The definition of a hero can vary from one person to another, depending on the qualities they believe a hero should possess, but to be a hero you must to go through a hero’s journey. A hero’s journey is described as a monomyth cycle of stages a hero completes to have a successful return. According to Joseph Campbell, the leading mythologist and author of the famous book, The Hero with A Thousand Faces, a hero’s journey is simply a cycle of a coming and a returning. Campbell’s theory has been used in a large variety of movies, portraying a hero’s journey, sometimes even with a twist. The movie Iron Man conveys a hero’s journey with a partial twist since he’s an unconventional modern hero. Although Iron Man displays a different perspective on the hero’s journey, it follows the steps called, “Status quo”, “Tests and Trials”, and “The Ordeal” of Campbell’s theory. In doing so, the movie expressed the message that great things can be achieved through risk-taking and hard work.
Iron Man
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follows the first step of a hero’s journey, “The Status Quo”, differently than expected, being that the superhero Iron Man comes about through his own invention not a power. Before Iron Man comes about Tony Stark is a wealthy weapons manufacturer and robotic engineer, taking on the life of his father which displays his ordinary world. A scene representing this begins at 4:20-5:22 where we are taken through a presentation depicting the life of Tony Stark. In this scene, we are also in the setting of an award ceremony where he is being presented with an award in which he is not present to receive. Instead, we are transitioned to another scene where we see him at the casino playing a game of poker. This scene shows how Iron Man displays a different perspective of an “Ordinary World” compared to the hero’s journey followed in other movies. The difference between Tony Stark and other superheroes is that, he’s seen as a wealthy man who’s also a womanizer and careless. So, judging this scene of the movie, we’d find it quite ironic that a man like Tony Stark would ever become an amazing superhero. He didn’t even know it until he was kidnapped in Afghanistan and forced to create a suit that he soon used against them to flee. With that said, it does show the bigger message of the movie considering; without his hard work, he probably wouldn’t be as wealthy as he is. Throughout Iron Man’s journey as a hero, he faced many “Tests and Trials” allowing him to become greater in the end. Iron Man matches this step of the hero’s journey because of the tests he goes through, due to the fact that he was so envied by others. According to Joseph Campbell tests and trials of a hero’s journey occur in threes, meaning during a hero’s journey they will face three tests and one of them he must fail, making him better for the final battle. A scene that helps illustrate this would be; Tony Stark’s first test/trial as Iron Man (1:01:15-1:04:35). During these scenes, we are exposed to the procedure of applying the Iron Man suit, allowing us to experience this first trial with the character. In doing so, we see the screws to this amazing invention being screwed in, the application of each piece of this shiny suit by the 360 degree, mobile framing of the camera. We are also brought into the character’s point of view from inside the suit, establishing a greater experience of the suit for the audience. Although Tony Stark’s robot has some doubts about the suit, Tony Starks responds, “Sometimes you have to run before you can walk.” As we go further along with this scene, we are dragged along for the ride as Iron Man begins his first trial. He shoots for the sky and a variety of shot angles are captured to create an amazing experience as he flies through the sky. It isn’t until he reaches the highest point, when the cold temperature is too much for the suit to handle and he begins literally falling from the sky. The audience is taken along with his fall, creating a terrifying outcome when he almost crashes into a busy street but pulls a lever just in time sending him back into the sky. This scene is a perfect illustration of the tests and trials step of the hero’s journey and the big idea because Tony Stark’s first test as Iron Man had flaws but he got through it. Furthermore, Iron Man follows “The Ordeal” step of the hero’s journey because he faces his enemy and wins the fight.
Iron Man’s enemy just so happens to be his early on friend or mentor; Obadiah, who betrays him by working with the Afghanistan people to destroy homes of innocent people with weapons he didn’t want distributed anymore. Obadiah even creates a suit to defeat Iron Man. A scene that demonstrates the ordeal and climax of this hero’s journey movie is 1:45:22-1:53:26. During this scene, the fascinating action over takes us, from the fires to disastrous fighting in the city street. In this scene, we see various film elements, like continuity editing (1:47:03), and the most important element; figure behavior. “The Ordeal” is shown through this scene because, Iron Man is confronted by an enemy and fights his final battle of the movie to win. This further proves the big idea because through his risk-taking and hard work Iron Man conquered the final battle against his enemy
Obadiah. Iron Man isn’t just an amazing film, but a film we can also take a valuable message from. The quote “not all heroes wear capes” may be looked at as cliché but also a true statement, as we see in our daily lives. I’ve came to the realization that, to be a hero, we must all go through a hero’s journey, and some may not be the same as others’ as we see in Iron Man. Though Tony Stark wasn’t the usual expectation of a hero, the movie followed the “Status Quo”, “Tests and Trial” and “The Ordeal” of The Hero’s Journey. The message we can all take from Iron Man is that through a hero’s journey, great things can be achieved through risk-taking and hard work.
Most myths have a common pattern between them. Today, this pattern is often seen in some of our most beloved motion pictures. Joseph Campbell-a respected 20th century American mythologist, lecturer, and writer- observed this and created a theory based off of the similarities he saw. He showed the world that almost every story with a hero follows the three stages in his theory he called “Monomyth” (Campbell). The monomyth, often times called “The Hero’s Journey” or “The hero with a thousand faces”, includes the departure, initiation, and return stages (Campbell). In these stages the hero leaves his normal life behind, fulfills him/herself in some activity, and returns as a hero (Campbell). These stages can be applied to a smash hit released in 2009, a science-fiction film titled Star Trek. James T. Kirk in Star Trek closely follows Campbell’s theory as he departs from his childhood home in Iowa, fights a rogue Romulan enemy, and returns to Earth as a Starfleet captain.
In “Creating the Myth,” Linda Seger outlines the essential aspects that make up the hero myth, and why movies that follow this outline are generally successful. In her analysis, she begins with the idea that every hero myth revolves around a hero who is called upon to accomplish a feat that nobody else in the story is able to do. The hero’s journey begins with an unlikely person being called upon to serve a purpose greater than themselves. Along their journey, the hero is influenced by several archetypical characters that either help the hero, or try to deter the hero from accomplishing their task. The hero’s journey ends when they have accomplished their task, and in doing so, become a greater person than what they were in the beginning. A film that found tremendous success by following this outline was “Kung Fu Panda.”
As the story comes to its conclusion, the hero has endured his hardships; he went from the one that started fights to the one that thought of what could make everything work. An ordinary person in an ordinary world faced his share of trials and tribulations to come out as a new person. Defining the hero myth—he struggled and still was able to triumph to his prize at the end ; individuals relish these type of stories, they can
Watching a film, one can easily recognize plot, theme, characterization, etc., but not many realize what basic principle lies behind nearly every story conceived: the hero’s journey. This concept allows for a comprehensive, logical flow throughout a movie. Once the hero’s journey is thoroughly understood, anyone can pick out the elements in nearly every piece. The hero’s journey follows a simple outline. First the hero in question must have a disadvantaged childhood. Next the hero will find a mentor who wisely lays out his/her prophecy. Third the hero will go on a journey, either literal or figurative, to find him/herself. On this journey the hero will be discouraged and nearly quit his/her quest. Finally, the hero will fulfill the prophecy and find his/herself, realizing his/her full potential. This rubric may be easy to spot in epic action films, but if upon close inspection is found in a wide array of genres, some of which are fully surprising.
... not a hero journey, lacking of foes and partners is an incomplete adventure. They provide the obstacles and support for the protagonist to complete the journey they are on. By having the hero journey cycle composed by Joseph Campbell, it demonstrates the complexity of how a hero's defined. It's about the growth of the character by separation from his comfort zone and venturing into the unknown. By successfully passing the stages, then one is called a hero.
The Hero’s Journey is an ancient archetype that we find throughout our modern life and also, in the world of literature.Whether metaphorical or real, the journey that a character goes on shows not only the incredible transformation of the hero but it also gives them their life meaning. It is the ultimate human experience and it reflects on every aspect of life. Take Logan, also known as Wolverine, from the X-Men movie as an example. His adventure starts with “The Call,” which is the first step of the Hero’s Journey. This step happens due to the realization of imbalance and injustice that the character has in their life. Logan steps into the first stage of the pattern but is hesitant to start his adventure because he does not know what and
There are many stories that follow Joseph Campbell's Hero's Journey, and tells the tale of a Heroic character. These fables introduces us to heroes that begin their journey in an ordinary place, then receive a call to enter an unknown world full of bizarre powers and peculiar events. These heroes often display great traits, such as bravery or intelligence, that defines their character. One of these heroic's tales is Haroun and the Sea of Stories, telling the adventures of a young man named Haroun. This essay will prove that Haroun from Haroun and the Sea of Stories by Salman Rushdie is a hero, because he possess heroic qualities. Haroun shows his heroic qualities by overcoming obstacles, helping his friends, and having good intentions.
Joseph Campbell defines a hero as “someone who has given his or her life to something bigger than oneself ” (Moyers 1). The Hero’s Journey consists of three major parts: the separation, the initiation and the return. Throughout a character’s journey, they must complete a physical or spiritual deed. A physical deed involves performing a daunting and courageous act that preserves the well-being of another person. A spiritual deed calls for action that improves another individual’s state of mind. While fulfilling their journey, a hero must undergo a psychological change that involves experiencing a transformation from immaturity into independence and sophistication.Campbell states that these events are what ultimately guides a hero into completing
When things are at their best prepare for the worst. That’s something I always told myself since I was young boy. Joseph Campbell was no stranger to this concept which he described as the hero’s journey. This journey had three stages: leaving the everyday world, overcoming trials and tribulations, and finally going back to the everyday world with newfound knowledge that you can share with people. I traveled through all three of these stages myself. This is my hero’s journey.
In Joseph Campbell’s article, “The Hero’s Journey Defined”, the author describes the cycle of a hero’s journey. According to Joseph Campbell, an odyssey consists of three stages, departure, initiation, and return. Accordingly, the hero leaves his familiar world and gets tested to prove his character, later to return home to spread his experience to his society. Initiation is the beginning of the journey where the hero must prove that he is capable of the completing the journey. The article describes the second stage of the journey as the rising actions and climax of the story in which the hero will likely succeed in his quest. Initiation is essential to the hero's cycle, because it is the stage where the hero is put to the test. Departure
Joseph Campbell was a well known mythology teacher who spent his whole life trying to understand the different types of stories that are told. To Campbell “all humans are involved in a struggle to accomplish the adventure of the hero in their own lives.” He made a list of stages that every hero goes through, and sums it up to three sections: separation (the departure), the initiation, and the return.
From reading The Hero’s Adventure, Campbell’s core descriptions of heroism are rooted into three aspects- going beyond society’s view of normal, going on a three-phased adventure, and returning with a given deed. In every account of heroism, Joseph Campbell discovered the common connection of three phases- the departure, the initiation, and the return. As each of these phases encompasses their own set of criteria and challenges, Joseph Campbell emphasizes that a hero must return with a deed. This deed can either be a physical deed or a hero can return with a spiritual deed (152). Joseph Campbell may be one of the most famous writers on heroism, but there are multiple perspectives on this
There are many different heroes; from fictional characters to famous people to your average everyday person. Joseph Campbell has an extraordinary outlook on what a hero is and the hero’s Journey. A hero is someone who has made a journey beyond the normal achievement and have given their life to a bigger cause than their personal needs (Joseph Campbell). A hero also typically has a special quality, such as, intelligence or physical strength. They take on a journey that starts at birth and continues through their whole life. They often have to overcome some challenge in their life and go through a transformation. The hero goes through birth and rebirth throughout their life time. Not a physical rebirth, but a rebirth spiritually; they start as
A myth is a popular belief or tradition that has grown up around something or someone; especially one embodying the ideals and institutions of a society or segment of society. Joseph Campbell defined a classic sequence of actions that are found in many stories. It is also known as the Monomyth. In this essay we will analyze Joseph Campbell’s Monomyth. We will answer the following questions and come to a solid definite conclusion. Do heroes develop in stages and that individuals prepare themselves for heroism through a series of challenges that they overcome? Does he succeed at making this argument?
One well-known example of “The Hero’s Journey” from popular culture is the Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, by J.K. Rowling. In the novel, Harry Potter, the main character, is the chosen one and “The Hero’s Journey” applies to his life from the moment he is attacked by He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named as a baby. Joseph Campbell calls the initial phase of a hero’s development the “Call to Adventure.” The call is the in... ...