ipl-logo

The Monomyth Theory: The Hero's Journey

1246 Words5 Pages

Joseph Campbell’s monomyth theory, also known as the hero’s journey, is a universal pattern found in many myths and stories across different cultures. It consists of three main stages: departure, invitation, and return. The hero leaves their original world, faces challenges and trails, and ultimately returns transformed with newfound knowledge or a boon to share with their community. The Legend of Perseus is a classic example of the monomyth, where the hero goes through a series of stages, including the call to adventure, crossing the threshold, facing challenges, and ultimately achieving a goal. The theory behind why the monomyth works is that it reflects universal human experiences and desires, making it a powerful storytelling tool. Myths …show more content…

By examining the stories that a culture tells, we can learn about their heroes, their goals, their fears, and their aspirations. Joseph Campbell’s Monomyth structure can be used to analyze The Legend of Perseus by examining the character of Perseus as he moves through Departure, Trials and Victories, and The Return; the following sub steps will be used to examine how Perseus moves through The Monomyth: The Extraordinary Beginning, The Call to Adventure, The Wise One, The Road of Trials, The Apotheosis, and Freedom to Live.
The Departure in Joseph Campbell’s theory holds the beginning stages of The Legend of Perseus. It is the first stage in Joseph Campbell’s theory, the hero’s journey. In The Legend of Perseus, the events that occur in the Departure marks the beginning of Perseus’ journey and sets the stage for his subsequent adventures and trials. The Departure of Perseus is developed by the Extraordinary Beginning. In “The Monomyth Hero Cycle Part One Video” by Bob Warren states that the Extraordinary Beginning, “is either about the birth or the very early life of the hero. The hero is typically identified as special in the myth” (Warren). The monomyth begins with his mother, Danae, being impregnated by Zeus in the form of a golden shower. Danae’s father, …show more content…

Perseus faces several trials in his legend. In Chapter 15 in the main textbook, it states that “Campbell describes the trials of the hero as symbolic of psychological dangers associated with overcoming the real problems of our lives” (Thury and Devinney 221). The Road of Trials in The Legend of Perseus refers to the series of challenges and obstacles Perseus overcomes to complete his quest, including the slaying of Medusa, obtaining the head of Medusa, and rescuing Andromeda from the sea monster. His victories consist in successfully completing the quests with help of various gifts from the gods, such as a reflective shield and winged sandals. He eventually became a hero and founded the city of Mycenae. In “Myths To Live By” by Joseph Campbell, the essay "The Emergence of Mankind" states that one can learn that “the hero is the one who has learned to penetrate the protective wall of those fears within, generally, from all experience of our own and the world’s divine ground” (Campbell, pg 30 & 31). Perseus learns a lot through the trials and quests that he encounters. This can help lead to the Apotheosis of the monomyth. In the presentation video part two, it states that the Apotheosis “is the point where the road of trials leads and where the hero transforms or is transformed” (Warren). The Legend of Perseus shows Elixir Theft, “when the hero gains something of grand significance” (Warren). This is the

Show More
Related
879 Words | 4 Pages

1. What three issues did Congress have to resolve while creating a national government? The Continental Congress had three issues to deal with while they created a new national government. The first issue was representation of states with different sized populations.

Read More
817 Words | 4 Pages

Joseph Campbell was a well-known mythologist, who was well known for his work that covers a lot of aspects of the human experience. He is stated to believe that the monomyth of a hero’s journey can be applied to any type of literature such as movies, dreams, and so on. So in this essay I will be talking about five subcategories he talks about and comparing them to the movie Hercules. As we already know Hercules is a movie about Zeus son Hercules that was kidnapped when he was young and turned into a half mortal and he cant return to his family until he proves to be a hero. The subcategories I will be talking about is the call to adventure, refusal of the call, supernatural aids, the road of trails, and belly of the whale.

Read More
1667 Words | 7 Pages

Lilly Tran Mr. Sandefur Honors English 10A - 5 20 January 2023 The Hero’s Journey The hero's journey described by author Joseph Campell in his book The Hero With a Thousand Faces talks about the archetypal path that many heroes in myths take to become one. From the departure, the initiation, and the return home, many familiar stories follow the hero's journey. One such story is from the movie The Clash of the Titans which follows the journey of Perseus as he searches for a way to defeat the fearsome Kraken that threatens to destroy humanity.

Read More
189 Words | 1 Pages

As described by Joseph Campbell in the book The Power of Myth, “A hero is someone who has given his life to something bigger than himself or other than himself” (Moyers 1). In this book, Campbell proposes the idea of “The Hero’s Journey,” a journey that a character must complete in order to be properly classified as a “hero.” Campbell says that, often, the purpose of this “hero adventure” is to regain something that has been lost or stolen or to “discover some life-giving elixir.” He says that amidst this adventure, heroes will experience a psychological transformation that allows for them to perform a deed, physical or spiritual, that benefits the greater good. There exist a multitude of characters, from a variety of different stories, who

Read More
654 Words | 3 Pages

The Heroes Journey, identified by American scholar Joseph Campbell, is a pattern of narrative that describes the typical adventure of the main hero, whether that be a fiction or nonfiction hero. The first step is the call to adventure, where something shakes up the hero’s current situation and the hero starts experiencing change. Consequently, this theory is also applied to the fictional hero Odysseus in The Odyssey and the real-life hero Martin Luther King Jr., a civil rights activist. In The Odyssey, Odysseus embarks on a 10-year voyage from Troy to Ithaca and encounters many monsters along the way including a gigantic Cyclops described as “…a brute so huge, he seemed no man at all…” (9 89-90).

Read More
689 Words | 3 Pages

In conclusion, countless people know of Joseph Campbell's definition of a Monomyth. We see the hero's journey outline everywhere in our modern books and movies. Hercules, in the opinion of many, happens to be one of the best examples of Campbell's definition of a

Read More
1348 Words | 6 Pages

In his book, The Hero with a Thousand Faces, Joseph Campbell discovered a basic pattern that can be found in all stories portraying a hero. In his hero’s monomyth, the main character is called to an adventure into a foreign land and the skills obtained during the journey are later tested to defeat their toughest challenge. An example of a heroic monomyth can be illustrated in Marissa Meyer’s fantasy novel, Cinder, because the heroine is called to an adventure that she at first refuses, explores an unfamiliar landscape, the castle, where she learns more about her tragic past, and soon comes face to face with her greatest adversary. The events of Cinder follow a linear story that begins in New Beijing, China.

Read More
841 Words | 4 Pages

The main character of a story is oftentimes the one who receives the title of the hero, yet the protagonist in this case is Satan. Labeling him as such typically yields controversy, as one side struggles with moral and religious connotation, while the other applies a more literary interpretation. If this is construed as being the character at the center of Campbell’s monomyth, then Satan would be the hero, as his journey greatly parallel’s that of the Hero’s Journey. Therefore, outside of religion, many may agree that throughout this poem, Satan acts as the hero–regardless of one’s standard definition of that word. The separation stage of the monomyth is marked by Satan’s banishment to Hell, and his decision for revenge towards God.

Read More
564 Words | 3 Pages

Joseph Campbell studied mythology for several years. He concluded that heroes often travel the same path. Which means that the heroes encounter the same thing, but in different ways. Joseph came up with the Hero’s journey Every stage challenges the heroes. I’m not a hero but my life journey has the same stages like Joseph’s Hero journey.

Read More
1072 Words | 5 Pages

The Odyssey is often cited as an epitome of the hero’s journey and the monomyth. The hero of the story, Odysseus is on a 10 year battle homeward from the Trojan War to see his wife and son again. With the help divine intervention, Odysseus is able to return home and save his wife from the evil suitors who have continuously tried to win her. One could easily argued that Odysseus is an exemplar of the hero, but there is another story: Odysseus is the opposite of a hero and is not worthy to be called such. He is the villain where the gods are the hero.

Read More
986 Words | 4 Pages

Homer’s epic, The Odyssey has had a profound impact on all types of art that incorporates a hero. The archetype of a hero is followed to a ‘t’ and sets the stage for following works that include a main hero’s quest. Odysseus’ trials, tribulations, adversity, vengeance, and final victory outline the common tale of the hero’s journey throughout a plotline to an eventual victory over evil. This rough outline can be whittled down into two main themes of perseverance and vengeance. Homer’s two principal themes of a hero’s journey has come to influence many preceding works of art; specifically, In the Coen Brothers’ film O Brother,

Read More
1064 Words | 5 Pages

When creating a story, many great minds will use a pattern to enthrall readers and shape them into a hero. Established by Joseph Campbell, The Hero 's Journey is the iconic template many utilize to plan their imaginative tale. The Hero’s Journey is the cycle in which the protagonist ventures into an unknown world where he or she will go through a series of adventures and learn moral lessons. Heroes in ancient myths such as Homer 's epic poem, The Odyssey follows this formula since the protagonist, Odysseus, faces hardships throughout different regions that ultimately change his once arrogant character. Throughout Homer 's monomyth, Odysseus undergoes challenges that teach him the importance of humility.

Read More
1222 Words | 5 Pages

Fred Rogers once said “I am always comforted by realizing that there are still so many helpers - so many caring people in this world.” In this quote, he analyzed the nature of helping as well as the number of like-minded people in the world. He explained that the helpers were more important than anything else to a hero. The Hero’s Journey, derived from Joseph Campbell’s Monomyth tells the structure and stages that a hero must go through to achieve their goal. The most important aspect of the Monomyth would be the support from the Helper since there would not be a way for the hero to learn from experiences and receive guidance.

Read More
684 Words | 3 Pages

In the story of a greek poem The Odyssey, Odysseus is seen to be an epic hero as well as Percueus in the movie The Clash of the Titans. Out of the two prominent figures in Greek mythology, there is no doubt that Perseus fits the profile of an Epic Hero more clearly. Perseus demonstrates great courage, elevated status, and superhuman strength which allow him to overcome obstacles throughout his journey. One of the qualities that allows Perseus to be a greater epic here is his distinctive courage. He takes on the challenge of saving his parents from the angered Gods.

Read More
1131 Words | 5 Pages

Campbell writes about the concept that countless myths all share a basic structure, called the monomyth. In this, the hero of the story undergoes a number of steps in his journey, labelled Departure, Initiation and Return (cf. Ahmed, 2012, 4): (1) In the Departure stage, the hero enters a strange world of often supernatural powers and events, after being called to it in the normal world he’s lived in (cf. Colbert, 2008, 208).

Read More

More about The Monomyth Theory: The Hero's Journey

Related Topics

Open Document