The Hero’s
Journey is a pattern of narrative identified by the
American scholar Joseph Campbell that appears in drama,
storytelling, myth, religious ritual, and psychological
development. It describes the typical adventure of the
archetype known as The Hero, the person who goes out and
achieves great deeds on behalf of the group, tribe, or
civilization.
Its stages are:
1.
THE ORDINARY WORLD. The hero,
uneasy, uncomfortable or unaware, is introduced
sympathetically so the audience can identify with the
situation or dilemma. The hero is shown against a
background of environment, heredity, and personal
history. Some kind of polarity in the hero’s life is
pulling in different directions and causing stress.
2.
THE CALL TO ADVENTURE.
Something shakes up the situation, either from external
pressures or from something rising up from deep within,
so the hero must face the beginnings of change.
3.
REFUSAL OF THE CALL. The hero
feels the fear of the unknown and tries to turn away
from the adventure, however briefly. Alternately,
another character may express the uncertainty and danger
ahead.
4.
MEETING WITH THE MENTOR. The
hero comes across a seasoned traveler of the worlds who
gives him or her training, equipment, or advice that
will help on the journey. Or the hero reaches within to
a source of courage and wisdom.
5.
CROSSING THE THRESHOLD. At
the end of Act One, the hero commits to leaving the
Ordinary World and entering a new region or condition
with unfamiliar rules and values.
6.
TESTS, ALLIES AND ENEMIES.
The hero is tested and sorts out allegiances in the
Special World.
7.
APPROACH. The hero and
newfound allies prepare for the major challenge in the
Special world.
8.
THE ORDEAL. Near the middle
of the story, the hero enters a central space in the
Special World and confronts death or faces his or her
greatest fear. Out of the moment of death comes a new
life.
9.
THE REWARD. The hero takes
possession of the treasure won by facing death. There
may be celebration, but there is also danger of losing
the treasure again.
10.
THE ROAD BACK. About
three-fourths of the way through the story, the hero is
driven to complete the adventure, leaving the Special
World to be sure the treasure is brought home. Often a
chase scene signals the urgency and danger of the
mission.
11.
THE RESURRECTION. At the
climax, the hero is severely tested once more on the
threshold of home. He or 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.
12.
RETURN WITH THE
ELIXIR. The hero returns home or continues the journey,
bearing some element of the treasure that has the power
to transform the world as the hero has been transformed.
