Archetypes In Batman

Hero’s gives us hope that there can be a choice other than the selfish one, that there is a reason to take the more difficult way. Why do we need superheroes? Because without them society is lost in despair. Kurtis Mathews explores the creation of the archetypal hero and societies frequent demand for them.

“Aboriginal cave paintings used during the Dream Time, for storytelling and the passing of customs, traditions and indigenous knowledge”

Storytelling is what connects us to our humanity. It is what links us to our past, and provides a glimpse into our future.

Archetypes (Jung, 1947) are images and thoughts which have universal meanings across cultures which may show up I dreams, literature, art or religion. From the time when apes evolved

into modern man, heroic and omniscient figures have played an important role in the development of mankind. The heroic archetype can be defined as a primitive mental image inherited from the earliest human ancestors, and is supposed to be present in the collective unconscious.
Jung believes symbols from different cultures are often very similar because they have emerged from archetypes shared by the whole human race. For Jung, our primitive past becomes the basis of the human psyche, directing and influencing present behaviour.
Carl Jung developed the theory that humanity has a shared collective subconscious. You can best define this as being how we collectively understand the world. Enshrined within this concept is the idea of archetypes, figure, scenarios, storylines that are a shared feature of the stories we tell one another.
Joseph Campbell, in collaboration with Jung, advanced this idea to include the archetypal representation of heroes. He surmised, that all hero’s conformed to a standard trajectory, a path that led to the same destination. He called this, ‘the hero’s journey.’
King Arthur was born a prince but had to live in the country under the guidance of Merlin and the care of Sir Ector. Arthur grew up in shame of his birth, never knowing of his royal lineage.
Although Arthur was small and scrawny he had learned the value of knowledge that knowledge was greater than brute force. The potential to rule with justice and compassion what would become the greatest kingdom ever known.

The sword was magic, Merlin explained, and only he who was fit to rule England could pull it from the stone. The fluke of all flukes, scrawny Arthur pulled the sword out and took his place as the King of England, probably because hundreds of men before him loosened the sword. Arthur’s life perfectly fits the hero’s archetypal mould. Arthur’s magical birth and working class upbringing hiding his true lineage. Possession of a supernatural weapon and the help of a powerful wizard. Arthur was also aided by the Knights of the Round Table throughout the duration of his rule. Arthur possesses all traits of a warrior king and proves himself to be worthy through defending the people of England from barbarians.
Juxtaposed with the traditional Arthurian legend, the film Batman Begins illustrates that’s society still heavily relies on the classical hero archetype in modern contemporary literature. It can be seen that we are essentially looking at the same hero, however the individual has been modernised to the current time.
Batman Begins tells the story of an orphaned boy transformed by the murder of his parents into a crime fighting beast. The Wayne family were outing to the cinema when it ended in tragedy for young Bruce Wayne. Walking homeward, Bruce, his father, Thomas, and mother, Martha, accidentally ventured into Gotham City's notorious "Crime Alley" and were accosted by a mugger. Not content merely to rob the wealthy family, the hoodlum - whose identity was "never determined" - shot Dr. Thomas and Martha Wayne dead before fleeing into the darkness. As he knelt beside his parent's bodies, Bruce swore to avenge them. After the police arrived, Bruce was comforted by Alfred Pennyworth who helped arrange matters so that Gotham's Social Services would not take Bruce into care. In this way, Alfred enabled Bruce to realize his dream of becoming a crusader against crime. Bruce embarked on a journey that took him to every continent as he sought to learn all the skills he would need to keep his vow. He studied criminology, forensics, and criminal psychology, and learned from man hunters and martial artists, mastering every fighting style. In time, Bruce forged himself into a living weapon to wage war on crime and injustice. On his return to Gotham, Bruce stalked street thugs as a plainclothes vigilante. Beaten by the very people he intended to protect, he barely survived his first night out. As he sat bleeding in his study at Wayne Manor Bruce knew that he had to first strike fear in the hearts of his foes. Just then, a bat crashed through the study window, giving Bruce the inspiration he needed. Establishing a secret headquarters in the caves beneath his mansion, Bruce became Batman, a Dark Knight to protect Gotham and its citizens from vice and villainy. Alfred Pennyworth remained his confidant, tending to injuries and offering sage advice - whether requested or not!
Batman became an urban legend, a cautionary tale that sent shivers through the city's underworld.

This Caped Crusader found a friend in Captain James Gordon a Gotham cop who didn't approve of Batman's methods, but appreciated the results of his nightly crime fighting. Batman's Rogues Gallery grew to include a host of bizarre criminals, such as the Joker, Catwoman, Two-Face and the Penguin. As his enemies increased, help arrived in the form of another young boy left parentless by brutal crime.

Similarly to the Arthurian legend Bruce was not raised by his parents and was raised by a wise old man. Although Batman does not possess magical weapons his gear is highly advanced military technology and the mastery of all martial arts. Although Batman doesn’t have the Knights of the Round Table, Bruce maintains a fleet of high-tech and high-powered vehicles, chief among the Batmobile, Batcycle, Batboat, Batplane and Batcopter and a supersophisticated Batcave headquarters (The man lives in a cave) which can be compared to the knights; as both aid the hero.

Bruce Wayne is commonly referred to as the Prince of Gotham, which is similar to the King of England. Both are powerful and wise men with strong political and moral agendas.

Both seek out evil: Gotham would have been destroyed if Batman had not defeated The Scarecrow, The Joker, Bane, and many

more.
King Arthur and his knights of the round table protect people and followed their “honour code”. Similarities Cont. Both changed along their journeys: Batman became the strongest force in Gotham in which all the evil villains had to deal with.

King Arthur became a great man, but changed once he found out Lancelot was sleeping with his wife Guinevere. Both of their stories include romance: Batman’s relationship with