Archetypes Part 1

This is from a handout my AP Lit teacher gave us. Even though it's for literary works, I think it can also apply to novels and stuff, especially fantasy.

So what is an archetype? It's 'a basic model from which copies are made'. It's not a cliche. A cliche is basically just an overused image or phrase.

Character Archetypes:
Hero: Main character of mysterious and usually noble birth. Leaves his/her community to bring something honorable back to it. Encounters physical and emotional obstacles and change.
Ex: Harry Potter

Mother figure: If she's a surrogate or birth mother, she takes care of and provides guidance to children. If it's a step-mother, she provides obstacles to the child.
Ex: Fairy Godmother

Mentor/Great Teacher: Protects, advises, and helps main character to succeed on their own.
Ex: Dumbledore

The Innocent: child or young adult with little experience in the world. Naive.
Ex: Little Red Riding Hood

The Underdog: Unlikely victor
Ex: Hercules before he becomes all strong and mighty

Double/Doppelganger: A character who physically resembles the protagonist, but has the opposite personality and psychological characteristics.
Ex: an evil twin

Helping Animals: Nature helps out a main character in animal form. Often appears in dreams.
Ex: Snow White and Cinderella

Sacrificial Redeemer: A character with a strong sense of morality who dies willingly for their beliefs.
Ex: Harry Potter (sort of)

Scapegoat: A character who dies unwillingly for others' beliefs.
Ex: people in Harry Potter who get killed by Death Eaters/Voldemort (sort of)

Enchantress/Temptress: A woman (if the hero is male) who uses magic and/or sex to distract him from his quest or goal
Ex: Circe

Giant: represents and old and magical connection to the strength and power of the earth.

Villain: opposes the hero
Ex: Voldemort

Trickster: A male that tries to deceive or distract the hero.
Ex: Malfoy

Outcast: A member of society that is shunned. Often becomes a sacrificial or Christ-figure

Star-Crossed lovers: Lovers that will ultimately meet tragic ends due to fate.
Ex: Romeo and Juliet

There are several Heroic, Setting, and Plot archetypes that I'll cover in later sections because this is getting long.
Thanks for reading! What archetypes do your characters fit in?

-Carly

Wow, I've found that some of my characters a bunch of archetypes at once!

e.g. James Harding; Mentor, as he sets the MC straight, Star-Crossed Lover, a bit in that his romance with the MC's sister will ultimately fail.
Or Becky Easton; Giant, as she is basically inherently magic, Helping Animal, in that she uses her animal bits to help out, Outcast, in that she is shunned by school life, a bit of the Underdog, in that she has to beat her older, stronger brother who is not schizophrenic.
Cool!

Is it bad to have characters in archetypes? Even if several at once?

I would say no because it's kind of hard to avoid. Every story needs some kind of hero and villain. Archetypes aren't cliches. It's just the overall mold your character fits in. You still have to develop them and make them unique and everything otherwise they will be cliche or a mary sue.

Another way to put it is, archetypes are the starting points. Take the Mentor. I have seen a court drunk turn out as a mentor (Myles from Song of the Lioness by Tamora Pierce), a quiet, very big, very strong guy become a mentor (Raoule from Protector of the Small, also by Pierce), a very witty and sarcastic guy become a mentor (Neal, Protector of the Small again), as well as plenty of "wise old men" like Dumbledore. The archetypes are simply the rolls characters take, and these rolls can help plan out the story and (some of) the character's personality. But, from the range of examples above, you can see they are just starting points.

One book that talks about archetypes wonderfully is 45 Master Characters by VIctoria Lynn Schmidt. Very good book on starting points for characters' personalities.

Great article Carly!

~Rosey