Why do we need stories?
 Anthropologists tell us that storytelling is central to human
existence. That it’s common to every known culture. That it
involves a symbiotic exchange between teller and listener
— an exchange we learn to negotiate in infancy.
 Just as the brain detects patterns in the visual forms of
nature — a face, a figure, a flower — and in sound, so too it
detects patterns in information. Stories are recognizable
patterns, and in those patterns we find meaning. We use
stories to make sense of our world and to share that
understanding with others. They are the signal within the
noise.
Once upon a time, there was a
man named Carl Jung
- Swiss psychiatrist
- Studied dreams, personalities,
and religious connections
- 1925 "Bugishu Psychological Expedition"
to East Africa
What he figured out:
- People all over the world have the same dreams and stories
- We have a “collective unconscious” from birth
- The collective unconscious comes out in the form of
archetypes in our stories
What are archetypes?
•They are the basic building blocks of stories that all
writers use to create a world to which readers can
escape.
•Without communicating about archetypes, all
cultures around the world use them to build their
stories. This is called the Collective Unconscious (term
coined by Carl Jung).
•Examples of archetypes are: the hero, the damsel in
distress, the battle between good and evil, etc.
Patterns within archetypes:
• Symbol: Concrete object representing an idea
• Motif: Visual detail developed throughout a work. It
may reinforce character, enhance theme or foreshadow
plot developments. A repeating pattern
• ARCHETYPES are what makes readers / listeners /
viewers relate to and enjoy a story. We connect with
what we already know from our “collective
unconscious.”
Recognizing Archetypes
Recognizing Archetypes
Recognizing Archetypes
Archetypal Theme:
The quest: the hero undertakes a long journey towards
a goal. Must perform impossible tasks, confront errors,
learn the rules, suffer doubts and overcome
insurmountable obstacles.
Can you think of a story patterned after this archetypal
theme? Write down at least one idea
One example: The Journey
Another example: The 3 Questions
Situational Archetypes
•THE QUEST—search for someone or some object, which when it is
found and brought back will restore life to a wasted land, the
desolation of which is shown by a leader’s illness and disability
•THE TASK—to save the kingdom, to win the fair lady, to identify
himself so that he may assume his rightful position, the hero must
perform some nearly superhuman deed.
THE INITIATION—this usually takes the form of an initiation into
adult life. The adolescent comes into his/her maturity with new
awareness and problems along with a new hope for the
community. This awakening is often the climax of the story.
One example: The Lion King
Another example: The Breakfast Club
Another example: Kung Fu Panda
•THE JOURNEY—the hero goes in search of some truth or
information to restore life to the kingdom; he must descend into a
real or psychological hell and is forced to discover the blackest truths
quite often concerning his faults; once the hero is at his lowest
point, he must accept personal responsibility to return to the world
of the living; this could also appear as a group of isolated people
(trapped on a boat, bus, island) to represent society
Situational Archetypes
•THE FALL—describes a descent from a higher to a lower state of
being. The experience involves a defilement and/or a loss of
innocence and bliss. The fall is often accompanied by expulsion from
a kind of paradise as a penalty for disobedience and moral
transgression.
•DEATH AND REBIRTH—grows out of a parallel between the cycle of
nature and the cycle of life. Thus, morning and springtime represent
birth, youth, or rebirth; evening and winter suggest old age or death.
•NATURE VS. MECHANISTIC WORLD—Nature is good while
technology and society are often evil.
•BATTLE BETWEEN GOOD AND EVIL—Obviously the battle between
two primal forces. Mankind shows eternal optimism in the continual
portrayal of good triumphing over evil despite great odds.
•THE UNHEALABLE WOUND—The wound is either physical or
psychological and cannot be healed fully. This wound also indicates a
loss of innocence. These wounds always ache and drive the sufferer
to desperate measures.
Symbolic Archetypes
•THE RITUAL—The actual ceremonies the initiate experiences
that will mark his rite of passage into another state (weddings,
funerals)
•LIGHT VS. DARKNESS—light suggests hope, renewal, or
intellectual illumination; darkness suggests the unknown,
ignorance, or despair.
•WATER VS. DESERT—water is necessary to life and growth
and so it appears as a birth or rebirth symbol; the appearance
of rain in a work can suggest spiritual birth or rebirth;
characters who live in the desert are often “dead” to morals or
the “good side”
•HEAVEN VS. HELL—gods live in the skies or mountaintops; evil
forces live in the bowels of the earth
•INNATE WISDOM VS EDUCATED STUPIDITY—uneducated
characters can often be wise using their common sense while
some very educated characters have no common sense
Symbolic Archetypes
•SUPERNATURAL INTERVENTION—the gods most often
intervene on the side of the hero to assist him in his quest
•HAVEN VS. WILDERNESS—for the hero, places of safety are
required for time to regain health and resources; these
hideouts are often in unusual places
•FIRE VS. ICE—fire can represent knowledge, light, life, and
rebirth while ice can represent ignorance, darkness, sterility,
and death
•MAGIC WEAPON—some object used to fight the forces of
evil that has magical properties
Character Archetypes
•THE HERO—mother is sometimes a virgin, circumstances of
birth are unusual, some attempt is made at birth to kill him;
raised by foster parents, returns to his kingdom to right
wrongs, marries a princess, becomes king, meets a mysterious
death, body is burned rather than buried
•YOUNG MAN FROM THE PROVINCES—hero is taken away as a
young man and raised by strangers; when he returns home, he
can view problems objectively and can solve them easier
•THE INITIATE—young heroes or heroines who go through
training; usually innocent and wear white
•MENTOR—teacher or counselor to the initiate; often are
father or mother figures to the hero or heroine The Lion King
•FATHER-SON CONFLICT—father and son are separated and do
not meet until the son is an adult; often the mentor is loved
and respected more
Character Archetypes
•HUNTING GROUP OF COMPANIONS—loyal companions
willing to face any number of dangers to be together
Finding Nemo
•LOYAL RETAINERS—somewhat like servants to the hero who
are heroic themselves; their duty is to protect the hero and
reflect the nobility of the hero; they are expendable
•FRIENDLY BEAST—a beast on the side of the hero shows that
nature sides most often with the forces of good
•DEVIL FIGURE—evil incarnate; offers worldly goods, fame, or
knowledge to the hero in exchange for possession of the soul
The Little Mermaid
•EVIL FIGURE WITH GOOD HEART—redeemable evil figure
saved by the nobility or love of the hero.
•SCAPEGOAT—animal or human who is unjustly held
responsible for others’ sins; sacrificed but they often become
more powerful force dead than alive
Character Archetypes
•OUTCAST—figure banished from a social group for some crime
against his fellow man (could be falsely accused of a crime or could
choose to banish himself from guilt)
•EARTHMOTHER—offers spiritual and emotional nourishment to
those she meets; shown in earth colors and has large breasts and hips
symbolic of her childbearing capabilities Pocahontas
•TEMPTRESS—sensuous beauty; brings about the hero’s downfall
because he is physically attracted to her
•PLATONIC IDEAL—female figure who provides intellectual
stimulation for the hero; he is not physically attracted to her
•DAMSEL-IN-DISTRESS – a female character who needs the hero to
rescue her from wither emotional or physical danger
•STAR-CROSSED LOVERS—two lovers forbidden to be together
because of the rules of society or family; often ends tragically
•CREATURE OF NIGHTMARE—animal or creature disfigured or
mutated; monsters who are the antagonists in the story
SHREK Archetypes
•HERO—Shrek…literally doing superhuman deeds ( fighting
fire breathing dragon)
•QUEST—to find and rescue Princess Fiona
•TASK—to get his swamp back from the fairy creatures
•HUNTING GROUP OF COMPANIONS—Donkey is there to make
Shrek’s humanity come out and show that he is not just an
ogre at heart
•FRIENDLY BEAST—Donkey
•DAMSEL IN DISTRESS—Princess Fiona in the highest tower
•HEAVEN VS. HELL—glowing embers and fire are shown to be
the habitat of the dragon.
•LIGHT VS. DARKNESS—the castle is dark to represent evil;
Fiona is first seen in a ray of light; as soon as they escape, they
emerge into daytime since they have escaped evil
SHREK Archetypes
•DEATH AND REBIRTH—when they escape the dragon,
morning is dawning suggesting hope and rebirth
•BATTLE BETWEEN GOOD AND EVIL—Shrek and Donkey vs the
Dragon
•STAR-CROSSED LOVERS—Dragons and Donkeys aren’t
supposed to be together
•EVIL FIGURE WITH A GOOD HEART—Dragon appears at first
as an Evil Figure, especially with the remains of the knights, but
Donkey saves her and converts her to good
•CREATURE OF NIGHTMARE—Dragon before she falls in love
with Donkey
•THE JOURNEY—Shrek and Donkey face their fears and
conquer the dragon, finding Fiona to accomplish their task
Archetype Activity
 Get in groups of four (4) by finding the other people
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who have a character from your story.
Work together to fill in each of the columns by
discussing your group’s story.
With your group, determine the role each character
played in the story.
Document your group’s final answer in the format of
the three (3) columns on the paper provided.
You will have ten (10) minutes to complete this activity.
COLUMN 1:
 With your group, determine the role each character
played in the story.
COLUMN 2
Use the following questions to come up with ONE (1) word to
describe each character
 What type of character was he/she?
 What type of relationship did the character have with
each of the other characters?
 How did the character feel throughout the story?
 If your group is not familiar with one or more of the
characters in your group, use the body language and
facial expression clues each character gives in his/her
picture.
COLUMN 3: Support Your Answer
 Try to think of at least two (2) things your character
did in the story that supports your answer in Column
2.
 Write your support in Column 3.
Ariel
Flounder
Sebastian
Ursula
Stepmother
Jaq & Gus
Fairy Godmother
Crush
Nemo
Bruce
Dori
Dumbledore
Rupert
Draco
Professor X
Rogue
Magneto
Simba
Scar
Rafiki
Timon and Pumba
Donkey
Lord FarquaadPrincess Fiona
Shrek
Lord Farquaad
Commander
Neytiri
Jake
Neytiri’s Mother