Preview

Monomyth In Star Wars

Better Essays
Open Document
Open Document
1188 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Monomyth In Star Wars
The once there was a galaxy far far away where one man had to learn about becoming a hero and finding himself through his journey. You may know of this story because there was a clue in the first sentence. Yes, this is the story of Luke Skywalker and his journey to become a Jedi knight. However, you may not realize that during the filming of Star Wars IV, the director worked very closely with Joseph Campbell. What is a mythologist doing on the set of one of the greatest science fiction of all time? Well Luke experiences what Campbell calls the Monomyth Cycle, during the movie. While Luke followed this path there were some relevant parts of the cycle that defined him the most. When he crosses the threshold into his 2nd world, Luke finds himself …show more content…
This is first seen when Sidious tells Vader to try to turn Luke to the dark side and be used as an asset to the empire and the Emperor’s power. Vader follows Luke throughout the movie to get in direct contact with him but he realizes that Luke will only face Vader if Luke’s friends are in danger. Vader goes to Cloud City and holds Luke’s friends captive until he receives word that his prey has finally come to him. Luke battles his way through the invaded city and to the chamber where he meets Vader. In the final battle with Darth Vader Luke is constantly asked to join the dark side and Vader finds himself trying not to kill him. During the battle Vader tells Luke that his place in the new world is with Vader and Emperor and that only Luke’s hatred can destroy Vader (Star Wars V). A Jedi must never hate or love because it is the path to the dark side (Star Wars III). Some archetypes appear in this part of the movie where Luke is clothed in white and is seen as the hero and Vader is seen as a shadow in all black and the temptress. After Luke gets his hand cut off, Vader tells Luke that if Luke joins him in the Empire he can complete his training and begin his reign. Vader further tells Luke that he can kill the Emperor and rule the universe alongside him as “father and son” (Star Wars

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Better Essays

    The primary characters in Shakespeare’s Othello and George Lucas’ Star Wars Episodes 1-3, show striking similarities. Mainly, Othello’s Iago and Star Wars’ Chancellor Palpatine use clever manipulation tactics and deceit to cause a protagonist to undergo major changes in their mindset and behavior. Both Iago and Palpatine are masters at theory of mind, the idea that there are levels of thought between characters that ultimately explain their decisions, and manipulate Othello and Anakin into committing terrible acts that they never once dreamed they could do. Over the course of a short amount of time, the true villains gain the trust of the hero and…

    • 1400 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    In the film, The Empire Strikes Back, Luke unconsciously follows in his father’s footsteps by being corrupted by anger and impatience in his training with Yoda, his encounter with his own soul in the cave on Dagobah, and in his showdown with Darth Vader in the carbon freezing chamber in Cloud City. First, Luke subconsciously follows in his father’s footsteps when he exhibits anger and impatience in his training with Yoda. After the battle of Hoth, Luke travels to Dagobah with his trusty droid companion, R2-D2, and the two crash land on Dagobah in search of the infamous Jedi Master, Yoda. Luke sets up a camp right outside the crashed X-wing Starfighter, and as he prepares his camp, a strange creature appears and the two converse. Luke tells…

    • 1042 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    In order to understand what it means to be a true rebel you must look at Lucas Jackson aka Cool Hand luke. The night that Lucas Jackson was arrested he was drinking out on the street at midnight , why, because he felt like it. So then he starts unscrewing parking meter heads but he doesn’t take the money out of them , why, because he felt like it. In order to be a true rebel you must do what you feel like doing whenever you want to because you can. The next thing is that you must not care for the consequences that come as a result from your actions. When Lucas Jackson and Dragline fight Lucas just takes a beating without a care in the world he just keeps getting back up like Jesus rising from the dead. Also When Lucas’s mother dies he is thrown into the box because the captain…

    • 447 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Every day Like is faced with robbers and British that want him dead, but he always stays optimistic when he has no reason to. Luke…

    • 813 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    He watched Ben get killed and he almost died if Han did not come back and save him during the final battle. Han and Ben can be considered as his guardians, who gave him assistance.I think that Dart Vader is the most famous character in the Star Wars universe. Darth Vader is the epitome of evil and Luke is the complete opposite of his father. He was an innocent child then became a great Jedi Knight and turned into the dark side. Han Solo is a funny character, but deep down he is serious and has a kind nature. Lea is a beautiful and strong leader of the resistance and just happens to be Luke's sister which would make her Dart Vader's daughter as well. All these different characteristics, personalities and story development are the main reasons we are drawn. In a way, the Star Wars saga can be relate in our life. For example, A police has a duty to protect, serve, defend the citizens and enforce the law. These are Jedi Knight principles. When a police becomes corrupt due to greed, power, politics or whatever motivations, then we could say that he turns to the dark side.Force is another symbol for courage. There were times when I doubted myself that am capable of doing a task because of lack of experience and self confidence, however I was able to harness the courage to overcome my fears. In the end, I was able to accomplish the task and told myself "I knew I could do it!". I have awakened the force within to face the…

    • 474 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    He represents the final stage of reintegration by advising readers to reach out to individuals who are in distress, as he regrets not doing so to the young man. The hero in this story did not complete his quest because he did not help the young man that forced him to begin his journey; the hero apologizes to the young man from within his story for what he did not do. “… I was wrong, dreadfully wrong, not to step forward in his time of need… I’m sorry” The hero has successfully gone through the monomyth stages and has come out of his journey with his newfound gift; however, his quest is left…

    • 742 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    After years of study Joseph Campbell found that all heros travel the same path in their lives. Mr. Campbell named this famous theory the hero's journey. The hero’s journey states that the hero's must first endure several obstacles and if the hero passes all the obstacles he/she will be rewarded. This treacherous journey is repeated over and over again. This theory not only relates to us but it relates to everyone for instance myself. In fact my life’s journey as a football player and a grandson is much like the Joseph Campbell’s hero journey because I had left my ordinary world, met my mentor, and earned my reward.…

    • 378 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    In the article “ The force in ‘Star Wars’ is stupid and immoral” written by Ben Shapiro He states that “The vision of the force in the star wars galaxy is morality free its feelings centered wich another way of saying “selfish” who cares about your feelings?” I think the point of the force is that the light side is about using it to help others, and the dark side is about using it for yourself.…

    • 264 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    What makes a true hero? Joseph Campbell created the cycle of the “hero’s journey” and many popular books and movies today fit the requirements of this cycle closely. The video states that this cycle is like a clock, starting and ending with status quo, however, the ending status quo is changed from the beginning as a result of the hero’s actions (What Makes A Hero?). Following the cycle of the “hero’s journey”, Creighton Brown can rightly be named as a true hero as he is taken to an unfamiliar land, receives guidance from an older, wiser mentor, and throughout the story undergoes changes and develops into a new person.…

    • 744 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    It is a task of the modern novelist to create human beings who embark on a journey of discovery and whom we accept as living creatures filled with complexities. The life of every character starts at birth and ends in death. However fundamental these two events seem in a person's life, there is much more that occurs between the two. Every character takes a journey through life or is called to take one. This journey can be viewed as Joseph Campbell's Theory of the Quest.…

    • 1935 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    Star Wars Movie Analysis

    • 1093 Words
    • 5 Pages

    In a galaxy far, far away, a man named George Lucas has been directing a movie of his called American Graffiti, while filming the movie, he gets a great idea, a movie, a space western to be exact. It’s a beautiful idea and he starts working on it right after American Graffiti. He starts to write this amazing movie of his. He calls it, “The Star Wars: Into the Adventures Of Luke Starkiller” he writes 4 drafts of the…

    • 1093 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    Monomyth

    • 2633 Words
    • 11 Pages

    Mythology is the study of myth. A myth can be defined as a traditional tale or story, which is spoken or written down which are passed down by generation. These stories help recall events that have happened in past and create lessons cultures live by. These tales also contain hidden significance, which help cultures understand life lessons and explain the unknown and teach them through the stories. Finally myths create a connection between the past and present by establishing a basic pattern everyone can relate to. This pattern was discovered by Joseph Campbell and is called monomyth. Campbell proposes that, “all myths are essentially hero-quest stories, each of which rings a unique change on a universal pattern…” Campbell analyzed a number of myths and discovered that every hero travels through the same journey. These journeys consists of three main steps the departure, initiation, and the return which breakdown into 17 stages. These stages have been used in both ancient and modern day stories. After watching The Matrix it is clear to see that Joseph Campbell’s 17 stages of monomyth was used in making this film.…

    • 2633 Words
    • 11 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    The Hero’s Journey is an important concept, it is the template upon which a vast majority of successful stories and Hollywood blockbuster are based upon. Being able to analyze, understand and deconstruct the different capacities undertaken by the Hero is essential. The Hero’s Journey is a cycle made of super structures/steps which consists of both linkages and connections. It is composed of a beginning and an end, which ultimately are the same. This full cycle is attained through periods of loss and gain (hardship) which in turn are subdivided into different sections, composed of micro mini stages which together act as stepping stones leading the hero full circle back to the beginning.…

    • 1758 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Archetypal Quest

    • 1649 Words
    • 7 Pages

    The archetypal quest, also known as the hero’s journey is effective in revealing which ways a person’s values, ideas and ambitions can be explored and changed throughout society. The hero’s journey is a genre that is prominently seen through nearly every sort of text, written or visual, usually representing an internal or physical struggle to gain a sense of personal character, personal identity or achieving a goal that one has claimed to be unachievable. On occasions the composer of a narrative, film or story will alter the hero’s journey to challenge or perceive a variation to ones society. Mathew Vaughn’s film ‘Stardust’ and Homers epic ‘The Odyssey’ represent all aspects of the hero’s journey, including the original quest narrative of facing and overcoming multiple obstacles to obtain the reward in the end, whether the reward reflects a growth in self, realisation or a rare possession. In both texts, the characters Tristan from ‘Stardust’ and Telemachus from ‘The Odyssey’ undertake a hero’s journey which sees their transitioning from being a boy to becoming a man, and it is proven that the society which the hero lives, dictates the representation of the hero.…

    • 1649 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    The final Phase of a hero’s journey is the return. This begins when the hero takes a “magic flight”. In Luke’s case, an army of people furious with Darth…

    • 571 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays