The Hero With a Thousand Faces uses Carl Jung's concept of archetypes to show how stories have recurring characters, recognisable even between stories that are written thousands of years apart.
Archetypes help the audience to recognise the kind of character that they are dealing with, often giving them certain expectations of that character. They can often tell what role the character is meant to play in the story, making the characters' actions more coherent. However, this can also lead to predictability and characters becoming boring and too stereotypical.
Vogler “encountered another way of looking at the archetypes - not as rigid character roles but as functions performed temporarily by characters to achieve certain effects in a story.”(pg 34) Characters could be multiple archetypes, or can express archetypal characteristics at different parts of the story depending on what is needed. This makes characters more interesting and less predictable; a character acting like a Mentor could actually be a Shapeshifter, changing the tone of the story drastically.
Archetypes can also be seen as "personified symbols of various human qualities. Like the major arcana cards of the Tarot, they stand for the aspects of a complete human personality.” (Vogler, pg 34) which implies that a character conforming to only one archetype may feel rather flat, considering humans have multiple qualities and not just one.
The seven main archetypes said to be present in every stories are these;
The Hero
The Hero is generally the protagonist of the story, who pushes the events of the story, provides the point of view in which the audience sees the story, and who grows the most in the story. Usual attributes of a hero (from an earlier post of mine:)
There are a few different definitions of ‘Hero’, involving simply the protagonist of a story, and a man who does deeds beneficial to others. Certain attributes are often associated with a ‘Hero’; courage, nobilities, superior strength and the ability to do things that ‘ordinary’ people can not. Campbell describes them as “is the man or woman who has been able to battle past his personal and local historical limitations to the generally valid, normally human forms” (The Hero With 1000 Faces, page 19) and “The composite hero of the monomyth is a personage of exceptional gifts. Frequently he is honored by his society, frequently unrecognised or disdained. He and/or the world in which he finds himself suffers from a symbolical deficiency” (Page 37). Many protagonists, or heroes in modern day media do not conform to all or a lot of these qualities, and stories now are not always as fantastic as the earlier myths that Campbell may have based his theories around. "
Is is possible to have a character following the Hero archetype but not actually be the protagonist; for example, in the animated film
Megamind, 'Metro Man' is the character that conforms to the hero archetype, while the actual protagonist 'Megamind' plays more of a Shadow role for at least the start of the movie, before slowly turning into a Hero himself and developing. Megamind pushes the story, rather than Metro Man, and is also the character who's point of view the audience is watching from. The Hero or the Protagonist should usually be relatable, and not yet be a rounded character.
The Mentor
The Mentor character is usually thought of as a 'Wise Old Man/Woman', but this is not always the case. They often train the Hero, give them advice and are often a source of comfort, and a substitute fro family (especially in
Star Wars and
Harry Potter, with Obi-Wan Kenobi and Albus Dumbledore respectively). Often they will give the Hero a weapon or teach them some kind of magic or skills,sometimes implementing the 'supernatural aid' aspect of Campbell's
Hero's Journey. Vogler says that "Mentors represent the Self, the God within us, the aspect of personality that is connected with all things" which is played out almost literally in
Star Wars again when you consider Obi-Wan's link to the Force, and the Force's link to everything. Mentors can be combined with the Shadow, creating a Dark Mentor type character that leads the Hero astray rather than on the right path, like
Star War's Darth Sidious, luring Anakin Skywalker to the Dark Side.
Threshold Guardian
The Threshold Guardian are usually found at the gateway of new worlds, controlling who goes in and out of this world. They pose a challenge to the Hero when they want to pass into the new world, and can often be converted into an ally depending on the Hero's choices and actions. They can be aligned with Heros, Villains or be completely neutral. Threshold Guardians can symbolise the everyday challenges the audience faces, including the limitations was have/impose on ourselves. Only those who really want to pass the Guardian usually can. One example of the Threshold Guardian is
Thor's Heimdall, who guards the passage from Earth to Asgard and showing unwavering loyalty to Odin and making it harder for both Thor and Loki to leave their world.
Herald
Herald characters bring change and challenges to the story - often initiating the Call to Adventure themselves. Vogler says that "something deep inside [the Hero] knows when we are ready to change and sends us a messenger", and that messenger is the Herald. They give motivation and opportunity for the Hero to start their adventure, and do not necessarily have to be a human/living character. In
Harry Potter, Rubeus Hagrid can be seen as the Herald.
Shapeshifter
Shapeshifters are harder to pin down than other archetypes, and for good reason. They are not always what the Hero or audience expects, and can change constantly. They are often of the opposite sex, especially when they are introduced in a romantic context. Magical beings are often Shapeshifters, but characters can be regarded as a Shapeshifters when it is only their personality or actions that change. Shapeshifters can often symbolise repressed qualities and desires, with characters acting one way but eventually being allowed to or having to show their true qualities. Hans in Disney's
Frozen is a good example of a Shapeshifter - pretending to be a kind and caring prince that has fallen in love with Anna before revealing that he is only after her kingdom and fortune instead.
Shadow
The Shadow is generally a villain, often the main antagonist of a story. The Shadow can again represent repressed emotions or ideas, and giving in to this. They can be a 'destructive force', and are often linked with Shapeshifters. Shadows create conflict and challenge the Hero - and they do not have to be a separate character to do this. The Hero may have a side of themselves that
is the Shadow, and they have to change themselves or overcome this to progress in the story. Scar from Disney's
The Lion King is a good example of a separate Shadow character, whereas The Hulk in
The Avengers is a very literal example of the Shadow being a part of the Hero.
Trickster
The Trickster is another archetype the represents the need for change. The comic relief character often fits to this archetype. They can serve as a reminder that Heros are not always are clever or as good as they think they are when fighting a Trickster, and this can serve as a lesson rather than the Trickster wanting to claim victory. Tricksters can serve either 'side' or be their own neutral party. One example of the Tricker is the Norse God Loki, also present in the
Thor films. Loki is described as the 'Trickster God' while also being a Shapeshifter. His actions are usually to turn order into chaos, changing the status quo and being considered an antagonist. In the
Journey Into Mystery and
Young Avengers comics, Loki has lost many of his powers and his actions seem to be primarily to cause chaos, despite the fact that he is actually trying to help and atone for his sins, before turning back into villainous motives as he strives to gain the power he used to have.
