Archetypes In Society

Taylor Cox
English 102
Kelly Romirowsky
21 April 2013
Societal Impact on Character Formation Since the introduction of writing, characters all seem to fall into archetypical structures that the author then expands on. Over the last few centuries, archetypes have evolved and are beginning to depart from what they once were. Society has discovered new ideological beliefs that have in effect changed the elemental design of characters. From Homer’s The Odyssey in the early 8th century B.C., to the documentary Remember the Titans in the 21st century, the perception of The Tragic Hero has changed to match cultural beliefs. One of the earliest renditions of The Tragic Hero can be traced all the way back to the 8th century B.C. in Homer’s
Much like Odysseus, Shakespeare created Hamlet to be someone of great influence in his kingdom. However from there, the archetype began to change to reflect culture. In the early 8th century B.C. with Homer’s The Odyssey, the majority of the Greek’s writing related to a supernatural force predestining a character to success or failure. However thousands of years later in Shakespearian writing, there is hardly ever mention of any supernatural forces or Gods playing a role in character development. Don Maker who is a literature religious art analyst explains why this has occurred. He states “In Greek mythology, there are hundreds of Gods who are all seen to play an important role in everyday life. However following religious movements up into the late first and early second century, people began to move to a more monotheistic view of the world in which there is one God who gives free will.” In Hamlet, Shakespeare seems to have departed from the view of many God’s controlling destiny and fate, to the own character solely contributing to their own downfall through a tragic flaw. Up until around this area in time, people always viewed the supernatural as being controlling and manipulating in everyday life. With the newly emerging idea of free will, people began to start taking ownership of their actions, rather than blaming it on some force that they had
Hillary Swayne, an English Professor at Pepperdine University, explains that up until this point in time, The Tragic Hero always came from noble stature. Somebody of great importance, who falls short of their projected glory. Usually a God, a King, or someone of other significance in that time period. However Trumbo’s war novel directly countered that. In the book, Johnny is low ranking military personal who becomes a vegetable on a hospital bed, stuck with only his own thoughts. He had lived a modest life, no important back story, and no ties to royalty. Instead of falling short in life much as Odysseus or Hamlet have, Johnny is a Tragic Hero because of what he hasn’t yet done. At 18 years old he is considered a medical vegetable and can only do what his mind permits. Never experiencing true love, having kids, or raising a family are all things that he has to face in his seduced mental state. Whereas Hamlet was a noble prince who fell short in his life, Johnny fell before he was even given a shot to experience anything worthy of giving him the title of a