Christopher Vogler’s The Writer’s Journey is an extension of the ideas expressed in Joseph Campbell’sbook, The Hero With a Thousand Faces. In the book Campbell discusses the archetypal myth of the hero and expresses that all stories are based on an archetype, and this archetype applies to most stories told.
Vogler outlines the 12 stages of the hero’s journey:
1. Ordinary World
2. Call to Adventure
3. Refusal of the Call
4. Meeting with the Mentor
5. Crossing the First Threshold
6. Tests, Allies, Enemies
7. Approach to the Inmost Cave
8. Ordeal
9. Reward (Seizing the Sword)
10. The Road Back
11. Resurrection
12. Return with the Elixir
(14)
The story begins with the hero found in their usual surroundings to create “a vivid contrast with the
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The inmost cave is where the villain resides, or where the character realizes that he or she is in love. During the approach to the inmost cave, the hero makes all of the preparations for entering the inmost cave. This is where the stakes are raised, and the hero ventures into the point of no return. This moment is the crossing the second threshold. The hero then reaches the ordeal in the deepest chamber of the inmost cave. This time of crisis, is the “black moment” (21) for the audience where the tension builds, and the audience is held in suspense as the hero is held in a harrowing moment where the audience doesn’t know if he or she will survive. Vogler differentiates between the crisis and the climax; writing that the climax is the height if the tension, while the climax is the crowning event of the whole …show more content…
They are then symbolically (sometimes literally) reborn. The hero returns changed.
The hero then faces the consequences of the ordeal by claiming the reward. It may be knowledge or an item that will help the hero during the climax. This is where the hero experiences self realization or epiphanies. Then the hero ventures on the road back. On the road back, they are often pursued by the villain. During this part of the journey, the story may shift and be fueled by a new development. It is also a time for the hero’s rededication to the task, retaliation, chase scenes, and further escapes from the villain.
Next, is the resurrection stage. The hero may face a second life and death moment in imitation or continuation of the ordeal. The hero is tested once more to ensure he or she has learned their lesson from the ordeal. The hero may need to make a sacrifice, incorporate what he or she has learned or gained and they are transformed before they can return home.
Finally, the hero returns with the “Elixir” (25). The elixir is the treasure (knowledge, item, benefit) from the special world whether it is physical or immaterial that will fix the ordinary world or was the purpose for the
Vogler, Christopher. The Writer’s Journey: Mythic Structure for Writers. 3rd Ed. Studio City: Michael Wiese Productions, 2007.
Tens of thousands of stories fit into the hero’s journey archetype created by Christopher Volger. Out of these, a large number of them are stories with remakes that share notable resemblances to their heroes’ journeys. However, none of these quite match those very strong similarities found between Homer’s The Odyssey and Joel Coens ’s O
Vogler, Christopher. The Writer’s Journey: Mythic Structure for Writers. 2nd ed. Studio City: Michael Weise Productions, 1998.
The mold of the heroic template is evident throughout various types of media. Within movies, novels, and poems the hero’s journey is present. Of course, not every piece of literature or movie follows the cycle. However, the idea of the monomyth arose from Joseph Campbell. He wrote his own book, The Hero of a Thousand Faces, within his writing he describes that heroes’ follow the same basic procedure throughout their quest(s). This is where the idea of the hero monomyth arose. In Michael Lewis’s novel, The Blind Side, he portrays “The heroic monomyth.” The Blind Side consists of the basic characters and archetypes that accurately reflect the heroic template.
The human need to be relatable is unquenchable. We love to be able to see parts of ourselves in others, and to be able to feel like our idols are not untouchable. The Hero’s Journey format is one that can be found in almost any story, even in real life. Overall, it is the perfect recipe for keeping readers engrossed. Another place the journey has shown up is in Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand and Odyssey by Homer. These two stories—one a biography, the other, an epic poem—are so effective in their storytelling, it is easy to see how authors today continue to use the same method to make stories that grab the readers’ attention. What makes them most alike, however, is the emotions and thoughts they have the power to provoke.
The hero’s journey is a useful tool in analyzing narratives of all kinds, from myths to movies to everyday life. One of the most iconic stages in the Hero’s Journey is the ordeal, otherwise known as the belly of the whale or the cave, in which the protagonist has reached their darkest and most hopeless point – things cannot get worse. Once the hero gets through the main ordeal, their journey home is much more sedated. This can be paralleled to the encompassing plot structure, in which there is a climax, and then the intensity of the story winds down again. This stage is one of the most universal in the hero’s journey, because without conflict and climax, there is no drive or reward within the story. Popular movies such as The Hunger Games,
Departure, is when the main character is leaving their ordinary world behind because they have received the call to adventure by the herald. Once they have enter the first threshold, their life begins to change. They come face to face with the threshold guardian, who is trying to prevent the potential hero from moving forward into their journey. However, with the amulet provided by the mentor, the hero is able to defeat the threshold guardian and continue on seeking knowledge. During the initiation, the hero goes through trials, allies and enemies. As well as, receiving enlightenment along the way. The hero slowly realizes their old world was a trapped for them because their have not fulfilled their needs and wants. One of the most prominent stages of the hero’s journey is the Belly of the Whale. When entered into the Belly of the Whale, the hero is reborn into a new person. After their resurrection, the hero encounters one last battle with death before returning to the ordinary world with the elixir. The elixir, or the boon, is a reward the hero receives once they completed their journey. Often, the hero’s thoughts were the boon being a physical object such as buried treasure or finding love from another. However, they receive a spiritual token or lesson to be shared with others because it is important to bring knowledge to others around you in order to not be lost. If the ones
In every culture, there are stories that get past down from generation to generation (Campbell 1). Tales of knights who slay dragons and princesses who kissed frogs are a part of every culture. All over the world, stories share comment characteristic. Joseph Campbell introduces a theory based on this idea called the monomyth, the idea that stories all share the same narrative pattern, in the book The Hero with a Thousand Faces. Overall, this theory shows the same narrative pattern in stories throughout the world, which symbolically reveals all humans must tackle difficulties and overcome them many times throughout life (5). Specifically, Campbell’s hero’s journey is comprised of six steps, which, collectively
Throughout the years, certain writers were able to set off a deep sympathetic resonance within readers by their usage of archetypal patterns. One of those patterns is known as the hero's journey, which Joseph Campbell gave an understandable idea of in his book The Hero with a Thousand Faces. According to his book, while comparing world's mythology, he found that no matter how far cultures are from each other, they will still have the same structure of hero's journey in their legends (Voytilla vii).
The first major step is a call to adventure. In this step, there’s something in the hero’s life that requires them to do something or go somewhere and take some type of action. Second, the hero must enter the unknown. This step sends the hero into a new world, entering something unfamiliar to the hero. By entering unfamiliar territory, whether it’s a place, an event never experiences, there are challenges and temptations the hero must face. With every new world comes new challenges. Dealing with new people or being alone.
The embarkation of the hero’s journey is more than a call, it is taking control of your life and discovering the hero who dwells inside you. Each hero who enters the journey is tested to the very end of the cycle, where the hero must choose rebirth or death. Othello is man of many fortunes, but he does not have what it takes to complete the Hero’s Journey.
Joseph Campbell defines a hero as “someone who has given his or her life to something bigger than oneself ” (Moyers 1). The Hero’s Journey consists of three major parts: the separation, the initiation and the return. Throughout a character’s journey, they must complete a physical or spiritual deed. A physical deed involves performing a daunting and courageous act that preserves the well-being of another person. A spiritual deed calls for action that improves another individual’s state of mind. While fulfilling their journey, a hero must undergo a psychological change that involves experiencing a transformation from immaturity into independence and sophistication.Campbell states that these events are what ultimately guides a hero into completing
Joseph Campbell splits the idea of the hero’s journey into three stages: departure/separation, Initiation, and the return. Not all heroes’ journeys are the same, for example, some do not have a return or the hero might be thrown right into the initiation (Campbell's 'Hero's Journey' Monomyth). Richard’s case of a hero’s journey is different from the normal journey because he is thrown into the situation with zero idea of what is going on and he has to help Door find out about her parents’ death and return himself to the normal life, facing many challenges along the way. There are many events in this novel similar to Joseph Campbell’s sequence of actions often found in stories. Richard has to go through the call to adventure, which is part of the departure, where he figures out about the quest he is on. “You can’t go back to your old home or your old job or your old life… None of those things exist. Up there, you don’t exist” (Gaiman, 127). This quote from Marquis de Carabas expresses when Richard crosses the first threshold which is the point in which he realizes that there is no turning back, this is when he realizes he is part of the underworld and non-existent in the normal world. He receives supernatural aid, which is part of the departure, from several people along the way, including Door, Marquis de Carabas, Hunter, Anasthesia, and Old Bailey. Another action of the departure
Myths have been a great example of the hero’s journey. Many heroes have journeys and trials to face throughout their life. Most of their journeys start out with their origin and end with the return. However, the hero’s role remains identical to every other hero. Most heroes like Gilgamesh has heroic traits because of the stages in the hero's journey. Gilgamesh is a man who can turn into a hero by changing himself, even when he has unusual circumstances surrounding his birth. Gilgamesh is viewed as a hero due to the stages of the hero's journey.
Joseph Campbell was a well known mythology teacher who spent his whole life trying to understand the different types of stories that are told. To Campbell “all humans are involved in a struggle to accomplish the adventure of the hero in their own lives.” He made a list of stages that every hero goes through, and sums it up to three sections: separation (the departure), the initiation, and the return.