The Hero's Journey
September 28th 2006 13:54
This started out as a simple note for the next post, on Characters, and turned into a hefty bit of research sprinkled with dispute (especially in Wikipedia). But the more I thought about it, the more I realised I had to have a post just about it, because of its power in helping a writer tell the very best story they can.
After Ideas for your script, and before Characters, who’ll populate your script, let’s talk about the Hero’s Journey.
Also known as the Monomyth, it is the one great story of human civilisation, repeated over and over and over, in mythology, in religion, in fables, in books, plays, television and movies. It is the great driving force in our storytelling, probably since men firs gathered around fires and told tales. And all over the world: Inuit, African, Japanese, Islander, European, it doesn’t matter, they all use the Hero’s Journey as the basis for the stories that reach the deepest into us.
While a template, it has incredible flexibility, can be both upbeat or tragic, with central characters from either sex or any economic status; indeed, a ‘fish out of water’ story is quite often a classic Hero’s Journey.
Some of you may think, “I don’t need a template! I’d just be copying everybody else!” Weeeelll… let’s put it this way. The template is so flexible that you can fit any kind of story to it and give it an edge. Conversely, if you try to avoid using it, you will end up with something that is either wildly experimental (no bad thing, mind you) or more than likely excruciatingly dull. And, truth be known, you probably use it anyway in whatever stories you currently write, the knowledge of its structure is deeply burned in. You, the writer, have to rise to the challenge of making it work for you, sing for you, of making it yours.
This is a rough version of the steps in a Hero’s Journey. There are numerous versions out there, in print and online. The primary source is The Hero With A Thousand Faces by Joseph Campbell, and for a writer, The Writer’s Journey by Christopher Vogler. How you fit it into your three-act script is entirely up to you. And I’m not going to compare it to this movie or that TV show, think of it as an exercise: figure out how your favourite story hits these marks. I will name one, for the simple reason that its writer explicitly says he was influenced by Campbell’s book, and that’s George Lucas, with Star Wars IV – VI.
The Departure
The Call to Adventure
The story begins in the Hero’s home place, but the Quest begins with the Hero receiving a Call To Action. We see what his ‘normal’ world is like, and more than likely he doesn’t quite fit into it. The Quest is usually announced by another character who acts as a Herald, who may be a friend of the Hero, or someone from ‘elsewhere’. Also, sometimes something threatens the home place, and the Hero has to find a way to correct the problem.
Refusal of the Call
Quite often the hero initially refuses the call to adventure; he’s uncertain he can do it, thinks it’s a fool’s errand, dfoesn't want to leave family and home, or doesn’t believe it. When this happens, something invariably goes wrong, like an evil descends on the community, or another character we’ll meet shortly, called the Threshold Guardian, tests the Hero in some way. Ultimately, the Hero chooses to go. sometimes willingly, sometimes with no other choice.
Supernatural Aid/Meeting the Mentor
Along the way, the Hero may be given access to something that will help him on the Quest. In older mythology, this was often a weapon, a shield, or a defense against the Forces of Darkness. At other times, instead of Aid, they may encounter a Mentor, usually a wise old man or a former Hero, who gives the Hero knowledge and psychological as well as physical weapons. Not enough to keep him completely out of trouble, but enough to get him through if correctly applied.
The Crossing of the First Threshold
This is it. The point of no return. The Hero eventually leaves his home place, to cross into the Underworld, the Land Beyond, the Big City, where he can find a new understanding of what he is really up against. And right here, at this gate, the Hero will face a Threshold Guardian. someone who will test them in this place far from home, to see what they’re really made of. Note that a Guardian can be against the Hero, or for them, and protecting them from a journey they aren’t ready for.
The Belly of the Whale
The story ramps up a notch, as the Hero goes further into the dark places Here he’ll meet allies, learn some of the rules of this new place, but it’ll be a little off-centre from the thrust of the story. It’s a gathering of resources, internal and external The name comes from the Biblical story of Jonah and the Whale, in which he had to endure his time in the belly of the beast as part of the trials ahead.
Initiation
The Road of Trials
The next phase begins with the Hero being repeatedly challenged with mental and physical obstacles They often come in threes, one to explain, one to lose, and the last to win. By overcoming them, the hero improves his skills and proves his worth.
Meeting the Goddess, Meeting the Temptress
The Hero can, of course, be of either gender, and at this point of the Journey will encounter a person (usually of the opposite sex or depending on gender preference) who will either guide them or lead them away from the True Path.
In Goddess mode, this person will be wise, beautiful (in one sense or another), and her gift to the Hero is to help them reconcile different aspects of themselves into one, to brace them for the Final Challenge, and send them on rejoicing, as ready as they’ll ever be.
In Temptress mode, she will be the one thing that can divert them off the Journey. They’ll feel they don’t need to carry on, they can achieve happiness at this point It is, of course, a lie, and the Hero must find a way from the snare to carry on.
Atonement with the Father
The hero may encounter a father-like figure of patriarchal authority, representing the status quo, who presents a seemingly impossible test "Father" and "son" are often pitted against each other for mastery of the universe. To understand the father, and ultimately himself, the hero must reconcile with this ultimate authority figure.
Apotheosis
To apotheosize is to deify (didn’t know that until I was researching this).
Approach the Inmost Cave
A shamanic territory is entered, on the border of life and death The stakes are upped, the audience is reminded the “clock is ticking” In some ways, the beginning of the climax.
The Supreme Ordeal
Ultimately, the Hero faces a demonised Shadow, a reflection of their own darker side, and fights a bitter battle against a mirror of himself. The Hero's Ego is disintegrated in a breakthrough expansion of consciousness. Quite frequently his idea of reality is changed, he may find himself able to do new things or able to see a larger point of view, allowing him to sacrifice self.
We have reached the central crisis, and it’s here the Hero makes the ‘ultimate sacrifice’ so they can be resurrected anew The Villain/Shadow may die as well, which should be extremely difficult, both of them evenly matched. With the Ordeal past, relief leads to the greatest elation. The death of the Shadow should switch the story focus to moral/spiritual issues. Or the Shadow may escape, to be encountered again at tale's end
The Reward
The Reward is the achievement of the goal of the quest. It is what the person went on the journey to get. All the previous steps serve to prepare the Hero for this moment. In many myths the Reward is something transcendent like the elixir of life itself, or a plant that supplies immortality, or the holy grail. But it can be a long sought love, a rare jewel, or a donut. Whatever.
Return
Refusal of the Return
Once the Reward is found the Hero may be tempted to stay, far from care and responsibility. But he has to realise that there is another world out there, the home place, that is waiting and hoping for his return. Willingly or not, he has to go back.
The Magic Flight
is made by the hero to return with the prize. Sometimes the Hero must escape with the boon, wresting it from the Shadow Forces. It can be a mad dash just as adventurous and dangerous as it was at the Quest’s beginning.
The Crossing of the Return Threshold
Before the Hero can return to the real world, he must confront another Threshold Guardian. The first threshold was a symbolic death; this is now a symbolic rebirth. The trick in returning is to retain the wisdom gained on the quest, to integrate that wisdom into a human life, and then maybe figure out how to share the wisdom with the rest of the world. In the real world, we have often greeted travellers with wonder, and even awe, when they return from points unknown, so it is natural; to incorporate that into our stories.
Master of Two Worlds
Once the final threshold is crossed, the hero is now free to move back and forth between the two worlds at will. He has mastered the conflicting forces of the mind, become comfortable and competent in both the inner and outer worlds.
Freedom to Live
Mastery leads to freedom from the fear of death, which in turn is the freedom to live. This is sometimes referred to as living in the moment, neither waiting for the future nor dwelling on the past. The Hero has found true freedom, and can turn their efforts to helping or teaching humanity.
Now, if that isn’t a Journey worthy of a Hero… I don’t know what is!
After Ideas for your script, and before Characters, who’ll populate your script, let’s talk about the Hero’s Journey.
Also known as the Monomyth, it is the one great story of human civilisation, repeated over and over and over, in mythology, in religion, in fables, in books, plays, television and movies. It is the great driving force in our storytelling, probably since men firs gathered around fires and told tales. And all over the world: Inuit, African, Japanese, Islander, European, it doesn’t matter, they all use the Hero’s Journey as the basis for the stories that reach the deepest into us.
While a template, it has incredible flexibility, can be both upbeat or tragic, with central characters from either sex or any economic status; indeed, a ‘fish out of water’ story is quite often a classic Hero’s Journey.
Some of you may think, “I don’t need a template! I’d just be copying everybody else!” Weeeelll… let’s put it this way. The template is so flexible that you can fit any kind of story to it and give it an edge. Conversely, if you try to avoid using it, you will end up with something that is either wildly experimental (no bad thing, mind you) or more than likely excruciatingly dull. And, truth be known, you probably use it anyway in whatever stories you currently write, the knowledge of its structure is deeply burned in. You, the writer, have to rise to the challenge of making it work for you, sing for you, of making it yours.
This is a rough version of the steps in a Hero’s Journey. There are numerous versions out there, in print and online. The primary source is The Hero With A Thousand Faces by Joseph Campbell, and for a writer, The Writer’s Journey by Christopher Vogler. How you fit it into your three-act script is entirely up to you. And I’m not going to compare it to this movie or that TV show, think of it as an exercise: figure out how your favourite story hits these marks. I will name one, for the simple reason that its writer explicitly says he was influenced by Campbell’s book, and that’s George Lucas, with Star Wars IV – VI.
The Departure
The Call to Adventure
The story begins in the Hero’s home place, but the Quest begins with the Hero receiving a Call To Action. We see what his ‘normal’ world is like, and more than likely he doesn’t quite fit into it. The Quest is usually announced by another character who acts as a Herald, who may be a friend of the Hero, or someone from ‘elsewhere’. Also, sometimes something threatens the home place, and the Hero has to find a way to correct the problem.
Refusal of the Call
Quite often the hero initially refuses the call to adventure; he’s uncertain he can do it, thinks it’s a fool’s errand, dfoesn't want to leave family and home, or doesn’t believe it. When this happens, something invariably goes wrong, like an evil descends on the community, or another character we’ll meet shortly, called the Threshold Guardian, tests the Hero in some way. Ultimately, the Hero chooses to go. sometimes willingly, sometimes with no other choice.
Supernatural Aid/Meeting the Mentor
Along the way, the Hero may be given access to something that will help him on the Quest. In older mythology, this was often a weapon, a shield, or a defense against the Forces of Darkness. At other times, instead of Aid, they may encounter a Mentor, usually a wise old man or a former Hero, who gives the Hero knowledge and psychological as well as physical weapons. Not enough to keep him completely out of trouble, but enough to get him through if correctly applied.
The Crossing of the First Threshold
This is it. The point of no return. The Hero eventually leaves his home place, to cross into the Underworld, the Land Beyond, the Big City, where he can find a new understanding of what he is really up against. And right here, at this gate, the Hero will face a Threshold Guardian. someone who will test them in this place far from home, to see what they’re really made of. Note that a Guardian can be against the Hero, or for them, and protecting them from a journey they aren’t ready for.
The Belly of the Whale
The story ramps up a notch, as the Hero goes further into the dark places Here he’ll meet allies, learn some of the rules of this new place, but it’ll be a little off-centre from the thrust of the story. It’s a gathering of resources, internal and external The name comes from the Biblical story of Jonah and the Whale, in which he had to endure his time in the belly of the beast as part of the trials ahead.
Initiation
The Road of Trials
The next phase begins with the Hero being repeatedly challenged with mental and physical obstacles They often come in threes, one to explain, one to lose, and the last to win. By overcoming them, the hero improves his skills and proves his worth.
Meeting the Goddess, Meeting the Temptress
The Hero can, of course, be of either gender, and at this point of the Journey will encounter a person (usually of the opposite sex or depending on gender preference) who will either guide them or lead them away from the True Path.
In Goddess mode, this person will be wise, beautiful (in one sense or another), and her gift to the Hero is to help them reconcile different aspects of themselves into one, to brace them for the Final Challenge, and send them on rejoicing, as ready as they’ll ever be.
In Temptress mode, she will be the one thing that can divert them off the Journey. They’ll feel they don’t need to carry on, they can achieve happiness at this point It is, of course, a lie, and the Hero must find a way from the snare to carry on.
Atonement with the Father
The hero may encounter a father-like figure of patriarchal authority, representing the status quo, who presents a seemingly impossible test "Father" and "son" are often pitted against each other for mastery of the universe. To understand the father, and ultimately himself, the hero must reconcile with this ultimate authority figure.
Apotheosis
To apotheosize is to deify (didn’t know that until I was researching this).
Approach the Inmost Cave
A shamanic territory is entered, on the border of life and death The stakes are upped, the audience is reminded the “clock is ticking” In some ways, the beginning of the climax.
The Supreme Ordeal
Ultimately, the Hero faces a demonised Shadow, a reflection of their own darker side, and fights a bitter battle against a mirror of himself. The Hero's Ego is disintegrated in a breakthrough expansion of consciousness. Quite frequently his idea of reality is changed, he may find himself able to do new things or able to see a larger point of view, allowing him to sacrifice self.
We have reached the central crisis, and it’s here the Hero makes the ‘ultimate sacrifice’ so they can be resurrected anew The Villain/Shadow may die as well, which should be extremely difficult, both of them evenly matched. With the Ordeal past, relief leads to the greatest elation. The death of the Shadow should switch the story focus to moral/spiritual issues. Or the Shadow may escape, to be encountered again at tale's end
The Reward
The Reward is the achievement of the goal of the quest. It is what the person went on the journey to get. All the previous steps serve to prepare the Hero for this moment. In many myths the Reward is something transcendent like the elixir of life itself, or a plant that supplies immortality, or the holy grail. But it can be a long sought love, a rare jewel, or a donut. Whatever.
Return
Refusal of the Return
Once the Reward is found the Hero may be tempted to stay, far from care and responsibility. But he has to realise that there is another world out there, the home place, that is waiting and hoping for his return. Willingly or not, he has to go back.
The Magic Flight
is made by the hero to return with the prize. Sometimes the Hero must escape with the boon, wresting it from the Shadow Forces. It can be a mad dash just as adventurous and dangerous as it was at the Quest’s beginning.
The Crossing of the Return Threshold
Before the Hero can return to the real world, he must confront another Threshold Guardian. The first threshold was a symbolic death; this is now a symbolic rebirth. The trick in returning is to retain the wisdom gained on the quest, to integrate that wisdom into a human life, and then maybe figure out how to share the wisdom with the rest of the world. In the real world, we have often greeted travellers with wonder, and even awe, when they return from points unknown, so it is natural; to incorporate that into our stories.
Master of Two Worlds
Once the final threshold is crossed, the hero is now free to move back and forth between the two worlds at will. He has mastered the conflicting forces of the mind, become comfortable and competent in both the inner and outer worlds.
Freedom to Live
Mastery leads to freedom from the fear of death, which in turn is the freedom to live. This is sometimes referred to as living in the moment, neither waiting for the future nor dwelling on the past. The Hero has found true freedom, and can turn their efforts to helping or teaching humanity.
Now, if that isn’t a Journey worthy of a Hero… I don’t know what is!
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