Transcript To Recap the Hero ` s Journey

Stages of the
HERO’S
JOURNEY
THE HERO’S JOURNEY
All hero stories are, in some way, about a journey.
The hero leaves his/ her comfortable, ordinary
surroundings to venture into a challenging,
unfamiliar world, both outward and inward. The
journey does not have to be a physical journey
but could be a spiritual, emotional, or mental
journey of the mind, heart and spirit.
The Stages of the Hero’s Journey
ACT 1
Ordinary World
Call To Adventure
Refusal Of The Call
Meeting With The Mentor
Crossing the First Threshold
ACT 2
(Crisis)
6. Tests, Allies, Enemies
7. Approach To The Inmost Cave
8. Supreme Ordeal
9. Reward
ACT 3
(Climax)
10. The Road Back
11. Resurrection
12. Return With The Elixir
1. THE ORDINARY WORLD
•
•
•
In this world, the hero is
‘getting by’, living on survival
skills but something has to
change
The Ordinary World allows us
to get to know the Hero and
identify with him before the
Journey begins.
The Ordinary World gives us
the opportunity to identify with
the Hero’s drives, urges, and
problems, while showing
unique characteristics and
flaws that make him threedimensional.
1. THE ORDINARY WORLD
•
•
The Hero’s Inner and Outer
Problems may be established,
although these can change
depending upon the demands
of the Journey.
Every story involves a problem
or Central Dramatic Question
that disrupts the Ordinary
World. The hero must enter
the Special World to solve the
problem, answer the dramatic
question, and return balance.
2. THE CALL TO THE ADVENTURE
•
The hero is presented with a problem,
challenge or adventure to undertake
•
Once the ‘call’ is presented, the hero
can no longer remain indefinitely in the
comfort of the Ordinary World
•
Call to Adventure must be accepted by
the hero or the normal balance of the
(narrative) universe will be tilted, the
crime/ mystery/ enigma left unsolved.
In revenge plots, the wrong must be set
right
•
The Call to Adventure makes the hero’s
goals clear, to win the treasure or the
lover, to get revenge or right a wrong,
to achieve a dream, confront a
challenge, or change a life
•
The hero must leave his/her ordinary
world temporarily to survive, grow,
develop, learn and return
3. THE REFUSAL OF THE CALL
(THE RELUCTANT HERO)
•
Fear - Some heroes hesitate at the
threshold of adventure
•
He/ She is facing the greatest of all fears the terrors of the unknown
•
At this stage, the hero is not sure - he/ she
may still want to turn back
•
However, the hero is pushed past the
‘turning point of fear’ when:
i) Some other influence or a change in
circumstances occurs
ii) a further offence is made against the
natural order of things
iii) the hero is encouraged into the world
of adventure by the Mentor
•
At this stage, the evil of the shadow, and
its effect, becomes personal for the hero
4. MEETING THE MENTOR
(WISE OLD MAN OR WOMAN)
•
The relationship between the hero and
the mentor is very significant and
symbolic. It stands for the bond
between parent and child, teacher and
student, doctor and patient, God and
Man/Woman
•
The Mentor may be an old wizard
(Excaliber, Star Wars), an old boxing
coach (Rocky) or a good fairy (Wizard
of Oz). He or She is an expert in the
arts, knowledge and ways necessary for
the hero to continue and survive in the
world of adventure
•
The Mentor’s function is to prepare the
hero to face the unknown
•
The Mentor can only go so far with the
hero. Eventually, the hero must face the
unknown alone
5. CROSSING THE FIRST THRESHOLD
•
The hero commits to the adventure and
enters the special world of the story for
the first time
•
The Hero agrees to the consequences of
dealing with the problem or challenge
posed by the Call to Adventure. From
here, the story takes off…
•
Movies have 3 Acts:
i) The hero’s decision to act
ii) The action itself
iii) The consequences of the action
•
The first threshold marks the turning
point between the first and the second
acts
•
The hero must overcome his/her fear
and decide to confront the problem and
take action. There is no turning back
once the hero crosses the first threshold
6. TESTS, ALLIES AND ENEMIES
•
The hero encounters tests and makes
various allies and enemies. S/he
begins to learn the rules of the new
world
•
The hero’s moral character, manhood
and determination may be tested,
friends and foes are introduced, vital
information obtained - about the new
special world and how to deal with it
•
Strengths and weaknesses of the hero
are revealed under these testing
conditions. Several aspects of the
hero’s character, -e.g., aggressiveness
and hostility, knowledge of streetfighting, and various other skills are
revealed in these scenes
•
The hero discovers various
companions and learns about the
qualities of other characters
7. APPROACH TO THE INMOST CAVE
•
Hero comes to the edge of a
dangerous place (sometimes
deep underground) where the
object of the quest is hidden.
Often it’s the headquarters of
the hero’s greatest enemy, the
most dangerous spot in the
special world, the Inmost Cave
•
When the hero enters this
place, he will cross the second
major threshold. Heroes often
pause at the gate to prepare,
plan, (for entering the inmost
cave and confronting death or
supreme danger) and outwit
the villain’s guard
8. SUPREME ORDEAL
•
At this stage, the hero comes into
direct confrontation with his greatest
fear. He faces the possibility of death
and is brought to the brink in a battle
with a hostile force
•
The supreme ordeal is when the
audience of the film/ story/ myth are
held in suspense and tension, unsure
whether the hero will live or die
•
This is a critical moment - the hero
must die or appear to die so s/he can
be born again. It’s a major source of
the magic of the heroic myth. The
experiences of the preceding stages
have led the audience to identify with
the hero, his/her fate - what happens
to the hero happens to us
9. REWARD
•
After surviving death, hero (and
audience) celebrate victory. The
hero takes possession of the
treasure or reward she has come
seeking. It must be a special
weapon like a magic sword, or a
token like the Grail or some elixir
which can heal the wounded land
•
Sometimes the “sword” or reward
is knowledge, wisdom and
experience that leads to greater
understanding and a reconciliation
with hostile forces
10. THE ROAD BACK
•
The hero is not out of the woods yet!
This is Act III
•
The Hero deals with the consequences
of confronting the dark forces of the
Supreme Ordeal. If they have not
reconciled with the parent, the gods, the
hostile forces, they may come raging
after him/her
•
Typically, this is where a chase scene
may occur in a film, as the hero is
pursued on the Road Back by the
vengeful forces he/she has disturbed by
seizing the sword, the elixir or the
treasure
•
This stage marks the decision to return
to the Ordinary World. The hero realises
that the Special World must be left
behind and there are still dangers,
temptations and tests to be met ahead
11. RESURRECTION
In ancient times, hunters and
warriors had to be purified before
they returned to their
communities, because they had
blood on their hands. The hero
who has been to the realm of the
dead must be reborn and cleansed
in one last ordeal of death and
Resurrection before returning to
the Ordinary World of living
•
This is often a Second life-anddeath moment, almost a replay of
the death and rebirth of the
Supreme Ordeal. The villain or
his/her agents or death/ darkness
get one last desperate shot before
finally being defeated
•
This is like a final exam for the
hero who must be tested once
more to see if he has really learned
the lessons of the Supreme Ordeal
12. RETURN WITH THE ELIXIR
The hero returns to the
Ordinary World, but the
journey is meaningless unless
s/he brings back some elixir,
treasure or lesson from the
Special World of
adventure/journey/quest
•
The Elixir is a magic potion
with the power to heal. It may
be a great treasure like the
Grail that magically heals the
wounded land or it simply
might be knowledge or
experience that could be useful
to the community someday
To Recap the
Hero’s Journey…
1.
The Ordinary World In the first stages of the story
line the hero leaves the familiar ordinary world to
enter into a new world. In Star Wars Luke
7.
Skywalker is seen on the farm, bored to death,
before he starts his adventure.
2.
The Call to Adventure The hero is given a problem
or a challenge and once this happens he/she can
no longer stay in the ordinary world. This occurs in
and his friends are "sucked into the Death Star".
8.
Star Wars with the holographic message from
Princess Leia.
3.
Refusal of the Call At this point the hero becomes
afraid and refuses the call. Some other influence is
needed for the hero to take up the challenge. In
Star Wars Luke refuses the challenge and returns
to the farm, only to find that his uncle and aunt
have been murdered. Thus, he cannot return to
the ordinary world.
4.
5.
6.
Meeting the Mentor Many stories introduce a
Merlin like character whose function is to prepare
the hero to face the challenge. The mentor is Obi
Wan Kenobi in Star Wars who gives Luke his
father's special sword.
Crossing the First Threshold The hero commits to
the challenge and this is where the adventure
really begins.
Tests, Allies and Enemies The hero then has to
learn the rules of this new world. He/she is tested
makes new friends and enemies. A bar scene is
often used to illustrate this. Such was the case in
Star Wars, in the cantina, with Luke meeting up
with ally Hans Solo and making enemies with
Jabba the Hutt
Approach to the Inmost Cave The hero now approaches
a fearful place which is often underground and
representative of a cave. Here is the second threshold.
It often occurs in the enemy's territory, and there is
great danger. This happens in Star Wars when Luke
The Supreme Ordeal The hero then has to face the
greatest challenge and confrontation. She/he is brought
to the brink of death in a battle with malevolent forces.
This occurs when Luke, Leia and friends are trapped in
the trashmasher.
9.
Reward Having survived the challenge, the hero now
receives what has been sought, or the reward. It could
be a special sword, elixir that can heal the land or
greater knowledge and understanding. In Star Wars,
Luke rescues the Princess and gets the plans to Death
Star which is crucial in defeating Darth Vader.
10.
The Road Back At this point the hero has to try and get
back home. However, hostile forces often pursue
him/her. Thus, Darth Vader pursues Luke and Leia as
they escape from the Death Star.
11.
Resurrection The hero now has to be reborn before
he/she can return to the ordinary world. This occurs in
a second life and death situation where the hero almost
dies again. In Star Wars there is a final battle scene
where Luke is almost killed. This last ordeal transforms
the hero into a new person.
12.
Return with the Elixir Unless something is brought back
the hero has to repeat the challenge. The elixir may be
a magic potion that can heal, it could be treasure to be
used by the community or it could be love, freedom or
new knowledge. Sometimes it's just having a "good
story to tell"