harry potter and the hero's journey

Harry Potter…

And the 17 Stages of the Monomyth (Hero’s Journey)

Learning Goals

• Understanding the relevance and pattern of the Hero’s Journey in all heroic literature.

• Taking a closer look at the Hero’s Journey to better understand the adventure of Harry Potter

Vocabulary

• Monomyth-a basic pattern that its proponents argue is found in many narratives from around the world [1]

• Hero-a man of distinguished courage or ability, admired for 

his brave deeds and noble qualities. [2]

• Heroine- a woman of distinguished courage or ability, admired for her brave deeds and noble qualities

• Journey- Travelling from one place to another

• Literature- Books and writings published about a particular topic

Character Review• Harry Potter• Hagrid• Dumbledore• Hermione • Ron• Snape• Draco Malfoy• McGonagall • Dursely’s • Professor Quarell

Character Review• Professor Snape• Voldemort• Hagrid• Hermione • Ron• Snape• Draco Malfoy• ProfessorMcGonagall • Dursely’s • Professor Quarell

Character Review• Woods• Neivelle• Voldemort• Ron• Snape• Draco Malfoy• McGonagall • Dursely’s• Professor Quarell

Character Archetype

• Harry Potter (Hero): Harry Potter is the hero of this story.

• Alvis Dumbledore (Mentor): Dumbledore is one of the few Mentors that Harry Potter receives supernatural aid from.

Character Archetype• Serveus Snape

(Shapeshifter): Is what is known as a shapeshifter in Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone. Snape is an ally to Harry Potter but Harry Potter is unaware of where Snape’s intentions are.

• Ron Weasly (Ally): Every hero has at least one Ally, Harry has two. Heromine and Ron are alongside Harry for most of the adventure.

Character Archetype• Draco Malfoy • (The Trickster): Draco

Malfoy is the boy that creates small inconveniences for Harry Potter without actually being the true villain.

• Lord Voldemort (Shadow): Voldemort is the true villain of the Harry Potter adventures, even though he is rarely shown, his character is responsible for many of the difficulties which the hero must overcome.

Self Study Tool

• Following this slide are the different stages with brief descriptions with what happens in the stage.

• To help yourself to better understand and get a better idea of Harry Potter and The 17 Stages of the Monolith are connected, you can record your thoughts of which parts of the story represent the different stages of the Hero’s Journey.

Review of the 17 Stages1. Call to Adventure2. Refusal of the Call3. Supernatural Aid4. Crossing The First

Threshold5. Belly of the Whale6. Road of Trials7. Meeting with the

Goddess8. Temptation

9. Atonement with the Father

10.Apostasis11.Crossing the Return

Threshold12.Rescue From Without13.Magic Flight14.Refusal of Return15.The Ultimate Boon16.Master of Two Worlds 17.Freedom to Live

Call to Adventure

• This should be the part of a story in which the Hero is called to begin their journey.

Refusal of Call

• The Hero will usually deny or say they are not the hero that they are at first.

Supernatural Aid

• The hero receives some assistance through abnormal means

Crossing the First Threshold

• The hero makes their first crossing (sometimes through personal growth; and sometimes through physical words). Their life has began changing from the normal life it was, to something different.

Belly of the Whale

• The hero enters this stage and makes the final transformation from who they were into the person they need to be.

Road of Trials

• The hero will undergo a series of tests, these tests will prove the willingness and abilities of the hero. The hero will often times fail a couple of these tests.

Meeting with the Godess

• The hero receives encouragement through someone or something that allows them to feel like they are loved.

Temptation

• The hero is faced with something or by someone who tries to make the hero stray from their path.

Atonement with The Father

• Whatever holds the most power in the life of the hero will confront the hero. The hero must find away around or through thee confrontation.

Apostasies

• Some heroes will die, some heroes will lose a part of themselves. Once they have lost something (personality traits) or died, they are brought back to life or made stronger in this stage.

The Ultimate Boon

• The Hero achieves their goal in this stage. All other stages before were preparation to this stage.

Refusal of Return

• After succeeding, the hero may not want to return home.

Magic Flight

• Sometimes the Hero will need to escape as soon as possible to survive the journey. So with some sort of magic or supernatural assistance, they are brought away from the perilous situation.

Rescue from Without

• The Hero may sometimes need assistance. There may be someone who helps the hero get back to full health or integrates them back into the original land.

Crossing the Return Threshold

• The hero goes back home or returns to their original way of being. Sometimes they will share the knowledge or “boon” with their world to make it a better place.

Master of Two Worlds

• The hero has now found a balance between the inner and outer world (spiritual and material worlds).

Freedom to Live

• This journey has freed the hero from the fear of death. The relief that their life is not in any immediate danger anymore allows them the freedom to live and enjoy their remaining days.

References• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monomyth [1]• http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/hero [2]