The Hero's Journey Flashcards
Stages of the Hero’s Journey
(Three Acts)
Departure
Initiation
Return
Departure
(First Steps)
The Call to Adventure (known to unknown)
Refusal of the Call
Meeting the Mentor
Crossing the Threshold (commitment)
Known World
Where we meet our hero. This world may or may not be known to us, but it is the world the hero is familiar with.
Mentor
The hero meets a mentor - an older, wiser character who is often from the unknown world and who brings valuable knowledge that can help the hero achieve their goals.
Call to Action
This call urges the hero to help achieve a goal, but doing so requires them to leave the known world and venture into the unknown.
Crossing the Threshold
At the end of the departure phase, the hero accepts the call to action (commits) and crosses the threshold into the unknown world.
Three Primary Characters
The Victim
The Villain
The Hero
The Guide
The Victim
Feels they have no way out.
The Villain
Makes others small.
The Hero
Faces their challenges and transforms.
The Guide (Mentor)
Helps the hero. A seasoned traveler of the worlds who gives him or her training, equipment, or advice that will help on the journey.
Act One
(Departure)
Ordinary (Known) World
Call to Adventure (Action)
Refusal
Meeting with the Mentor
Crossing the Threshold (commitment)
Act Two
(Initiation)
Special (Unknown) World
Tests, Allies, and Enemies
Approach to Inmost Cave
The Ordeal
Reward (Seizing the Sword)
Act Three
(Return)
Ordinary (Known) World
The Road Back
Resurrection
Return with Elixir
Joseph Campbell
The Hero with a Thousand Faces (1949)
Monomyth - argues that hero stories all share a similar mythological basis: the hero’s departure, the hero’s transformation by great trials, and the hero’s return.
