good examples to help you understand archetypes
Good Examples to Help You Understand Archetypes
White resonates purity, divinity and peace, while black mourns in the dark. Three signifies The Holy Trinity, and three sixes indicates the advent of evil. Many such examples have been stereotyped into categories, and have been copied time and time again after making the original an archetype. This Buzzle article lists out various archetype examples for a better understanding of the concept.
Did You Know?
The word 'archetype' originated from the word arkhetupon or arkhetupos, meaning the first-molded.Archetypal Symbols
Colors
Black
Darkness, evil, mourning, etc. Grim Reaper. Villains are often dressed in black.
Blue
Tranquility, sky, water, heaven, innocence, honesty, etc. Blue skies.
Gold
Wealth, gold, etc. Jewelry. Gold chalice.
Gray
Mystery, life, poverty, etc. Gray cloud or mist - harbinger of evil.
Green
Vegetation, envy, spring, fertility, spring, etc. However, green also stands for jealousy - the term green with jealousy.
Red
Love, lust, passion, blood, fire, heat, etc. The apple is a symbol of temptation and a forbidden fruit - Eve eating the apple. A scarlet letter is a warning. The color also stands for love and lust. My love is a red red rose - Robert Burns's poem 'A Red Red Rose'. Red also symbolizes anger.
Silver
Tranquility, moon, wealth, etc. Silver cutlery.
White
Enlightenment, purity, innocence, calm, peace, etc. White figure - ghostly figure or spirit. If light - epiphany.
Three
Time - past, present, future. The Trinity - Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. Tridents in Greek mythology.
Four
Mankind. Four limbs, four directions, four seasons.
Six
Evil, devil, anti-Christ, etc. Omen.
Seven
Seven deadly sins. 7 days of the week. Creation of the world. Colors of the rainbow.
Thirteen
Unlucky or unholy number. 13th guest at the Last Supper was the traitor.
Crows/Ravens
Harbingers of death. The birds flock around- The Omen.
Snakes
Satan sends his pet snake to meet Eve in the garden of Eden - Paradise Lost. Bracy sees Geraldine as a snake in his dreams- Christabel by Coleridge. Snakes are also seen as a phallic symbol in literature, poetry, and mythology - Cleopatra was bitten by a snake on her breast.
Wolves
Big, bad wolf - Three Little Pigs, Little Red Riding Hood. Werewolves and wolves have been closely linked, hence, marking them as villains.
Archetypal Images
Banquets, Dinner Parties, Feasts, Dances
Commonly seen in Shakespearean literature - Macbeth. Dances in Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen. Mrs. Dalloway by Virginia Woolf.
Child Out of Wedlock
Illegitimate child, commonly seen in mythology related literature - King Lear by Shakespeare.
Elopement
Running away and getting married - Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare. Lydia and Wikham in Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen.
Suicide or Bloodshed
Shakespearean literature viz. Hamlet, Julius Caesar, Romeo and Juliet. Mrs. Dalloway by Virginia Woolf.
Love
Romeo and Juliet. Elizabeth and Darcy. Pocahontas and John Smith.
Phallic Symbols
Resembling the erect penis - triangles, trees, rockets, swords, towers were often used in literature to the masculinity of a certain character - Antony and Cleopatra by William Shakespeare.
Yonic Symbols
Resembling the vagina - upside down triangle, chalice, cups goblets, wells, cauldrons, etc., are often seen in poetry. The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown.
Archetypal Characters
Brave Hero
Protagonist - Othello. Romeo. Mr. Darcy in Pride and Prejudice. Harry Potter.
Damsel in Distress
Usually the protagonist's love interest - Juliet, Rapunzel, etc.
Docile Mother
Mrs. Copperfield - David Copperfield by Charles Dickens.
Motherly Figure or Fairy Godmother
Glinda in Wizard of Oz, and many other fairy tales.
Over-burdening Mother
Mrs. Bennet in Pride and Prejudice.
Evil Step-mother or Step-father
Lady Tremaine - Cinderella. Edward Murdstone - David Copperfield's evil step father.
Evil Mythical Creatures
Usually cursed or possessing supernatural power or a pet of Satan - Werewolves, vampires, snake in 'Paradise Lost'.
Fairies
Wizard of Oz. Cinderella. Mostly seen in fairy tales and poetry.
Fool
Jokers, jesters or clowns - Often seen in Shakespearean comedy and tragedy. Mr. Collins and Mrs Bennet from Pride and Prejudice.
Hen-pecked but Loving and Caring Father
Mostly fathers of daughters - Mr. Bennet- Pride and Prejudice.
Innocent
Desdemona in Othello.
Star-crossed Lovers
2 characters who are madly in love with each other - Romeo and Juliet, Elizabeth Bennet and Mr. Darcy, Heathcliff and Catherine, Vronsky and Anna, Gatsby and Daisy.
Sidekicks (good or bad)
Close friends of the protagonist - Dr. Watson from The adventures of Sherlock Holmes. Iago and Othello from Othello.
Temptress
Seductive woman with unbelievable bravery and courage - Bathsheba, Drusilla, Delilah are famous Biblical Temptresses.
Scapegoat
Unlikely victim whose death gives a twist to the story - Mercutio and Tybalt's death in Romeo and Juliet.
Oracle or Priest or Wise Prophet
Someone who predicts the future and as magical powers - Alchemist by Paulo Coelho. Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling. Alice in Wonderland. Madame Sosostris from The Wasteland by T.S. Eliot.
Orphan
Oliver Twist. Bambi. Snow White. Cinderella.
Underdog
Unlikely characters that surprise the reader by their acts of heroism and support - Ron Weasley. David from David and Goliath. Mr. Darcy from Pride and Prejudice.
Unfaithful Spouse
Lil's husband from The Wasteland by T.S. Eliot. Edward Rochester from Jane Eyre. Tom Buchanan from The Great Gatsby.
Womanizer
George Wickham in Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen.
Archetypal Themes/Situations
Rags to Riches
Poverty to wealth - Oliver Twist, David Copperfield by Charles Dickens, etc.
Tragedy
Greek mythologies, Shakespearean tragedies, etc.
Epiphanies
Sudden strike of realization or divine intervention - Hamlet in Shakespeare's Hamlet.
Denial and Acceptance
Elizabeth and Darcy's love for each other in Pride and Prejudice.
Quest
Search of something or someone - The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien. Alchemist by Paulo Cohelo.
Lament
Grief or sorrow - Adonais: An elegy on the death of John Keats by Shelly.
Deal with the Evil/Devil
Rosemary's Baby. Rumpelstiltskin. The Lord of the Rings: nine kings exchange their souls with Sauron. The Little Mermaid.
Tragedies
Homer's Iliad and Odyssey. William Shakespeare's Hamlet, Othello, Romeo and Juliet, King Lear, Macbeth, Antony and Cleopatra.
Great Sacrifice of Love or Life
Love and Life Lost in Romeo and Juliet, Othello.
Love Triangles
Romance involving three people - Twilight. The Hunger Games. Romeo, Juliet, and Paris in Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare. Elizabeth Bennet, Darcy, and Mr. Collins in Pride and Prejudice.
Misunderstandings
Lack of communication- Iago creates misunderstandings between Othello and Desdemona. Between Romeo and Juliet. Misunderstanding between husband and wife in Home Burial by Robert Frost.
Unrequited Love
One-sided love - Les Misérables and the Hunchback of Notre Dame by Victor Hugo. Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë. Persuasion and Emma by Jane Austen. The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald. Great Expectations by Charles Dickens. The Phantom of the Opera by Gaston Leroux.
Revenge or Vengeance
To Kill a Mocking Bird. Hamlet.
Sibling Rivalry
Biblical - Cain and Abel; Jacob and Esau; Joseph and all his brothers; The Prodigal Son. Literature - King Lear by Shakespeare; Bennet sisters in Pride and Prejudice.
Contrastive Symbolism
There may be one or more contrastive symbolism in a drama, literature, mythology, biblical tales or poems
Life, Birth, and Death
David Copperfield by Charles Dickens.
Beauty and Ugly
Beauty and the Beast. The Ugly Duckling.
Mortal and Immortal
Mythological stories or poetry - Tithonus by Alfred Tennyson.
Rich and the Poor
Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens.
Hero and Villain
Othello and Iago. Harry Potter and Lord Voldemort.
Revenge and Forgiveness
Othello kills his wife Desdemona, but she forgives him before she dies.
Love, Jealousy, Hatred
Othello and Iago in Othello.
Heaven and Hell
Milton's Paradise Lost. Marriage of Heaven and Hell by Blake.
Good and Evil, God and Devil
Milton' s Paradise Lost.
Innocent and Cunning
Innocent Desdemona and cunning Iago.
Natural and Supernatural
Christabel and Geraldine in Coleridge's Christabel.
Pride and Money
Pride and Prejudice.