Common Archetypes
Archetype: a generic type of character that can be seen throughout different types of literature, songs, etc. This is not a definitive list but merely a
smattering of ideas which reoccur throughout history and literature. Many of these archetypes can be seen in the world around us today. Spend a little
time working with a few people talking about different characters that would fit each specific Archetype.
The unexpected hero- the figure you don’t expect to save the day
The outcast
The evil figure which is ultimately good
The temptress
The trickster- the one who plays the jokes
The Apocalyptic Hero- Save the world from ending
The magic weapon- a thing that ends up helping the hero/heroine
The sidekick
The homecoming
Wise old man/woman
The quest/ labors of the hero
The initiation or rite of passage
The Devil figure- ultimate evil
The antagonists- the distractions from the journey
Father/sons or mother/daughters in conflict
The Don Juan- the “ladies man” <whistles>
Once sacrificed to save the many
The damsel in distress
The rebirth
The anti-hero- a hero whose goals are opposite classical heroic
motives
Rebel against authority
The turncoat- the backstabber
The orphan
The innocent
The caregiver
The Prodigal son- someone goes off, spends lavishly, and comes back
home to a party
“Star- crossed” lovers- lovers that want to be together, but, for
whatever reason, cannot
Flip me over!
Your assignment:
Your assignment is to think of a character from a book, movie, video game, etc. that fits one of the above archetypes. Once you come up
with this, you will need to write at least two paragraphs that:
a. names and describes the character
b. provides an explanation of how this character fits the above archetype.
c. use at least five vocab words from the current Spell Vocab list (Ch. 13 and 14)
Remember, when you are describing/explaining anything in this course, you will want to be sure that you are fully explaining what you
were set to explain. Your reader should not have any questions once you are done. Be sure that you leave nothing to the imagination of
the reader.
Due date: Friday, September 16, 2016
Be sure to write this on a separate sheet of paper.