Character Archetypes and Their Functions
Psychiatrist Carl Jung believed that universal, mythic characters called Archetypes reside within the collective unconscious of people all over the world (no matter which culture or time period they were born into) and that these Archetypes represent the basic themes of our experience which result in deep emotional responses.
In other words, a character Archetype is a “commonly accepted image” of a character who personifies a universal pattern of human nature, behavior and experience because they represent the psychological issues that are universally present in all cultures.
Jung also believed that every culture can understand the same basic stories because we subconsciously all know what a “hero’s journey” is based on the mythological stories that we have inherited from the past generations of our own cultures.
So what does all this mean to you?
The use of archetypal characters in a script could help your movie gain universal acceptance because most audiences around the world can subconsciously identify with these characters and their situations within the context of their own cultural and social environments.
However, each archetypal character in your story needs to be believably written as a “real” person so that the audience can instantly identify with them as well as subconsciously understand the character’s universal dramatic story function.
Each character in a film (or at least the main characters) should have at least one archetypical function or role. It’s always helpful for actors to know which archetypes are in their character so they can get more personal insight into the character’s specific behaviors and motivations.
There are dozens of archetypes that make-up your personality which are universal in all human beings. Here are 10 common archetypal characters and their dramatic functions:
- Hero (warrior/soldier): The protagonist or main character of any story.
- Villain (outlaw/rebel): The antagonist or main opposition against the hero.
- Love Interest (lover/partner): Object of romantic attraction for the hero.
- Mentor (wise old man/expert): A trusted teacher of the hero.
- Confidante (sidekick/buddy): The trusted best friend of the hero.
- Ruler (boss/queen): An authority figure to the hero.
- Jester (fool/clown): Used for humor and comic relief.
- Magician (inventor/healer): A visionary person the hero knows or meets.
- Caregiver (parent/supporter): A compassionate person the hero meets.
- Creator (artist/musician): A creative visionary the hero meets.
Here are 10 more examples of Archetypal Characters:
The Detective/Sleuth (Sherlock Holmes)
The Devil Figure (Captain Hook – Peter Pan)
The Initiate (Daniel – The Karate Kid)
The Earth Mother (Fairy Godmother – Cinderella)
The Temptress (Delilah – Sampson and Delilah)
The Damsel in Distress (Halle Berry – Monsters Ball)
The Star Crossed Lovers (Romeo and Juliet)
The Creature of Nightmare (Sauron – Lord of the Rings)
The Regular Person (Jimmy Stewart – Mr. Smith Goes to Washington)
The Wanderer (Mel Gibson – Mad Max films)
Character Personality Traits (Internal and External)
Characterization is a method used by writers to develop a character and they create these characterization by choosing a variety of “personality traits” that make fictional characters seem life-like including the character’s personal appearance, actions and thoughts.
Character traits are the attitudes and behaviors that describe a person’s personality. Most personally traits can be discovered by observing how a person acts around you or how they act and respond in certain situations.
Everyone has character traits. Some character traits are Good (honest, happy, faithful, devoted, loving, patient) and some character traits are Bad (dishonest, rude, greedy, cruel, selfish, angry.)
A character’s personality traits can also be divided into Internal and External traits which help shape that character’s personality.
- Internal Character Traits describe a person’s feelings and they form the character by describing their inner motivations, fears and emotions. (Examples: hopeful, fearless, curious, cheerful, loving.)
- External Character Traits describe a person’s outside appearance and they reveal the character by describing their physical look, what they do for a living and where they live. (Examples: tall, thin, wealthy, well-dressed, Canadian.)
Because all real people have personality traits (therefore all dramatic characters must have personality traits) knowing what type of character you are dealing with is an important first step to understanding the inner world of the character – and the actor!
Take some time to analyze each character’s personality traits because they will give you a clear understanding of who your characters are, what their motivations are and also help you with the actor’s interpretation of the character!
NOTE: Make sure the Protagonist and Antagonist have mostly opposite character traits otherwise you will have two similar characters who create little or no conflict.
