© 2007 Christopher Vogler
First Printing October 1998
Published by Michael Wiese Productions
Studio City, CA
'mystic structures for writers' 3rd edition
quotes:
'films drew people in this special way because they reflected the universally
satisfying patterns Campbell found in myths.They had something people needed.' p. xviii
'Campbell had described how heroes often encounter these
"unfamiliar yet strangely intimate forces, some of which severely threaten" them' p. xxx
'Jung suggested that these archetypes reflect different aspects of the human mind — that our
personalities divide themselves into these characters to play out the drama of our
lives. He noticed a strong correspondence between his patients' dream figures and
the common archetypes of mythology. He suggested that both were coming from a
deeper source, in the collective unconscious of the human race. ' p. 4
'The repeating characters of world myth such as the young hero, the wise old
man or woman, the shapeshifter, and the shadowy antagonist are the same as the figures who appear repeatedly in our dreams and fantasies.That's why myths and most
stories constructed on the mythological model have the ring of psychological truth.' p.4
'Such stories are accurate models of the workings of the human mind, true
maps of the psyche. They are psychologically valid and emotionally realistic even
when they portray fantastic, impossible, or unreal events.' p.4
But there are as many stories that take the hero on an inward journey, one of
the mind, the heart, the spirit. In any good story the hero grows and changes, mak
ing a journey from one way of being to the next: from despair to hope, weakness to
strength, folly to wisdom, love to hate, and back again. It's these emotional journeys
that hook an audience and make a story worth watching.
p.7
The stages of the Hero's Journey can be traced in all kinds of stories, not just
those that feature "heroic" physical action and adventure. The protagonist of every
story is the hero of a journey, even if the path leads only into his own mind or into
the realm of relationships.
1. Heroes are introduced in the ORDINARY WORLD, where
2. they receive the CALL TO ADVENTURE.
3.They are RELUCTANT at first or REFUSE THE CALL, but 4. are encouraged by a MENTOR to
5. CROSS THE FIRST THRESHOLD and enter the Special World, where
6. they encounter TESTS, ALLIES, AND ENEMIES.
7.They APPROACH THE INMOST CAVE, crossing a second
threshold
8. where they endure the ORDEAL.
9.They take possession of their REWARD and
10. are pursued on THE ROAD BACK to the Ordinary World.
11. They cross the third threshold, experience a RESURRECTION,
and are transformed by the experience.
12.TheyRETURN WITHTHE ELIXIR,aboonortreasure to
benefit the Ordinary World.
p.19
he values of the Hero's Journey are what's important. The images of the basic version — young heroes seeking magic swords from old wizards, maidens risking death to save loved ones, knights riding off to fight evil dragons in deep caves, and so on — are just symbols of universal life experiences. p.19
Changing the traditional sex and relative ages of the archetypes only makes it more interesting, and allows ever more complex webs of understanding to be spun among them. The basic figures can be combined, or each can be divided into several characters to show different aspects of the same idea. p.g 20.
2. they receive the CALL TO ADVENTURE.
3.They are RELUCTANT at first or REFUSE THE CALL, but 4. are encouraged by a MENTOR to
5. CROSS THE FIRST THRESHOLD and enter the Special World, where
6. they encounter TESTS, ALLIES, AND ENEMIES.
7.They APPROACH THE INMOST CAVE, crossing a second
threshold
8. where they endure the ORDEAL.
9.They take possession of their REWARD and
10. are pursued on THE ROAD BACK to the Ordinary World.
11. They cross the third threshold, experience a RESURRECTION,
and are transformed by the experience.
12.TheyRETURN WITHTHE ELIXIR,aboonortreasure to
benefit the Ordinary World.
p.19
he values of the Hero's Journey are what's important. The images of the basic version — young heroes seeking magic swords from old wizards, maidens risking death to save loved ones, knights riding off to fight evil dragons in deep caves, and so on — are just symbols of universal life experiences. p.19
Changing the traditional sex and relative ages of the archetypes only makes it more interesting, and allows ever more complex webs of understanding to be spun among them. The basic figures can be combined, or each can be divided into several characters to show different aspects of the same idea. p.g 20.
A Hero is someone who is
willing to sacrifice his own needs on behalf of others,
like a shepherd who will sacrifice to protect and serve his
flock. At the root the idea of Hero is connected with self-sacrifice. (Note that I use the word Hero to describe a central character or protagonist of either sex.) p.29
flock. At the root the idea of Hero is connected with self-sacrifice. (Note that I use the word Hero to describe a central character or protagonist of either sex.) p.29
'The Hero archetype represents the ego's search for identity and wholeness. '
'Heroes have qualities that we all can identify with and recognize in ourselves.
They are propelled by universal drives that we can all understand: the desire to be
loved and understood, to succeed, survive, be free, get revenge, right wrongs, or seek
self-expression.'
Heroes should have universal qualities, emotions, and motivations that
everyone has experienced at one time or another: revenge, anger, lust, competition,
territoriality, patriotism, idealism, cynicism, or despair. But Heroes must also be
unique human beings, rather than stereotypical creatures or tin gods without flaws HERO
or unpredictability. p.30
We want stories about real people. A real character, like a real person, is not just a single trait but a unique combination of many qualities and drives, some of them conflicting. And the more conflicting, the better. A character torn by warring allegiances to love and duty is inherently interesting to an audience. A character who has a unique combination of contradictory impulses, such as trust and suspicion or hope and despair, seems more realistic and human than one who displays only one character trait.
We want stories about real people. A real character, like a real person, is not just a single trait but a unique combination of many qualities and drives, some of them conflicting. And the more conflicting, the better. A character torn by warring allegiances to love and duty is inherently interesting to an audience. A character who has a unique combination of contradictory impulses, such as trust and suspicion or hope and despair, seems more realistic and human than one who displays only one character trait.
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