Have you ever wondered why characters like Yoda from Star Wars (1997) and Gandalf from J. R. R. Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings (1954) seem to be quite similar? It’s because they’re based on a similar archetype: the sage. There are also many other types of archetypes. Can you think of any other characters that seem similar?
Archetype meaning
There are multiple levels to the definition of an archetype. The first is the following.
An archetype is a recurring example of a character, image, or object that is easily identifiable to readers.
The second definition is more complex and involves theories conceptualised by the Swiss philosopher Carl Gustav Jung. He divided the human psyche into four levels: the persona, the shadow, the anima or animus, and the self.
- The self is the way that the conscious and unconscious can be unified.
- The persona is the projection of ourselves as shown in public. It is a societal mask and something that is consciously adapted for convenience.
- The shadow is that which we deny in ourselves and is a more emotional part of the psyche. It is, in essence, the things that contribute to the personal unconscious, as they are things that are repressed to conform to society.
- The anima and animus are also a part of the personal unconscious and represent the suppressed alter-gender in every individual. Jung defined these alter-genders through the Greek concepts of the feminine eros, or the anima found in the male psyche, and the masculine logos, or the animus found in the female psyche. Jung thought of the anima and animus as ways to communicate with the collective unconscious, as eros and logos are dominant archetypes in the human mind (even if they vary for individuals).
For Jung, eros and logos represent the two opposites of rationality and irrationality, or reason and imagination. Logos is the more masculine and rational aspect, while eros is the more feminine and emotional counterpart.
Jung suggests that archetypes reside in the collective unconscious as repeated images, characters, and scenes throughout history. They occur as universal images throughout dreams, artworks, literature, religions, and myths, among other things.
Character archetypes
There are twelve main archetypes that Jung identified, which can be put into four categories, depending on their general goals.
Archetypes are so common in everything around us that archetypal characters can even be applied to brands. M&Ms, for example, are often associated with a ‘jester’, while Nike evokes a ‘hero’.
Ego types
Ego types are those that seek to impact the world around them. These archetypes are labelled as ‘rebel’, ‘magician’, and ‘hero’.
Rebel
The ‘rebel’ archetype is also commonly referred to as ‘outlaw’, ‘radical’, ‘revolutionary’, ‘misfit’, and ‘retaliator’. They try to seek balance in the world around them in the form of either justice or revenge. Because of this, they are sometimes prone to extreme retaliation to greater forces around them, which can result in them committing a crime.
Examples of this archetype include Ferris Beuler from Ferris Beuler’s Day Off (1986) and Han Solo from Star Wars (1997).
Magician
The ‘magician’ is an archetype, also labelled ‘scientist’ or ‘inventor’, that primarily focuses on creating dreams by having a greater understanding of the world. Despite their pleasant-sounding aims, they can become quite manipulative characters in their attempts to achieve their goals.
Examples include Prospero from The Tempest (1611) and Morpheus from The Matrix (1999).
Hero
The ‘hero’ is associated with being a ‘warrior’, ‘crusader’, ‘winner’, or ‘rescuer’. They try to prove themselves and their worth in the world by trying to make it a better place (whether that’s by removing a dragon, fighting in a war, or taking out an oppressive government). They do, however, run the risk of becoming too arrogant and prioritising themselves over others.
Examples include Achilles from the ‘Iliad’ (8th century BC) and Aragorn from The Lord of the Rings (1954).
Social types
The social types of character archetypes are those that try to connect with others around them. These archetypes are often the ‘lover’, ‘jester’, or ‘citizen’.
Lover
The ‘lover’ is synonymous with other names like ‘spouse’, ‘intimate’, and ‘partner’. They are characters that seek intimacy and love with another person. This desire, however, runs the risk of them becoming too selfless or too naïve.
Examples include Jack from Titanic (1997) and Belle from Beauty and the Beast (1991).
Jester
The ‘jester’ is also known as ‘fool’, ‘trickster’, or ‘comedian’. They try to enjoy life as much as possible and often try to help others do the same. Unfortunately, they often waste their time attempting to do this.
Examples include Loki in Norse mythology and Fat Amy/Patricia Hobert from Pitch Perfect (2012).
Citizen
The ‘citizen’ is a very generalised character whose main desire is to belong. The ‘citizen’ is often the most relatable to any reader or viewer. They are also called an ‘Everyman’, a ‘regular’, or ‘the person next door'. Their aims to fit in with others runs the risk of them conforming too much and losing their sense of self. They may also be too reluctant to take part in anything too adventurous and so are often sidekicks who need to be encouraged by their friends.
An example of this archetype is Bilbo Baggins from The Hobbit (1937).
Freedom types
The freedom types are the character archetypes who try to seek paradise. This is often a personal type of paradise, but it can be expanded to seeking a better place for others as well. These can be the ‘explorer’, ‘sage’, or the ‘innocent’ in a plot.
Explorer
The ‘explorer’ is also known as ‘wanderer’, ‘seeker’, or ‘pilgrim’. They try to find a greater purpose in the outside world, whether for themselves or for those they care about. However, their constant state of outward-looking might leave them in a state of aimlessness or even perhaps lead them to lose themselves.
An example of this is Odysseus from the ‘Odyssey’ (8th century BCE) by Homer.
Sage
The ‘sage’ prioritises greater understanding and truth above most other things and is, therefore, also known as ‘scholar’, ‘philosopher’, or ‘detective’. Sages are often idolised by other characters as ‘teachers’ or ‘mentors’ because of their intelligence. Despite this, they run the risk of becoming inactive in their thirst for knowledge.
Examples include Obi-Wan Kenobi and Yoda from Star Wars (1997).
Innocent
The ‘innocent’ is a character who seeks to find their freedom. They are often depicted as a ‘child’ or ‘dreamer’. As a result of their innocence, they are very naïve and ignorant of the ways of the world.
Examples include Desdemona from Shakespeare’s Othello (1604) and Forrest Gump from Forrest Gump (1994).
Order types
The order character archetypes are those that try to provide structure in the world around them. They might try to do this for themselves, someone they care for, or even for an entire group of people. These archetypes can be the ‘sovereign’, the ‘caregiver’, or the ‘creator’.
Sovereign
The ‘sovereign’ archetype is also called the ‘ruler’, ‘judge’, or ‘boss’. Through their power, they hope to achieve a better world for their communities, people, or family. However, their fear of losing power means that they may become corrupt.
Examples include Macbeth from Shakespeare’s Macbeth (1607) and Dumbledore from Harry Potter (1997).
Caregiver
The ‘caregiver’ often also fulfils the roles of ‘parent’, ‘helper’, ‘saint’, ‘supporter’, or ‘carer’. Their kindness expands to those close to them and others around them, often leaving the potential for others to exploit them.
Examples include Samwise Gamgee from The Lord of The Rings (1954) and Samwell Tarly from George R. R. Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire (1996).
Creator
The ‘creator’ can also be an ‘artist’, ‘inventor’, or ‘dreamer’. They want to create something that supersedes them and express their thoughts on the world, but this desire is often met with perfectionism and self-criticism.
Examples include Willy Wonka from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (1964) by Roald Dahl and Doc Brown from Back to the Future (1985).
Event and motif archetypes
While there are archetypal characters that occur in literature, there are also many recurring events and motifs that appear throughout time.
The quest journey or voyage and return
Like Odysseus, who is trying to return home, there are many other texts and films that depict characters journeying to find something.
Birth and rebirth
Birth and rebirth are key archetypal events. Rebirth can be literal, as in the case of Jesus, or figurative, as in a character’s sudden and drastic transformation.
Rags to riches transformation
This sort of archetype often consumes an entire plot. It demonstrates the wishes and hopes to proceed from less to more. It is a very common archetype in fairy tales such as Aladdin or Cinderella.
Marriage
Marriage is often an essential event in literature and film as it is often a way to create a happy ending. Although it is considered an archetype, it does not occur in all literature globally, as marriage is not a universal concept. Alternatively, you could consider it the unification of two people.
Separation and isolation
Many forms of literature, film, and art explore the separation and isolation that characters experience. This may be a group of characters or a single one, and they may be excluded from family, society, or culture.
Apocalypse and creation
These archetypes most often occur in religious texts like the Qur’an, the Bible, and the Torah. However, the creation in the aftermath of apocalypses is becoming increasingly more explored in literature and film (through dystopian fiction), as it enables new societies to be developed.
The importance of archetypes
Archetypes are important in literature because they are universally understood concepts. The fact that they repeatedly occur in film, literature, and myths creates a sense of familiarity with a reader or viewer that makes them more open to understanding a concept or character. Archetypes are also largely flexible and so can be applied to many different characters, helping a viewer and reader’s comprehension.
Archetypes assist in understanding the world around us. The fact that there are archetypal characters means that we can understand ourselves and others better, while archetypal events allow us to cope with large events happening to us.
Confusions with archetypes
Archetypes are closely related to other things and often overlap with them. They are most commonly confused with stereotypes, clichés, and tropes.
Stereotypes
Stereotypes are generalised ideas about the characteristics of things. They can be about people, groups, places, and objects, among other things, but they can be incorrect if founded on prejudice.
Stereotypes are often made about marginalised groups of people. For example, the idea that ‘women are more complicated’ is a stereotype.
Clichés
A cliché is an idea or expression that is overused. Clichés are often considered boring, uninteresting, and unoriginal because of how commonly they are used.
Terms in literature like ‘once upon a time’ or ‘they lived happily ever after’ are examples of clichés.
Tropes
Tropes are common themes, ideas, and images that occur in specific categories of art.
For example, an artist might use similar brush strokes across their art, making it a key trope of their work. Similarly, the dystopian genre often has recurring tropes like government surveillance, powerful societies, and the denial of individuality.
What are the differences?
As already said, these concepts all interlink with each other. Let’s use the concept of the ‘gay best friend’ in the romance genre to explore this.
This character is founded on commonly accepted stereotypes like that of being effeminate. There are also other stereotypes established for the purpose of the plot, as the gay best friend is good at giving relationship advice and acts as the comedic relief character in the narrative.
The gay best friend has been reproduced so many times that they have become an anticipated trope. In fact, the extent to which this character has been recreated has made their entire character a cliché that producers are trying to avoid in cinema and literature. Clichés, in general, are something people seek to avoid once they are established, but this particular one has become problematic in the representation of gay people.
The gay best friend character is derived from a combination of archetypes. They are predominantly a jester because they are often used as comic relief characters for the audience. However, they also act as a caregiver or supporter in giving advice to their friends.
Archetype - Key takeaways
- An archetype can be defined in one of two ways, but the most relevant to English Literature is the definition related to Jungian theory. He believed that archetypes are motifs, characters, events, and themes that recur universally across mythology, literature, art, and film.
- There are twelve types of archetypal characters that can be divided into four categories: ego, social, freedom, and order types. The character archetypes are ‘rebel’, ‘hero’, ‘magician’, ‘lover’, ‘jester’, ‘citizen’, ‘explorer’, ‘sage’, ‘innocent’, ‘sovereign’, ‘caregiver’, and ‘creator’.
- Archetypes are often confused with stereotypes, clichés, and tropes, but they have distinctive differences (despite there being some overlap).
- Archetypes are important because they are familiar to an audience or reader and help them to make sense of the world around them.
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