NC: Character Archetypes

Archetypes in Film:

The Lord of the Rings: Fellow Ship of the Ring.

One of the most iconic movies to display typical character Archetypes. The Lord of the Rings, Directed by Peter Jackson has a range of different archetypes. The main characters being the Hobbits Frodo Baggins and his companion Samwise Gamgee, travel with a band of characters from all races to take the dreaded One Ring of power to destroy it. However the archetypes can be interpreted differently, it’s more of a personal preference.

The Hero, Aragon or ‘’Strider’’ is a hero because he rescues the hobbits from certain death when they first travel through Middle-Earth and becomes their traveling companion within the ‘’fellowship’’. He tributes his sword to Frodo and protects him as far as he can before they get split up from each other and we follow his personal story in the remaining two films. Frodo Baggins can also be seen as the hero as he is carrying the ring and enduring his burden. The Sidekick,  Sam being Frodo’s Gardener and friend is the sidekick of the story.

The Villain, this archetype can be assigned to selection of characters in this film. The Witch King Sauron or ‘’The Eye of Sauron’’ is the enemy of all the characters as he is trying to gain back his power ring and rule over Middle-Earth. The One Ring is actually a character by itself as it is the main focus of the franchise. However, the Ring can actually be seen as both a support and a Villain as it can aid in the use of making the bear invisible but also is too powerful in the wrong hands. It belongs to Sauron and that makes it the subject of Villainy as well as substance as a Character. Saruman the White, reveals his evil intentions towards the end of this film also, changing his archetype from support to Villain.

The Father Figure, these father figures help the companions through their journey, guiding them and giving them wisdom. The main characters that fit this archetype are Gandalf the Grey, Elrond the elf Lord and for part of the film Saruman the White plays a part in guidance when he assists Gandalf in his decisions. Gandalf the Grey is a strong candidate for this archetype because of his compassion towards the Hobbits and his wisdom that he shares. Elrond is part of the council that help decided the One Ring’s fate, he provides wisdom as well. The Mother Figure, Galadriel the Lady of Light, acts as the mothering figure in this film as she guides Frodo on his path.

The Maiden, Arwen the daughter of Elrond. She is the maiden because Aragon, although attempts not to be tempted by her ends up being with her at the end of his story.

The Child, Meriadock Brandybuck and Perrigrin Took are the children because of the way they act in the story and how are always getting into trouble and causing the company trouble as they get captured by the Urukai and Aragon, Legolas and Gimli have to go and rescue them.

The Trickster, Sméagol is the trickster as he is suffering long term effects of owning the One Ring which has caused to develop and alter-ego known as Gollum.