Tuesday, October 9, 2018

CHARACTER - ARCHETYPES

Today's session involved looking at broader genres of characters; namely, the character archetypes we see in stories. 
"We are unique and universal" ~ Christopher Vogler
That quote from the author of "The Writer's Journey" applies to not just real people, but to fictional characters as well. Being unique is one thing, but the universal aspect is important. It essentially means that characters have to fit into a somewhat broader mould to be identifiable to the audience. They need relatable qualities, characteristics, personalities...

They need to fit an archetype.
Archetype - In Greek, it's roughly translated to "First Moulded of a Copy"; the blueprints for more like it. In computer science terms, it's like a class.
It's been suggested that every story has the same handful of archetypes in them, along with the same essential core for the story. Joseph Campbell, and American professor of literature, wrote the book "The Hero with a Thousand Faces", after studying myths and legends from across the world. While they all varied in terms of specific events and characters, Campbell found that they all shared the same skeleton for plot structure and characters. This would later go on to be known by The Hero's Journey (or The Mono-Myth, depending on who you ask.)


(credit: TED-Ed and Matthew Winkler on YouTube)

(credit: Glove and Boots on YouTube)

Vogler built more upon this theory, claiming that to make a well rounded character, they should "manifest a touch of every archetype".

There are 8 archetypes according to both the Mono-Myth and Vogler. Presented with their Vogler assigned titles, here are the 8 archetypes. For my examples, I'll be using Toy Story 3, Avengers: Infinity War and Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope.

HERO
The hero is typically the protagonist of the story. They're courageous, resilient, selfless, as well as other personal traits. But they're also the characters that ultimately come face to face with death, and receive the most change and growth. They're also the most active part of the story, in the sense of they're the ones doing most of the things.

They're our window into the story, and are usually a mix of both universal and unique traits. They can enter the story either willingly or unwillingly, but either way, end up in the same end point regardless of their entrance. 

Heroes who are active and contribute to the plot are more engaging than those who simply react to what happens around them. 

But most importantly, they need a motivation. Why are they leaving their cruel home for wizard school? Why are they hopping in a spaceship to blow up the Death Star? They need drive.

There are different types of heroes that fit into this mould. To give examples, there's the unlikely hero: a nobody who, through heroic means, becomes a successful somebody (for example, Emmet of The LEGO Movie or Shrek from Shrek). The anti-hero; a deeply flawed protagonist, who often toes the line between hero and villian (e.g. Venom from Venom, Red Hood from Batman comics). 

Catalyst heroes are also important in the scale of it all; they're heroes who appear multiple times in different points in a franchise or series, and so overall have to remain somewhat the same. They're going to change every so often, but most of the time they change their surroundings, but not themselves.

Toy Story 3 has a hero in Sheriff Woody. He's seen as the leader of the group of Andy's toys, and is said to be "kind, smart and brave". He thinks of others before himself, and is willing to sacrifice himself where he can. When the group are threatened by the shadow of the film and his henchmen, Woody confronts him when no-one else would.


(Toy Story 3 - dir. Lee Unkrich)

Avengers: Infinity War has Tony Stark, aka Iron Man, as it's hero. Tony would identify as a catalyst hero; this is his 8th appearance in the ever-growing Marvel Cinematic Universe, yet the bulk of his change came from his 1st and 6th appearances, in Iron Man and Captain America: Civil War, respectively. While his self proclamation of being a "genius, billionaire, playboy, philanthropist" remains true, over the course of the MCU, he's gone from a selfish recluse who profited off of death, to a selfless guardian who protects life at all costs. Even in Infinity War, he's one of the last lines of defence against the most powerful being in the universe.


(Avengers: Infinity War - dir. Joe and Anthony Russo)

Star Wars: A New Hope's hero is Luke Skywalker. Luke follows the hero's journey to a tee, and we can read him incredibly clearly. Going from frustrated farmboy to galactic hero, he can be seen as an impatient, practical, somewhat untrusting boy at the beginning. However, the events of the film show his development into a more trusting character, who's more open to try new solutions to problems.


(Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope - dir. George Lucas)

SHADOW
The Shadow, or "Villain", is the embodiment of the dark side. It's been said that a hero is only as good as their villain, but sometimes it doesn't even need to be another being entirely; it could reside inside the hero themselves. The shadow threatens the hero, and forces them to rise to the challenge. They create conflict, and bring out the best of the hero. Sometimes, it can be revealed that the shadow is just the hero who made bad choices.
"What is your character good at and comfortable with? Throw the polar opposite at them. Challenge them." ~ Pixar's 22 Rules of Storytelling, Rule #6
The antagonists need motivation as much as the hero does, and depending on the narrative, the motivation could be more justified or morally greater than the hero's. Even finding out a character's backstory can help the audience back them up in what they're doing, or start doubting another character's actions. This can lead to many different scenarios... even one where the audience is rooting for the shadow to win.

Toy Story 3's shadow is Lotso, a teddy bear who's in charge of the daycare center Andy's toys are mistakenly sent to. Where the first two Toy Story films show the positive outcome of when the characters are thrown into a fish out of water situation, Lotso embodies the negative. He was lost by his owner, and upon finding Sunnyside, he took his anger out by morphing a hierarchy with himself at the top.

(Toy Story 3 - dir. Lee Unkrich)

Avengers: Infinity War has Thanos as it's villain. Thanos isn't designed as an anti-thesis to any particular superhero; he's his own character, with his own goals. Believing the universe can't sustain life at the rate it's increasing, he plans on assembling six Infinity Stones (each stone controlling a vital aspect of existence) in a gauntlet, and wiping out half of all life. The audience, once presented with his beliefs, backstory, and willingness to achieve his goal, are left with the question of whether Thanos is right or not. He's even been considered by some to be the hero of the film, supported by how much we discover about him, and how he's the essential driving force of the film.


(Avengers: Infinity War - dir. Joe and Anthony Russo)

Darth Vader serves as the shadow for A New Hope. Vader is revealed to be the type of shadow where he had the same start as Luke did, but ended up making bad choices, leading him to the Dark Side of the Force, and becoming the very thing he swore to destroy. He's got an almost monotone, robotic voice, which asserts his dominance over the people he talks to. Vader, one of the higher ups of the Empire, seeks more power than he already has. 



(Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope - dir. George Lucas)

SHAPESHIFTER
The shapeshifter is a character who can change appearance / mood throughout the course of the story. They can also switch between archetypes as well; an ally could become a shadow, a threshold guardian to a mentor, etc.

They're often unpredictable, so the audience is given reason to not trust them, creating an air of doubt and suspense. Shapeshifters are usually aware of their status, and may use it to confuse or seduce the hero.

Toy Story 3 has Ken as it's primary shapeshifter. When we're first introduced to him, he's a suave, somewhat campy doll and Lotso's right hand man. But when Sunnyside's dark side is revealed, Ken also shows his true colours as a more menacing, untrustworthy toy. He changes once more, after being captured by Barbie and seeing the errors of his ways, and becomes an ally to Andy's toys.


(Toy Story 3 - dir. Lee Unkrich)

The shapeshifter of Infinity War is Loki. While his time in the film is short, he manages to get a full shapeshifter arc. Starting off, he seems to support Thanos is trying to get the Infinity Stone the Asgardians have. However, after Thanos harmed Thor, Loki switched sides, and tried to kill Thanos, trying to trick him by pretending to be on his side. This doesn't work, and Loki's left with a broken neck.


(Avengers: Infinity War - dir. Joe and Anthony Russo)

A New Hope has Han Solo as it's shapeshifter. Han is first presented to be a business kind of guy; he does the job he was paid for, and then moves on. And he even goes that far; as soon as he gets Luke to and from the Death Star, he decides to leave the heroes when they go back to attack the station. However, he seems to have a change of heart, helping Luke out when it comes to the attack on the Death Star.


(Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope - dir. George Lucas)


MENTOR
The mentor is a teacher or trainer to the hero, and represents either humanity's better self, or the hero's. They're seen as the moral compass of the film, and determines what's good and what's bad. A nickname this archetype has is the "wise old man", due to the frequency of mentors fitting that physical description (Dumbledore, Gandalf, Obi-Wan, etc.)

A New Hope is the only one of the three films which really has a mentor figure, in the aforementioned Obi-Wan Kenobi. Initially known as an old crazy man on the outskirts of Tatooine, Luke learns the true fate of his father through Obi-Wan. And after Luke's aunt and uncle are murdered, it's Obi-Wan who convinces him to come defeat the Empire, and teaches Luke the ways of the Force. In that sense, Obi-Wan Kenobi is both a mentor and a herald, given that he takes on aspects of both.


(Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope - dir. George Lucas)

HERALD
The herald is the call to adventure for the protagonist. This is an example of an archetype that doesn't necessarily have to be a being. It can be an event too. The herald represents the inner understanding of the need for change, and gives the hero motivation to set out on their quest.

The herald may issue a warning, and the hero may be afraid of the challenges presented. But ultimately, they accept and start on their journey.

Toy Story 3's herald is an event, when Andy's toys get donated to Sunnyside accidentally. This event leads to two different journeys, through how characters see the event. Woody sees the accidental donation as the start of his quest to get back home, since he believes that they all belong with Andy. However, Buzz Lightyear and the other toys decide that they should stay at Sunnyside, and live the life they've missed for years.


(Toy Story 3 - dir. Lee Unkrich)

Avengers: Infinity War's herald is both a person and an event. Bruce Banner, aka The Incredible Hulk, crashes into Doctor Strange's sanctum after witnessing Thanos with an Infinity Stone, and learning of his plan to get more. When reunited with Tony Stark, he presents the quest Thanos is on, and how they need to counter that by stopping him. The event itself is, simply enough, Thanos retrieving the six Infinity Stones. 


(Avengers: Infinity War - dir. Joe and Anthony Russo)

A New Hope is another example where the herald is both an event and a person. After meeting Obi-Wan Kenobi, Luke realises he's made a mistake by purchasing two droids the Empire was after, tracing them back to his aunt's and uncle's house. Luke gets back, but by that time, it's too late. The Empire burned down the house, leaving his aunt and uncle as charred skeletons. Luke realises that the Empire just made things personal. Obi-Wan Kenobi walks up to him, and offers Luke the opportunity to go and get some revenge.


(Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope - dir. George Lucas)


THRESHOLD GUARDIAN(S)
The threshold guardians are essentially mini-bosses. They're smaller threats than the main shadow, yet still present some form of threat to the hero. The hero has to prove their worth by vanquishing them, or redeeming them in some cases. They're usually henchmen, guards or thugs, but they're meant to represent the ordinary obstacles in life.

In Toy Story 3, there are a range of threshold guardians in the form of Lotso's gang. The gang starts off with a range of different toys who are found in the same room as Lotso, but eventually they manage to turn Buzz to their side, who then takes on the role of a threshold guardian. By the end of the film, Lotso's original henchmen are redeemed, and Buzz is returned back to normal.


(Toy Story 3 - dir. Lee Unkrich)

Avengers: Infinity War presents four different threshold guardians, with Thanos' Black Order. The Order is comprised of four of Thanos' adoptive children: Ebony Maw, Proxima Midnight, Corvus Glaive and Cull Obsidian. They're usually seen in pairs, and get picked off one by one. Ebony Maw and Cull Obsidian appear in the first act, trying to retrieve the Time Stone from Doctor Strange, where Proxima Midnight and Corvus Glaive try and get the Mind Stone from Vision. They're all eventually outsmarted and killed, through various means.


(Avengers: Infinity War - dir. Joe and Anthony Russo)

A New Hope's threshold guardians are, arguably, the most recongisable henchmen of all time... Stormtroopers. Stormtroopers are the soldiers of the Empire, who are sent to do menial tasks that Darth Vader and the Grand Moffs wouldn't do themselves. Luke and his band of allies run into them often over the course of the story; as a checkup when driving to Mos Eisley, when the Millenium Falcon gets a check on the Death Star, etc. Stormtroopers are infamous for being incompetent as soldiers, to the point where only once in the original trilogy did a Stormtrooper actually hit their target.


(Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope - dir. George Lucas)

TRICKSTER
The trickster is the type of character who revels in the fun side of the plot. This can be through being a comic relief, or continually breaking the rules of what should be done. They can be a catalyst character, and not have very much development over the film. They keep the hero's ego in check, and brings them down to Earth when necessary. Most of the time, they're a sidekick of some kind, and end up being one of, if not the most popular part of the film.

In Toy Story 3, we have Spanish Buzz Lightyear as the trickster. This is a character who falls more into "comic relief" than "rule breaker". Trying to reset evil Buzz back to normal, Woody and co. accidentally turn him Spanish. He has no memory of anything, acting very much like he did in the first Toy Story. His naivety and cluelessness makes for some funny dialogue, which get the bigger laughs out of an audience.


(Toy Story 3 - dir. Lee Unkrich)

Infinity War has quite a few comic relief tricksters; most notably, the Guardians of the Galaxy and Spider-Man. The Guardians had two films prior to this one, both of which were fairly comedy centric. Spider-Man has always been written as a comedic character, delivering quips and one-liners where he can. Both parties meeting manages to get some great jokes delivered, and in my experience seeing the film in the cinema, the delivery of "Why is Gamora?" got the biggest laugh of the whole film.


(Avengers: Infinty War - dir. Joe and Anthony Russo)

A New Hope has Han Solo as it's trickster. While also playing the shapeshifter, Han revels in joking around with anyone within his vicinity, and even cracks jokes when he's in tense situations. Whether someone's trying to shoot him, or he's confronted by the mob boss of the Star Wars universe, he's always trying to keep the mood light.


(Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope - dir. George Lucas)

ALLY
Finally, there's the Ally. An ally is another character who joins the hero on their journey. Often, there'll be multiple allies accompanying the hero, and they're able to temporarily play other roles.

In Toy Story 3, the rest of Andy's toys are the allies to Woody. When Woody leaves Sunnyside, they change allegiance to be allies to their second-in-command, Buzz Lightyear. The toys help out where they can, often serving as separate cogs to make one big machine turn. Buzz Lightyear is Woody's main ally, a Space Ranger action figure who takes rational courses of action, and isn't afraid to get into a scrap. Jessie the cowgirl is a nervous, yet outgoing ragdoll who often jumps into things headfirst. Rex and Slinky Dog are both friendly souls, who look to Woody for guidance in most things. There's also Mr. and Mrs. Potato Head, who both exist in a state of "always kind of irritated".


(Toy Story 3 - dir. Lee Unkrich)

Avengers: Infinity War has a LOT of allies. Considering the main three characters are Iron Man, Thor and Thanos, that leaves us with over 30 allies. By the end, both Tony and Thor have a team of allies. On Titan, Tony has Spider-Man, Doctor Strange, Star-Lord, Drax and Mantis. Thor on Nidavellir has Rocket Raccoon, Groot and Eitri, but later when he enters Wakanda, he gets Captain America, Black Panther, Black Widow, and War Machine, amongst others. Due to all the allies having different abilites and powers, they're able to contribute to the plot and fights in a major way.


(Avengers: Infinity War - dir. Joe and Anthony Russo)

Finally, A New Hope has a handful of allies joining Luke on his journey. While there's the aforementioned Han Solo and Obi-Wan Kenobi, there's 4 other allies too. Princess Leia is one of them, the princess of Alderaan, who's headstrong, independent, and a natural born leader. She's rescued from the Imperial prison by Luke when they storm the Death Star, and later on she helps co-ordinate the attack on the Death Star. Chewbacca is Han's co-pilot and best friend, who's from the species known as Wookies. He's best described as a gentle giant, who only gets violent when absolutely necessary. The final two characters are C-3PO and R2-D2, two droids Luke buys from the Jawas. C-3PO is a nervous, cautious protocol droid, where R2-D2 is a more confident, selfish astromech droid.


(Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope - dir. George Lucas)

So those are all the different archetypes that Campbell outlines in the mono-myth theory, with the titles given to them by Vogler. Once we looked at all the archetypes, we were advised to try and find what archetype our chosen character fits into. 

For Emmet (The LEGO Movie), I feel like he'd fit into Hero. More specifically, the Unlikely Hero. Given his life seen at the beginning of the film, he shows absolutely no qualities of being a hero. However, through lessons and teachings from his mentor (Vitruvius) and herald (Wyldstyle), he becomes the hero he never thought he'd be.

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