Characteristics of an epic hero:

1
Characteristics of an epic hero

• The hero, generally male, is of noble birth or
  high position
• The heros character traits reflect important
  ideals of his society
• The hero performs courageous deeds that reflect
  the values of the times
• His actions determine the fate of many

2
The Odyssey Key Elements and Heros Journey

• The plot is complicated by supernatural beings
  or events.
• The actions of the hero often determine the fate
  of a nation or group of people
• The poem reflects values such as courage and
  honor.

3

• The hero takes a journey to foreign lands.
• 3 phases of the hero journey
• Separation a break away from local social
  order, the beginning of a quest.
• Initiation a long deep retreat inward with a
  series of chaotic encounters which provide new
  insight.
• Return reintegration into society, coming back
  as as a more evolved person.

4

• The general points of the cycle include
• a test (to test worthiness to complete said
  quest)
• a main antagonist, often supernatural
• a magical/unreal world, unable to be visited by a
  normal human, that the hero visits (e.g. the
  underworld or the world of the gods)
• a resurrection
• (either from being dead or from a dead-like
  state of mind, or a hero who was thought to be
  dead who was rediscovered)

5
Themes Conflict

• Look for the struggles of
• good against evil
• strength against weakness
• light against dark

6
Identify a hero or heroine from a film or story
and explain how their journey fits the three
phases be sure to give examples.
7
Mythological Analysis

• Archetypes comes from the Greek word archetypos,
  meaning first of its kind.
• They are universal images/concepts/ ideas that
  come from shared common experiences, which
  transcend time, place and culture.
• The value in using archetypal characters in
  fiction derives from the fact that we
  unconsciously already recognize the archetype,
  and thus the motivations, behind the character's
  behavior.

examples