Character Archetypes

In this lesson on writing narratives, students explore character archetypes – categories of characters that get reused and adapted across many stories.

Archetypes include:

• Hero: a character who begins in a lowly status, but achieves greatness through a journey
• Rogue: a sidekick who isn’t afraid to break the rules. Supports the hero physically.
• Mentor: an older character who guides the hero. Disappears so that the hero must solve the story’s problem.
• Jester: a comical sidekick who supports the hero emotionally.
• Antagonist: the villain, who should have some relationship with the hero or mentor

This lesson opens with an inductive exploration, moves into an interactive discussion, and then encourages students to build their own characters.

Resources

• Character Creator Worksheet
• Archetypes in Star Wars
• Joseph Campbell’s archetypes