The Heroes Journey Archetype

Joseph Campbell's most significant contribution to the study of mythology, in my opinion, was his book "The Hero with a Thousand Faces" in which he describes the process of creating a hero that captivates audiences which has been more or less replicated throughout most heroes of all societies and goes in depth about why humanity finds this process worthy of worship. Unsurprisingly, many Greek heroes fall under this category such a Hercules, Odysseus, Hector, Achilles, Oedipus Rex, and Theseus, among countless others.


Perhaps the most striking similarity between Greek Heroes and those of Star Wars are the development of the heroes themselves and Campbell's guidelines. The Hero's Journey is much more defined in Luke and the Original Trilogy, however Anakin and the Prequels also maintain the same process but to a lesser extent due to the tragic nature of the story and the downfall of Anakin from hero to iconic villain. In order to compare both Star Wars and Greek heroes I will go through the steps of Campbell's Monomyth to compare and contrast.

Humble Beginnings

The first step in the creation of an ideal hero lie in the hero's mundane introduction, as illustrated above. This is done to allow easier relation and sympathy towards the hero. In Star Wars, Luke is nothing but a farmer who works tirelessly under his Uncle. Anakin is introduced in Episode I as a simple slave boy, and both grew up on Tatooine, the desolate desert planet in the outer rim.

There are a many notable Greek heroes who live fairly typical lives until their call to adventure. For example, Odysseus was nothing more than a farmer, Theseus lived a normal childhood, Perseus was raised by a fisherman, and Heracles was raised on a farm. Another commonality I noticed between most of the heroes was that most of them were born under gods like Zeus, and in Star Wars, Luke was fathered by Anakin, who was conceived by a virgin according to Lucas.

Reluctance to Embark on an Adventure

One of the elementary stages of the monomyth is the refusal of the call to adventure. The call in the case of Star Wars is Luke being asked by Obi-Wan to go to Alderaan, and for Anakin it is joining the Jedi Order with Qui-Gon Jinn. In the case of many Greek Heroes, it was the call to the Trojan War, at least for Odysseus, Hector, Achilles, etc. For Perseus and Heracles, the call to adventure was a series of trials they had to complete for one reason or another.

Mentor

Another key ingredient to the Hero's Journey is the presence of a mentor, who impart knowledge aswell as tools for the road ahead. In Luke's case, it was Obi-Wan and his fathers Lightsaber. Odysseus receives aid and guidance from Athena herself in his travels. Theseus gets his fathers old military equipment and, unsurprisingly, is watched over by the gods.  It was central for most Greek Heroes' stories to involve the gods and their divine intervention, much similar to the way the Force fulfills prophecies.


I could go on, but the point is valid as it stands. Greek mythos and Star Wars certainly make good use of the Heroes Journey, and perhaps this is what is most compelling about the undying popularity of these characters. As the saying goes, "Don't fix what isn't broken".

The source of the image can be found here.