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Hero Journey

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Hero Journey
Joseph Campbell describes the 17 stages that occur during a hero’s journey, also known as Monomyth. The Odyssey by Homer is a story based on Ulysses and his journey, I will be describing the stages of Monomyth based on Campbell’s ideas. These stages will focus on Ulysses and his son Telemachus. According to Joseph Campbell, a hero’s journey normally entails three phases; the departure, the initiation, and the return. (Wikipedia) The first phase is the departure phase, which consists of three stages; the call to adventure, the refusal of the call, and supernatural aid. The call to adventure, is when the hero is in a “mundane situation of normality from which some information is received that acts as a call to head off into the unknown.” (Wikipedia) Ulysses call to adventure began when he accepted to lead his men and go to troy and fight against King Priam. This is considered an adventure because it was something different, it took him away to the unknown, and it tested his courage. This was also Ulysses’ first step into the start of his journey. The second stage is refusal of the call, this happens when the hero does not want to go on the journey. Ulysses was in Ithica with his wife and newborn son, when he got the call to go to Troy. Ulysses did not want to leave his son behind or wife but had no choice, this could be seen as him refusing to go to Troy.
The third stage is receiving supernatural aid, one of the examples of this stage is when Miverva appears to Telemachus and offers him help. The Goddess Miverna used a disguise and appears to Telemachus “as a visitor, Mentes, chief of the Taphians, and she held a bronze spear in her hand.” (Homer Book I) Miverva decides to appear to Telemachus and provide him with the courage to get rid of his mother’s suitors and to go on an adventure. Her advice to him is to set up a meeting with the Achaeon heroes to bid his case and get rid of the suitors after his mother. After that he is to take the best ship, with


Cited: Homer. The Odyssey. April 1999. Electronic Book. Wikipedia. 09 February 2014. 7 September 2014.
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