THE HERO'S JOURNEYJOSEPH CAMPBELL’S MONOMYTH

JOSEPH CAMPBELL AND THE HERO’S JOURNEY ***YOU DON’T HAVE TO WRITE THIS SLIDE

• Campbell was an American mythological researcher and wrote The Hero With a Thousand Faces (among other books). He discovered many common patterns within stories and myths form around the world, and his research led him to his theory of the hero’s journey – the idea that in every story, each hero follows a similar pattern of events. He called this discovery the “monomyth.”

• The hero’s journey is a cycle, so once the hero completes a full rotation of the journey, he/she can start all over again (this is often seen in book or movie series).

THE ORDINARY WORLD

• This is the hero’s home. The hero is often uneasy or uncomfortable in his/her place in society and doesn’t feel like he/she fits in. The hero is cast in a sympathetic light and there’s some kind of polarity in the hero’s life pulling in different directions and causing stress.

THE CALL TO ADVENTURE

• Something shakes up the situation, either from external pressures or from an internal drive to change. This is the beginning of change.

REFUSAL OF THE CALL

• The hero is afraid and uncertain. He/she may try to refuse the call to adventure. Alternatively, another character may express concern.

MEETING WITH THE MENTOR / SUPERNATURAL AID

• The hero is introduced to a seasoned traveler of the worlds, someone who has experience and gives the hero training, equipment or advice. Alternatively, the hero can find a source of courage or wisdom within.

CROSSING THE THRESHOLD

• The hero commits fully to the adventure and leaves the known world –the unknown world is full of challenges and has different rules or values.

TESTS, ALLIES, AND ENEMIES

• The hero is tested in many different ways (these all prepare him/her for The Ordeal later on).

• The hero figures out his/her allegiances within the unknown world.

THE APPROACH

• The hero and his/her allies prepare for The Ordeal (the main challenge).

THE ORDEAL

• The hero confronts death or faces his/her greatest fear. Out of the moment of death comes new life. This is the main challenge within the unknown world.

THE REWARD

• The hero is rewarded for completing The Ordeal. This could be a physical reward or just a newfound sense of belonging.

THE ROAD BACK

• Just because The Ordeal is over, does not mean the hero is done. He/she must leave the unknown world. Often a chase scene will signal the urgency and danger of the mission.

THE RESURRECTION • The hero is severely tested once

more on the threshold of the known world. He/she is purified by a last sacrifice, another moment of death and rebirth, but on a higher and more complete level. By the hero’s action, the polarities that were in conflict at the beginning are finally resolved. The hero may come to a new conclusion about his/her place in the world.

RETURN WITH THE ELIXIR

• The hero returns home (or continues the journey), bearing the reward with him/her that has the power to transform the world -just as the hero was transformed.