ARCHETYPES

Definition:An archetype refers to an image,

story-pattern, or character type that recurs frequently and evokes

strong, often unconscious, associations in the reader.

The term comes from psychologist Karl Jung’s idea of recurring patterns of situations, characters, or symbols

existing universally and instinctively in the collective unconscious of man.

Jung believed the basic foundation of the collective unconscious is the

archetype, a universal theme/symbol/situation that runs constant in the minds of mankind.

The archetype is an unconscious pattern that has developed throughout the ages. The archetype influences the way people

think, as they repeatedly use the same ideas as previous generations, only in different surroundings and different

situations.

Example: THE LION KING• The Hero: Simba• The Mentor: Rafiki• Loyal Retainers: Timone and Pumba, Zazoo• Devil Figure: Scar and the hyenas• The Quest: a journey to restore fertility to a

wasteland• Archetypal settings: wastelands, wilderness• Symbols: fire and rain, the lion• Archetypal Colors: green (envy), red (fire,

passion)

MORE EXAMPLES:Using the chart, fill the boxes for each of the

following archetypes:1.Male archetypes (good)

2.Female Archetypes (good)3.Evil Characters(male or female)

4.Community Characters