The Monomyth, or the Hero’s Journey as it is more commonly known as, is a simple narrative structure used in storytelling throughout history. While he obviously didn’t create the concept, Joseph Campbell gave a detailed set of events that create a hero’s journey in his book, ‘The Hero with a Thousand Faces’ (1949).
Campbell suggested that any hero’s journey story could be broken down into this list of events.
Act 1
Start: Ordinary World - Where the hero starts.
1. Call to Adventure - The hero is faced with something new that calls them to adventure.
2. Refusal of Call - The hero refuses the call.
3. Supernatural Aid - The hero meets the mentor.
4. Crossing First Threshold - The hero finally agrees to go on an adventure. The threshold is usually blocked by a ‘guardian’.
Act 2
5. Belly of the Whale - The hero is thrust into their first proper confrontation with the villains. The hero escapes, but barley.
6. Road of Trials - The mentor begins to show the hero their strengths and weaknesses.
7. Meeting the Goddess - Can be a physical being, object or an idea. This is what gives the hero drive to complete the quest.
8. Temptation - The hero may become conflicted over their ‘goddess’.
9. Atonement with the Father - The hero becomes conflicted over authority figures in their lives.
10. Apotheosis - Sometimes the death of the mentor. The hero has a realisation that changes how they approach the situation.
11. The Ultimate Boon - The hero completes the goal set by the call to adventure, but their quest is not over yet.
12. Refusal of Return - The hero has a new goal and refuses to return to their ordinary world.
Act 3
13. Magic Flight - The hero faces off against the villain.
14. Rescue from Without - Others that the hero has met along the way come to the hero’s aid.
15. Crossing the Return Threshold - The hero wins.
16. Master of two Worlds - The hero has become the master of themselves, their quest and their ordinary world.
17. Freedom to Live - The hero has truly become a hero.
An alternate version of this list was created by Chris Vogler in ‘The Writer’s Journey’ (1992). This version of the Monomyth was created with film in mind, hence why it is shorter.
Act 1
1. Ordinary World - Where the hero starts.
2. The Call to Adventure - The hero is faced with something new that calls them to adventure.
3. Refusal of the Call - The hero refuses the call.
4. Meeting the Mentor - The hero meets the mentor. The same as ‘Supernatural Aid’.
5. Crossing the Threshold - The hero finally agrees to go on an adventure. The threshold is usually blocked by a ‘guardian’.
Act 2
6. Tests, Allies, & Enemies - The hero learns who their allies and enemies are. They are also tested in various ways. This is ‘Belly of the Whale’ and ‘Road of Trails’ rolled into one category.
7. Approach - The hero is on their way to their goal.
8. The Ordeal, Death & Rebirth - This is when the hero is almost at their goal, but complications arise. This category contains ‘Meeting the goddess’, ‘Temptation’, ‘Atonement with the Father’, and ‘Apotheosis’.
9. The Reward, Seizing the Sword - The hero completes the goal set by the call to adventure, but their quest is not over yet. Same as ‘The Ultimate Boon’
Act 3
10. The Road Back - The hero has a new goal and refuses to return to their ordinary world. Same as ‘Refusal of Return’.
11. Resurrection - The hero must face off against the villain. This category contains ‘Magic Flight’, ‘Rescue from Without’ and ‘Crossing the Return Threshold’.
12. Return with Elixir - The hero has won. Same as ‘Master of two worlds’ and ‘Freedom to live’.
Of course, not every “Hero’s Journey” film follows these events exactly, so may deviate quite far, but these lists are just a guide that can be used to better understand storytelling.
To explain the theory, here’s James Gunn’s ‘Guardians of the Galaxy’ (2014) reviewed through the lens of The Hero’s Journey.
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| Fig. 1. Guardians of the Galaxy Poster (2014) |
Guardians of the Galaxy (2014) is a film based on a Marvel comic of the same name. The film follows a man named Peter Quill (Chris Pratt) as he slowly grows as character, changing from a common criminal to hero of the galaxy. This film does follow the hero’s journey, even if a few parts are moved around or missing for more coherent storytelling.
Act 1
Ordinary World
You could argue that there are two ordinary worlds seen at the start of Guardians of the Galaxy. There is the ordinary world on Earth, which is shown as a prologue sequence. In this scene we are introduced to young Peter Quill as he is in hospital, beside his dying mother. As she dies, Peter runs out of the building and is then abducted by aliens. This brings us to the second ordinary world and the one that is referenced throughout the film. This ordinary world is not the actual location that the film’s title sequence takes place in, but the lifestyle that adult Peter Quill lives, he is a thief. Specifically, a thief that has gone rouge from a band of space pirates.
Call to Adventure
Quill’s current objective is to collect a metal orb from a destroyed civilisation. This orb serves as the mcguffin for the film and is what kickstarts Quill’s hero journey. As he collects it, he is jumped by a group of evil soldiers. This prompts Quill to use all many of gadgets to escape.
Refusal of Call
Quill doesn’t want the orb for any personal reasons, he wants it so he can sell it. When he arrives on the planet Xandar, he tries to sell the orb. However, he accidentally let’s slip that a group of soldiers were also after the orb. The soldiers were actually a small group sent by the main antagonist of the film Ronan the Accuser. The broker, not wanting anything to do with Ronan, refuses to buy from Quill and pushes him out of his shop.
Supernatural Aid
There is no present character that represents Supernatural Aid in this film. There are some elements of Supernatural Aid that are explored in Guardians of the Galaxy 2 (2017), but there is no actual mentor figure in the first film. That isn’t to say there isn’t a father figure, however. The leader of the space pirates, Yondu, serves as Quill’s father figure in both films. However, his character is more explored in the sequel, whereas in this film he is seen more as an obstacle and reluctant ally.
Act 2
Crossing First Threshold
After getting kicked out of the shop, Quill gets into a fight with a woman named Gamora over the orb. The fight then extends out to include a genetically engineered raccoon, named Rocket, and a talking tree, named Groot. All four characters get arrested. You could argue that these characters ending up in prison is the first threshold, making Gamora, Rocket and Groot the threshold guardians.
Belly of the Whale
In prison the group are faced with some of the worst criminals in the galaxy and a collection of guards that don’t care what the criminals do to each other. It is here that the group meet Drax the Destroyer. He plans to kill Gamora, as revenge for Gamora’s boss, Ronan, killing his wife and daughter. It is here where Quill intervenes to save Gamora and explains to Drax that Gamora has already betrayed Ronan and that he shouldn’t kill her. Drax backs down, for now.
Road of Trials
The trails the group must face come into play with their prison escape. They become a team to overpower the guards and escape. Along with Drax, the team manage to escape, however Quil goes back into the prison to collect his belongings, including the orb.
Meeting the Goddess
The team, now consisting of Quill, Gamora, Rocket, Groot and Drax, plan to sell the orb to a man named The Collector. So, they use Quill’s spaceship and travel to a “planet” known as Knowhere. When they reach Knowhere and finally meet The Collector, he shows them that the orb is in fact an infinity stone, one of the most powerful mcguffins items in the galaxy. The infinity stone is now the narrative’s goddess.
Temptation
None of the characters know what to do with the stone. Since it is extremely dangerous it is suggested that they take the stone to an organisation called Nova Corp., which just so happens to be the same people that arrested them earlier or they give the stone to Ronan and their lives be spared. However, they are not given much time as new factions appear at Knowhere.
Atonement with the Father
One of the factions is Yondu and his pirates. They have been chasing Quill for the entirety of the film and they want him to answer for his crime of abandoning them.
Apotheosis
The other faction to arrive is Ronan and his army. Drax, wanting revenge called Ronan himself for a duel. However, Ronan effortlessly incapacitates Drax and immediately goes after the stone. Ronan retrieves the stone and sets out to destroy Xandar. Quill and Gamora are captured by Youndu. Rocket, Groot and Drax (after being revived by Groot) plan to rescue Quill and Gamora, showing a change in perspective for these usually quite selfish characters.
The Ultimate Boon
There is no Ultimate Boon as the heroes fail. They lost the stone and now the universe is in danger.
Refusal of Return
After reasoning with Yondu, the team begin to plan how they are going to save Xandar from Ronan’s wrath. This shows clear development with the characters, going from a group of criminals, to a group of people ready to save the world.
Act 3
Magic Flight
The heroes take to their spaceships and they attack Ronan’s giant command ship head on as it approaches the planet’s surface. During the assault the Guardians manage to board Ronan’s ship and challenge Ronan himself.
Rescue from Without
Assistance came to the heroes in the form of both the pirates and Nova Corp. coming in to help keep Ronan’s ship at bay.
Crossing the Return Threshold
Ronan finally lands on the planet surface, but before he can do anything Quill takes the infinity stone from him. The Guardians then use the power of the stones to destroy Ronan, saving the galaxy.
Master of two Worlds
Peter Quill and the rest of the Guardians have now become heroes and are therefore masters of both heroism and the criminal world.
Freedom to Live
The Nova Corps. Thank the Guardians for their service and they are now free to go do whatever they like.
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