Archetypes
Archetypes are characters, images, patterns, or symbols that are part of the collective universal unconscious of mankind. They are original models of a person, a prototype upon which others are copied or patterned. Everybody recognizes an archetypal character, even if he or she is not aware of the archetype.
Archetypes are sometimes confused with stereotypes. Stereotypes are characters or personality types that are seen many times, especially an oversimplification of such a type. When critics call a character a stereotype, it is usually in a negative sense. But writers use stereotypes sometimes because of the need to downplay the minor or background characters and putting the emphasis on the main character(s). Archetypal characters are stronger and more durable than stereotypes.
The number of archetypes is limitless, but here are some that are common:
The Hero (Odysseus, Jason, Perseus, Harry Potter, Beowulf, the Three Musketeers, Tarzan, The Scarlet Pimpernel, Superman, Tom Joad, Atticus Finch, Zorro)
The Anti-Hero (Robin Hood, Batman,
The Innocent (Billy Budd, Tom Sawyer, Huck Finn, “the Innocent” in “The Outcasts of Poker Flat”)
The Child (Pi in The Life of Pi, David Copperfield, Oliver Twist)
The Rebellious Teen (Holden Caulfield in The Catcher in the Rye
The Obsessed or Maniacal (Captain Ahab in Moby Dick)
The Miser (Ebenezer Scrooge)
The Mother Figure (Ma Joad in The Grapes of Wrath, Mrs. Weasley,
The Femme Fatale (Hedda Gabler, Circe, Calypso)
The Star-Crossed Lovers (Romeo and Juliet, Pyramus and Thisbe)
The Mentor
The Wise Old Man or Sage (Professor Dumbledore, Gandalf, Uncle Remus)
The Wise Old Woman
The Evil King (Richard III, The Prince, Claudius in Hamlet, Macbeth)
The Magician (Prospero in The Tempest, Gandalf, Merlin
The Creator Who Falls in Love with His Own Creation (Pygmalion, Henry Higgins)
The Whore with a Heart of Gold (Mother Shipley in “The Outcasts of Poker Flat”
The Trickster (Loki in Norse myths, the Weasley twins, Brer Rabbit, Pippi Longstocking)
The Doctor or Healer
The Scarecrow (“Feathertop” by Hawthorne, Dr. Syn, The Wizard of Oz)
The Poet or Writer
The Devil (Old Scratch in “The Devil and Tom Walker”, the devil in Faustus)
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