This infamous The Lord of the Rings wizard is the guy you want to have on your side when you're faced with an unexpected journey.
He knows when to help; he knows when to back off. Gandalf's magical powers seem almost inseparable from his knowledge. He's definitely someone you want to have on your side when you're in a tough spot. Summary: The everyman character archetype often acts as the stand-in for the audience. This character archetype is just a normal person, but for some reason, he or she must face extraordinary circumstances. The everyman can be the protagonist or a supporting figure.
Unlike the hero, the everyman does not feel a moral obligation to his or her task; instead, these characters often find themselves in the middle of something they have barely any control over. Unlike the hero, the everyman archetype isn't trying to make a great change or work for the common good: these characters are just trying to get through a difficult situation.
Examples of everyman archetypes in literature: Dr. John Watson is the epitome of the everyman archetype. Sidekick to the infamous Sherlock Holmes, Watson is perfectly content being Holmes' right-hand man. His plainness contrasts Holmes's eccentricities, and he is assumed to be on the same average level as the reader.
He's just a regular guy minding his own business when he's suddenly saved from the destruction of his entire planet. Normal dude, extraordinary circumstances. Summary: Characters representing the innocent archetype are often women or children.
These character archetypes are pure in every way. Though often surrounded by dark circumstances, the innocent archetype somehow has not become jaded by the corruption and evil of others. These character archetypes aren't stupid: they're just so morally good that the badness of others cannot seem to mar them. Examples of innocent archetypes in literature: There are several examples of characters fitting the innocent archetype in literature both old and new. A more contemporary example of the innocent character archetype is Prim from Suzanne Collins's The Hunger Games series.
Prim is a beautiful young girl who retains her innocence and love for others, even after seeing her district destroyed and her sister nearly killed by the Capitol. Her faith in people never seems to waiver, despite the fact that, other than her sister Katniss, people have never done much good for Prim.
Summary: The villain wants to stop the hero archetype from achieving his or her goal. The villain is often evil, though there is often a reason—however warped that reason may be—why villains are so bad. Villains often want nothing more than to control and have power over everyone and everything around them, probably because most of them are secretly strongly motivated by fear. Villains are often the moral foil of the hero: that is, their main vice will parallel the hero's main virtue.
Examples of villain archetypes in literature: There are so many great examples of villain archetypes out there that it's hard to cite only a couple. The White Witch from C. Rowling's Lord Voldemort and J. Tolkien's Sauron all come to mind as classic villain archetypes.
This is in direct contrast to Bruce Wayne himself, who spends his life trying to restore order and safety in Gotham. Lord Voldemort, of Harry Potter, craves power because he wishes to overcome all weakness, especially the mortal weakness that scares him the most: death.
While Harry faces his certain death with dignity, Voldemort drags himself back from the brink of death, even when he barely exists anymore.
These villains have one thing in common: their actions work directly against those of the heroes, but they also create the need for the heroes' actions in the first place. Archetypes speak to a common human experience, whether they appear through characters, settings, situations, or symbols. To learn more about literary analysis, check out an article on different types of characters that you might find in stories, books, or movies.
All rights reserved. Scene from storybook with a knight, princess, dragon and castle. Character Archetypes Coming up with unique and interesting characters is a challenge for any author. In fact, the prologue explicitly name them as Star-Crossed Lovers: A pair of star-crossed lovers take their life, Whose misadventured piteous overthrows Doth with their death bury their parents' strife.
Mechanistic World - This has nature as being good and technology as bad The Quest - The search for someone or something The Task - Something that must be done. Situation Archetypes in Literature Look no further than J. Setting Archetypes Have you ever read a horror story that happened in the middle of the day? Some common examples of setting archetypes include: The Garden - Symbolizes love and fertility The Forest - Can be a wild place with dangers and beasts; it can also be a place to reconnect with nature The River - Water symbolizes life, and the river can show life's journey or boundaries The Sea - Can be both good and evil, with dangers and treasures.
It can also show infinity The Island - Symbolizes isolation The Mountain - Climbing up can represent a spiritual journey The Wasteland - A place for cleansing and finding inner strength The Tower - Represents worship or power The Small Town - This is where everyone knows everyone and judges them, so it represents intolerance.
Symbolic Archetypes in Literature Swords are a common symbol of heroism and chivalry. Analyzing Literature With Archetypes Writers use literary archetypes because they resonate with readers. By combining major archetypes, you can create round, dynamic characters who propel the plot forward.
Humans have used the same major archetypal characters in their mythology, origin stories, and creative works since the beginning of recorded history. These archetypes are popular because they reflect the human condition. Hi Sandi, thanks so much for reaching out! If you have specific questions, please fill out the form on my contact page. I hope to hear from you soon! I was really inspired by your article. I found something interesting with your descriptions. Its possible that this instead creates different characters onto themselves.
Which has a mirror quality when compared to its opposite. Someone who is passionate and committed vs. Someone who is unpassionate and uncommitted. What about this example. Someone who fears being unloved vs. Someone who fears being loved. When an idea opposes another, does that have to be specifically opposite?
Or can it be that its the values themselves independently clashing with other values and ideas? Do those apposing ideas have to be in place to make a story work? Can it be that a main character wants peace in a place that is already peaceful? And the idea of the peace being broken never comes up?
Antagonists are just people—they can hypothetically fit into any archetype. For example, the antagonist can see themselves as a Hero. Thanos from The Avengers movies certainly sees himself as a hero despite the fact that we see his actions as bad. Another example could be a Sage villain. Maybe this character started off on a quest for knowledge, and as they gained more knowledge, their world views became twisted and morphed. And characters, like people, are a mix of good and bad qualities.
In short: there are many ways you can twist archetypes for villains! It depends on what traits you give them and what their motives and goals are that make them antagonists. I would suggest looking up some other blogs and books that explore archetypal theory in depth. Also I wanted to know if there are any subtypes in these archetypes? If there are then answer this comment I would be much grateful to you….
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