Journey can yield the best elixir of all, granting the audience greater awareness of us
and our world (Citizen Kane).”