> The Hero with a Thousand Faces (1949) is the seminal work of
> comparative mythologist Joseph Campbell. In this text Campbell
> discusses his theory of the journey of the archetypal hero found in
> world mythologies and religions.
>
> Campbell's insight was that important myths from around the world which
> have survived for thousands of years, all share a fundamental
> structure, which Campbell called the monomyth.
>
> This fundamental structure contains a number of stages, which include
> (1) a call to adventure, which the hero has to accept or decline, (2) a
> road of trials, regarding which the hero succeeds or fails, (3)
> achieving the goal or "boon," which often results in important
> self-knowledge, (4) a return to the ordinary world, again as to which
> the hero can succeed or fail, and finally, (5) application of the boon
> in which what the hero has gained can be used to improve the world.
>
> A hero ventures forth from the
> world of common day into a region
> of supernatural wonder: fabulous
> forces are there encountered and
> a decisive victory is won: the hero
> comes back from this mysterious
> adventure with the power to bestow
> boons on his fellow man.
> --Joseph Campbell
>
> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Hero_with_a_Thousand_Faces
>
> What About Mythic Structure?
>
> Ever since Star Wars writer-director George Lucas credited Joseph
> Campbell for the mythic structure of the film, we've had a plethora of
> books and articles about the value of this template. And it is valuable
> because it is all about elements lining up-which is what structure
> means.
>
> Mythic structure, sometimes called "The Hero's Journey" after the title
> of a book by Campbell, is an order of events. It comes in various
> forms, but usually follows a pattern similar to this:
>
> Readers are introduced
> to the hero's world.
>
> A "call to adventure" or a
> disturbance interrupts the
> hero's world.
>
> The hero may ignore the
> call or the disturbance.
>
> The hero "crosses the
> threshold" into a dark world.
>
> A mentor may appear to
> teach the hero.
>
> Various encounters occur
> with forces of darkness.
>
> The hero has a dark moment
> within himself that he must
> overcome in order to continue.
>
> A talisman aids in battle (e.g.,
> the shield of Athena for Perseus;
> the sword, Excalibur,
> for King Arthur).
>
> The final battle is
> fought.
>
> The hero returns to his
> own world.
>
> Why does this work? Because it perfectly corresponds to the three-act
> structure:
>
> ----------------------------
> ACT I
>
> [1] Readers are introduced to the hero's world.
>
> [2] A "call to adventure" or a disturbance interrupts the hero's world.
>
> [3] The hero may ignore the call or the disturbance.
>
> [4] The hero "crosses the threshold" into a dark world.
>
> ----------------------------
> ACT II
>
> [5] A mentor may appear to teach the hero.
>
> [6] Various encounters occur with forces of darkness.
>
> [7] The hero has a dark moment within himself that he
>
> must overcome. [8] A talisman aids in battle.
>
> ----------------------------
> ACT III
>
> [9] The final battle is fought.
>
> [10] The hero returns to his own world.
>
> Plot & Structure
> by James Scott Bell
> http://www.amazon.com/Plot-Structure-Techniques-Exercises-Crafting/dp/158297294X
>
> ################################
>
> The stages of the HERO are:
>
> 1) THE HERO IS INTRODUCED IN HIS ORDINARY WORLD.
>
> Most stories take place in a special world, a world that is new and
> alien to its hero. If you're going to tell a story about a fish out
> of his customary element, you first have to create a contrast by
> showing him in his mundane, ordinary world. In WITNESS you see both
> the Amish boy and the policeman in their ordinary worlds before they
> are thrust into alien worlds -- the farmboy into the city, and the
> city cop into the unfamiliar countryside. In STAR WARS you see Luke
> Skywalker bored to death as a farmboy before he takes on the
> universe.
>
> 2) THE CALL TO ADVENTURE.
>
> The hero is presented with a problem, challenge, or adventure.
> Maybe the land is dying, as in the Arthur stories about the search
> for the Holy Grail. In STAR WARS again, it's Princess Leia's
> holographic message to Obi Wan Kenobi, who asks Luke to join in the
> quest. In detective stories, it's the hero accepting a new case.
> In romantic comedies it could be the first sight of that special --
> but annoying someone the hero or heroine will be pursuing/sparring
> with the remainder of the story.
>
> 3) THE HERO IS RELUCTANT AT FIRST.
>
> Often at this point, the hero balks at the threshold of adventure.
> After all, he or she is facing the greatest of all fears -- fear of
> the unknown. At this point Luke refuses Obi Wan's call to adventure,
> and returns to his aunt and uncle's farmhouse, only to find they
> have been barbqued by the Emperor's stormtroopers. Suddenly Luke is
> no longer reluctant, and is eager to undertake the adventure. He is
> motivated.
>
> 4) THE HERO IS ENCOURAGED BY THE WISE OLD MAN OR WOMAN.
>
> By this time many stories will have introduced a Merlin-like
> character who is the hero's mentor. In JAWS it's the crusty Robert
> Shaw character who knows all about sharks; in the mythology of the
> Mary Tyler Moore Show, it's Lou Grant. The mentor gives advice and
> sometimes magical weapons. This is Obi Wan Kenobi giving Luke
> Skywalker his father's light sabre.
>
> The mentor can only go so far with the hero. Eventually the hero
> must face the unknown by himself. Sometimes the wise old man is
> required to give the hero a swift kick in the pants to get the
> adventure going.
>
> 5) THE HERO PASSES THE FIRST THRESHOLD.
>
> He fully enters the special world of his story for the first time.
> This is the moment at which the story takes off and the adventure
> gets going. The balloon goes up, the romance begins, the plane or
> spaceship blasts off, the wagon train gets rolling. Dorothy sets
> out on the Yellow Brick Road. The hero is now committed to his
> journey... and there's no turning back.
>
> 6) THE HERO ENCOUNTERS TESTS AND HELPERS.
>
> The hero is forced to make allies and enemies in the special world,
> and to pass certain tests and challenges that are part of his
> training. In STAR WARS, the cantina is the setting for the forging
> of an important alliance with Han Solo, and the start of an
> important enmity with Jabba The Hut. In CASABLANCA, Rick's Cafe is
> the setting for the "alliances and enmities" phase, and in many
> westersn it's the saloon where these relationships are established.
>
> The tests and challenges phase is represented in STAR WARS by the
> scene of Obi Wan teaching Luke about the Force, as Luke is made to
> learn by fighting blindfolded. The early laser battles with the
> Imperial Fighters are another test which Luke passes successfully.
>
> 7) THE HERO REACHES THE INNERMOST CAVE
>
> The hero comes at last to a dangerous place, often deep underground,
> where the object of his quest is hidden. In the Arthurian stories
> the Chapel Perilous is the dangerous chamber where the seeker finds
> the Grail. In many myths the hero has to descend into hell to
> retrieve a loved one, or into a cave to fight a dragon and gain a
> treasure. It's Theseus going into the Labyrinth to face the
> Minotaur. In STAR WARS it's Luke and company being sucked into the
> Death Star where they will rescue Princess Leia. Sometimes it's the
> hero entering the headquarters of his nemesis; and sometimes it's
> just the hero going into his or her own dream world to confront his
> or hers worst fears... and overcome them.
>
> 8) THE HERO ENDURES THE SUPREME ORDEAL.
>
> This is the moment at which the hero touches bottom. He faces the
> possibility of death, brought to the brink in a fight with a
> mythical beast. For us, the audience standing outside the cave
> waiting for the victor to emerge, it's a black moment. In STAR
> WARS, it's the harrowing moment in the bowels of the Death Star,
> where Luke, Leia and company are trapped in the giant trash-masher.
> Luke is pulled under by the tentacled monster that lives in the
> sewage, and is held down so long the audience begins to wonder if
> he's dead. E.T. momentarily appears to die on the operating table.
>
> This is a critical moment in any story, an ordeal in which the hero
> appears to die and is born again. It's a major source of the magic
> of the hero myth. What happens is that the audience has been led to
> identify with the hero. We are encouraged to experience the
> brink-of- -death feeling with the hero. We are temporarily
> depressed, and then we are revived by the hero's return from death.
>
> This is the magic of any well-designed amusement park thrill ride.
> Space Mountain or The Great White Knuckler make the passengers feel
> like they're going to die, and there's a great thrill that comes
> from surviving a moment like that. This is also the trick of rites
> of passage and rites of initiation into fraternities and secret
> societies. The initiate is forced to taste death and experience
> resurrection. You're never more alive than when you think you're
> going to die.
>
> 9) THE HERO SIEZES THE SWORD.
>
> Having survived death, beaten the dragon, slain the Minotaur, the
> hero now takes possession of the treasure he's come seeking.
> Sometimes it's a special weapon like a magic sword, or it may be a
> token like the Grail or some elixer which can heal the wounded land.
>
> Sometimes the "sword" is knowledge and experience that leads to
> greater understanding and a reconciliation with hostile forces.
>
> The hero may settle a conflict with his father or with his shadowy
> nemesis. In RETURN OF THE JEDI, Luke is reconciled with both, as he
> discovers that the dying Darth Vader is his father, and not such a
> bad guy after all.
>
> The hero may also be reconciled with a woman. Often she is the
> treasure he's come to win or rescue, and there is often a love scene
> or sacred marriage at this point. Women in these stories (or men if
> the hero is female) tend to be SHAPE-SHIFTERS. They appear to
> change in form or age, reflecting the confusing and constantly
> changing aspects of the opposite sex as seen from the hero's point
> of view. The hero's supreme ordeal may grant him a better
> understanding of women, leading to a reconciliation with the
> opposite sex.
>
> 10) THE ROAD BACK.
>
> The hero's not out of the woods yet. Some of the best chase scenes
> come at this point, as the hero is pursued by the vengeful forces
> from whom he has stolen the elixir or the treasure. This is the
> chase as Luke and friends escape from the Death Star, with Princess
> Leia and the plans that will bring down Darth Vader.
>
> If the hero has not yet managed to reconcile with his father or the
> gods, they may come raging after him at this point. This is the
> moonlight bicycle flight of Elliott and E.T. as they escape from
> "Keys" (Peter Coyote), a force representing governmental authority.
> By the end of the movie, Keys and Elliott have been reconciled, and
> it even looks like Keys will end up as Elliott's father. (The script
> not the final cut, guys).
>
> 11) RESURRECTION.
>
> The hero emerges from the special world, transformed by his
> experience. There is often a replay here of the mock
> death-and-rebirth of stage 8, as the hero once again faces death and
> survives. Each ordeal wins him new command over the Force. He is
> transformed into a new being by his experience.
>
> 12) RETURN WITH THE ELIXIR.
>
> The hero comes back to his ordinary world, but his adventure would
> be meaningless unless he brought back the elixir, treasure, or some
> lesson from the special world. Sometimes it's just knowledge or
> experience, but unless he comes back with the exlixir or some boon
> to mankind, he's doomed to repeat the adventure until he does. Many
> comedies use this ending, as a foolish character refuses to learn
> his lesson and embarks on the same folly that got him in trouble in
> the first place.
>
> Sometimes the boon is treasure won on the quest, or love, or just
> the knowledge that the special world exists and can be survived.
> Sometimes it's just coming home with a good story to tell.
>
> ----------------------------------------------------
>
> THE SHORT FORM OF THE HERO STORY:
>
> The hero is introduced in his ordinary world, where he receives the
> call to adventure. He is reluctant at first but is encouraged by
> the wise old man or woman to cross the first threshold, where he
> encounters tests and helpers. He reaches the innermost cave, where
> he endures the supreme ordeal. He seizes the sword or the treasure
> and is pursued on the road back to his world. He is resurrected and
> transformed by his experience. He returns to his ordinary world with
> a treasure, boon, or elixir to benefit his world.
>
> http://www.skepticfiles.org/atheist2/hero.htm