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| Thor (2011) |
There are many ways to structure your stories but one of the most common is The Hero’s Journey. Joseph Campbell identified this monomyth in his seminal book The Hero With A Thousand Faces, and it was later taken up by Christopher Vogler in The Writer’s Journey.
These great myths from all over the world are really about
growing up. The stages the Hero journeys through bring him face to face with
his unconscious, forcing a reaction, forcing growth. In summary, the idea is to
slay the dragon of your instinct to remain unconscious, to stay a child, and
emerge into a Sacred Marriage of opposites, reborn as a whole person.
Vogler divides The Hero’s Journey into twelve stages grouped
into three acts:
Act 1 is the separation or departure from the hero’s
ordinary world: something happens which requires a response and the hero must
do something – he must change.
Act 2 details the trials and victories on the hero’s path of
initiation, and shows exactly what the hero does in response to the challenge.
Act 3 is the return and reintegration with society and shows
the consequences of the actions taken, whether successful or not.
It’s important to remember this is just a template. In
truly great stories we are rarely aware of the structure as we watch a film or
read a novel. Not all stories will need every stage and they don’t even have to
happen in this order. With that caveat, here is the whole journey.
In Act 1 we meet the Hero in their ORDINARY WORLD
The Hero receives a CALL TO ADVENTURE
Reluctant to change, the Hero REFUSES THE CALL
But after MEETING THE MENTOR, changes their mind
The Hero rises to the challenge and CROSSES THE FIRST THRESHOLD
In Act 2 the Hero encounters TESTS in this Special World,
making ALLIES AND ENEMIES
The Hero APPROACHES THE INMOST CAVE where
They experience the SUPREME ORDEAL
Leading to a REWARD where they Seize the Sword
In Act 3 the Hero is pursued on THE ROAD BACK to the
Ordinary World
The Hero crosses the threshold and experiences another
death followed by a RESURRECTION
Transformed, the Hero RETURNS WITH THE ELIXIR to share
his Boon/Treasure with the Ordinary World
This series looks at each stage of the
journey using examples from the 2011 film Thor. Follow the links above or just start with part 1 and take it from there...
