The archetype of the hero in Hollywood movies

Website design By BotEap.comAn orphaned boy was raised by his adoptive parents. One day, a tragic incident killed the kind couple who had cared for him. The grieving young man embarked on a journey to fight evil. He then he was trained by a special teacher who taught him spiritual values. The young man was ready to face the evil overlord, only to discover that his enemy was none other than his own biological father. Sounds familiar? Of course.

Website design By BotEap.comFinding patterns in Hollywood movies isn’t hard. Like myths, tales, and folklore, movies often repeat the same basic plot over and over again. The basic pattern of the character’s story, personality, or behavior has psychological explanations.

Website design By BotEap.comCarl Gustav Jung (1875 – 1961) advanced the concept of psychological archetypes. The archetype is an original model of a person, an ideal example or a prototype upon which others are copied, modeled or emulated. The archetype served as a symbol that everyone can recognize. Some archetypes appeared often in the stories, such as the archetype of the child, the hero, the great mother, the wise old man, the trickster, the devil, the scarecrow, and the mentor. The archetype as a model of a person, personality or behavior is easy to detect in Hollywood movies. For example, The Hero Archetype.

Website design By BotEap.comThe character explained at the beginning of the article is Luke Skywalker who appeared in star wars trilogyand possessed traits that can identify him as the archetype of the Hero.

Website design By BotEap.comIn his book, The hero with a thousand faces, Joseph Campbell (1904 – 1987) identified an archetypal plot within ancient myths that told the same recurring story about the hero as its main theme. These characters usually follow these patterns:

Website design By BotEap.com– Born with unusual circumstances. The Hero is often born into royalty, or in times of danger.

Website design By BotEap.com– At one point in the Hero’s life, he leaves his family or land, and lives with other people.

Website design By BotEap.com– The Hero is involved in an event that leads to an adventure or quest. The event is often traumatic.

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Website design By BotEap.com– The Hero must prove himself many times during this adventure or quest.

Website design By BotEap.com– The Hero experiences atonement with the father.

Website design By BotEap.com– When the Hero dies, he is spiritually rewarded.

Website design By BotEap.comWe like to identify ourselves as the hero character in a movie, so finding an example of this archetype in Hollywood movies is relatively easy. Of course, the character does not always have to meet all of the criteria mentioned above to be classified as the hero archetype. Many examples of the hero archetype, of course, can be found primarily in superhero movies. Superhero movies are currently flooding the big screen, symbolizing hope and the return of ideals to society. A superhero is seen as a character who will do things right, and the audience always loves him.

Website design By BotEap.comExamples of the hero archetype in superhero movies are Superman, Spider-Man, Batman, and Iron Man. In other movies, there is Aragorn (The Lord of the Rings Trilogy), Indiana Jones, John Connor (terminator), and Harry Potter. These characters had proven to be a true hero through their dedication to enduring pain and sadness for the good of many and for themselves.

Website design By BotEap.comAlthough The Hero archetype is not limited to superhero and action movies, most of the samples we could find are mostly from both genres. Perhaps, because it is easier to act like a hero in a circumstance that demands a lot of action and dynamics.

Website design By BotEap.comThe archetype is a part of our collective consciousness. By experiencing the story as the archetype of the hero, we see ourselves fighting against evil and bringing peace to society. Although the recurring patterns may bore the audience, the character of the hero still plays an important role. He forges positive values ​​in the audience and reminds them that good things are still worth fighting for. Maybe not by slaying the evil overlord or slaying dragons, but there are many ways to be a hero. And we can all be one.