The Odyssey Many people deem Odysseus to be an archetype hero. But was he really? Sure, he won many wars, but did he show the characteristics that matter? No!
From climbing up seven hundred foot cliffs to fighting off unusually large rodents, The Princess Bride is the story of an adventure that keeps viewers on the edge of their seats. It is a romance narrative surrounding the cliché, the hero always gets the girl. We follow the protagonist Westley as he sets out on an action filled journey driven by his love for a woman named Buttercup. Certain characters such as princes, henchman, and witches are distinctively characterized during a romance narrative, but in The Princess Bride they inhabit alternative roles which contribute to this light hearted tale. The manipulation of tropes, commonly recurring literary devices, give a comedic feel to this intriguing and twist filled storyline.
“A hero is someone who understands the responsibility that comes with his freedom.” (Bob Dylan). A modern hero is recognized by the goodness in their heart. Odysseus, the protagonist of Homer’s “The Odyssey”, is not a good example of a modern hero. Heroes cannot be cross cultural, and Odysseus’ heroics do not transcend time and apply to the modern world.
Mythological or Archetypal philosophy has been around for centuries and is used across numerous cultures. Carl Jung, a close colleague of Sigmund Freud, defined the word archetype as “a figure...that repeats itself in the course of history wherever creative fantasy is fully manifested.” Archetypes can come in various forms: characters, images, and situations. Though many different forms of archetypes appear in the tale of Beowulf, specifically, the archetypal character roles of the hero and the outcast are major aspects of the story. The role of the hero is a popularly recognizable element of many stories.
“ I think a hero is an ordinary individual who finds the strength to persevere and endure spite of overwhelming obstacles” Christopher Reeve. Heroes usually have super powers and are constantly saving people. But it takes much more traits than this to be classified as an epic hero. Some characteristics of an epic hero are supernatural help, leaving on a journey in which proves himself, and they are sometimes honored after death. In The Odyssey by Homer, Odysseus shows many traits of an epic hero.
Compare and Contrast Essay The structure of the archetypal story has been used since the beginning of civilizations. Archetypes are stories that use characters that are repeated throughout many cultures (Rice). The oldest example of an archetype is The Epic of Gilgamesh.
We have all lived in the world of fairy tales and imagination but have we ever really focused on what intrigues us about these stories? The hero’s sacrifices and the villain’s decisive plots intrigue us the most in stories but these characteristics are what makes a character known for as a hero, villain and this is known as archetypes. This analyzation revolves around, The Princess Bride and archetypes that some of its character’s qualify of. According to my analysis, Westley portrays the hero, Prince Humperdinck portrays the villain/shadow and Dread Pirate Roberts portrays the Threshold Guardian. The first archetype that I have analyzed is a hero and I have identified Westley as the hero because he sacrifices many things in order to achieve his goal, a hero’s trademark.
Hercules the noble teen ? Or a murderer ? Hercules was known for being a hero in the movie, but a murderer in the Myth. Hercules shows that he is a hero through the task he completes in the movie and the Myth. The different archetypes show that Hercules is two different characters in the movie and the myth.
However, A Midsummer Night’s Dream offers, “For in the temples, by and by, with us, these couples shall be eternally knit.” This quote shows that each couple will be permitted to be married. Thirdly, the stories differ in the fate of the characters. “Pyramus and Thisbe” states, “I will follow thee in death, for I have been the cause.” This quote shows that both lovers, Pyramus and Thisbe, commit suicide so that they can be together in the afterlife.
The psychologist, Carl Jung, says that universal characters reside within the collective unconscious of people around the world. These characters are called archetypes. According to Jung, every story has similar archetypes to each other. The Pearl, written by John Steinbeck, also has archetypes. There are many different archetypes in the novella, The Pearl.
A Midsummer Night’s Dream dealt with the universal theme of love and its complications: lust, disappointment, confusion, and marriage, featuring three interlocking plots, connected by a celebration of the wedding of Theseus, Duke of Athens and the Amazonian queen Hippolyta. The play rotates around different forms of love, two of them being love for friendship (Philia) and romantic (Eros) or true love. Love is the most important theme of the play and the asymmetrical love seen in the play between the four Athenians and romantic encounters cause conflict within the play. There is a strong friendship love between two characters, Hermia and Helena. These two ladies are regarded as sisters as they have grown up together always having each other’s
A hero was a figure in a literature who went beyond the human’s limitation. Among countless heroic literature that were published, The Epic of Gilgamesh was the first Western Literature that portrayed an epic hero. Since the epic was written between 2150 and 1400 BCE, Gilgamesh was the Western Literature’s first known hero. Although each hero had similar characteristics, each hero had different situations and personalities, which led to different heroic archetypes. Depending on each situation and journey, the hero had different roles in literature such as either an epic hero or a tragic hero.
*One of the most iconic love stories ever written has many different love types throughout the story. Shakespeare’s “Romeo And Juliet” has examples of Unrequited love, Romantic love, parental love, Friendship, and Love of Family Honor. Two very prominent love types shown in this story are Unrequited love, and Romantic love. These two love types have similarities and differences, and will be expanded on after examples are shown. The story of “Romeo And Juliet” has many love types.
Around the world, there are very different myths and folklore, each suiting a specific culture’s beliefs. Nonetheless, amongst those different narratives, there are certain elements, such as themes, character types, and design, that keep manifesting. These recurrences are labelled as archetypes. One type of archetypes is character archetypes. Prevalent in myths from Sigurd the Volsung to The Epic of Gilgamesh, character archetypes are types of characters that are conventional amidst literature.
Hercules and Theseus, two great heroes from mythology, seem to be similar in many ways. Both extremely brave and noble; with a love of danger and adventure mixed with compassion, creates the perfect heroes. Their stories intertwine with one another’s when Hercules has to save Theseus from the chair of forgetfulness in Hades. Theseus saved Hercules when he was distraught with intent to kill himself. In a similar way, they both stood by their friends no matter the cost.
