When we think of archetypal characters, the Parent probably isn’t the first to come to mind. Despite the fact that becoming and being a parent is one of the most obvious initiations within even our modern lives, we don’t often think of the Parent with the same enthusiasm as we do the Hero. And yet […]
May 31, 2021 by 22 Comments CharactersArchetypal Character Arcs, Pt. 17: The Flat Archetype of the Lover
As Doris Day used to say, “Everybody loves a lover.” While that might not be universally true, what is true is that the Lover archetype is one inherent and even integral within the human life cycle. Although it is a deeply nuanced archetype that evolves with us for most of our lives—and shows up in […]
May 24, 2021 by 41 Comments CharactersArchetypal Character Arcs, Pt. 16: The Flat Archetype of the Child
In many ways, the Child is hardly a Flat or unchanging archetype at all. Even though we often perceive and remember childhood as a chapter in which everything remained the same (until suddenly it didn’t), the years before puberty are, of course, some of the most rapidly transformational of any part of our lives. I […]
May 17, 2021 by 32 Comments CharactersArchetypal Character Arcs, Pt. 15: Introduction to the 6 Flat Archetypes
In studying character arcs, writers easily recognize Positive-Change Arcs and Negative-Change Arcs. But somewhat more baffling can be the stories that appear to feature neither. These are stories in which the protagonist does not change or seems to have no character arc at all. How do these stories fit into the discussion of archetypal character […]
May 10, 2021 by 28 Comments CharactersArchetypal Character Arcs, Pt. 14: The Mage’s Shadow Archetypes
Structurally speaking, it is always the end of a story—its Climactic Moment—that tells us what it is about. The Climactic Moment ends the external plot by telling us who “wins.” But it also, implicitly, ends the protagonist’s arc by showing us whether the character succeeded in arcing positively and helping others to do the same, […]
May 3, 2021 by 43 Comments CharactersArchetypal Character Arcs, Pt. 13: The Crone’s Shadow Archetypes
The final two archetypal character arcs within the life cycle signal a distinct departure from the realm of the known. After sacrificing herself for the Kingdom at the end of the King Arc, the seemingly diminished Crone, leaves behind the “real” world of Kingdom and throne and enters instead the spooky forests and liminal hinterlands […]
April 26, 2021 by 35 Comments CharactersArchetypal Character Arcs, Pt. 12: The King’s Shadow Archetypes
Throughout the progression of the six archetypal character arcs that make up the human life cycle, we see a steady progression of the character’s power. As we explored in the positive King Arc, this final mid-life arc represents the height of temporal power. The King is someone who wields a vast amount of influence not […]
April 19, 2021 by 55 Comments CharactersArchetypal Character Arcs, Pt. 11: The Queen’s Shadow Archetypes
A character who makes it through the Hero Arc is a character who has graduated into a brave new world—the Second Act of the life cycle of archetypal character arcs. This section of life, which deals with questions of relationship and power, begins with the first of the “mature” arcs—that of the Queen. But like […]
April 12, 2021 by 46 Comments CharactersArchetypal Character Arcs, Pt. 10: The Hero’s Shadow Archetypes
Here in the 21st Century, we often have a confused relationship with the Hero archetype. On the one hand, he is everywhere and we love him and resonate with him. On the other hand, his sheer omnipresence has inevitably highlighted his negative counter-archetypes in almost equal force. This is because wherever we find a would-be […]
April 5, 2021 by 42 Comments CharactersArchetypal Character Arcs, Pt. 9: The Maiden’s Shadow Archetypes
In so many ways, we view life as a story. Within the lifelong journey of this story, the first challenge is that of becoming an autonomous individual—an independent and responsible adult. However obvious that may be, the journey itself cannot be taken for granted. Indeed, although we may all grow up chronologically, the struggle to […]
