The Hero's
Journey
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Explanation
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Example from Pan’s Labyrinth:
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I: Departure (The protagonist is
separated from the known and steps into the unknown.)
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Home Culture
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The protagonist has a "home," a
place that s/he thinks is normal, familiar, and common to others in his/her
culture.
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Well, Ofelia moves
from her house early on, but I assume this means the house they stay in for
most of the movie.
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Call to Adventure
from the Ordinary World
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A normal occurrence motivates the
protagonist to acknowledge an unknown aspect of his/her world, feel a
restlessness with the constraints of his/her life, or find a new world that
s/he was not aware existed.
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Fairy/stick
bug leads her to the labyrinth
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Refusal of the
Call; Arrival of the
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The protagonist chooses not to move forward
in life because s/he chooses to not give up his/her position, power, ideals,
goals, or responsibilities; the refusal is often based on his/her fear of the
unknown and comfort in the familiar. Usually secondary characters support the
protagonist's refusal.
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Faun/fairy
and stick bug act as the mentors
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Supernatural Aid
(Can be the
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The inexperienced protagonist is provided a
supernatural, guiding, and/or guarding character, or an instrumental item
(sword, encouragement, etc.) to assist his/her step forward into the unknown.
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Again,
the Faun and fairies act as the mentor and aid
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Crossing the
First Threshold to enter the Special World.
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The protagonist moves out of his/her
comfort zone and walks alone. S/he is confronted with an obstacle that must
be overcome before s/he can fully enter the dangers of the unknown journey.
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Theyre
going through the door as Ofelia is yelling “echo,” so the first stone door
into the labrynth
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II: Initiation (By crossing the threshold, the protagonist's world is
changed forever. A mental journey merges with the physical journey to result
in a spiritual revelation of purpose and self.)
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Road of Trials
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The protagonist is tested and found
vulnerable, but the outcome reveals a part of him/her that s/he did not know
existed. The assistance given the protagonist under the "Supernatural
Aid" section of "Departure" begins to come into play in the
story, and s/he is not expected to face the trials alone.
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3
tests given to Ofelia by the faun before she’s allowed to be the princess
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Meeting a Soul
Mate
(mother-figure)
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The protagonist meets an ideal (in ancient
myths a goddess; in modern stories a soul mate) and sees the possibilities of
his/her journey. This supernatural, human, or symbolic ideal encourages
him/her forward.
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Mercedes
is the mother figure here more than the actual mother in the story.
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Overcoming Temptation
(father-figure)
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Someone or something tries to destroy the
journey itself. Often the destroyer has been sent by a larger evil to stop
the protagonist. The protagonist is often misled, but eventually overcomes
his lack of knowledge, prejudices, and fears as s/he grows in the acceptance
of his/her role as hero.
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Capitan
Vidal is the evil, he’s very manipulative and violent
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Approaching the
Inmost Cave & The Ordeal
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The protagonist, having made the adjustment
to the Special World, now goes on to seek its heart. They pass into an intermediate region
between the border, and the very center of the Hero’s Journey. As the hero near the gates of a citadel
deep within the Special World, they may take time to make plans, do
reconnaissance on the army, reorganize or thin out the group, fortify and arm
themselves, and have a last laugh before entering. During the Ordeal itself, the hero will
enter into the “belly of the whale”, and then die so they can be reborn. The
hero will face his greatest fears, the failure of an enterprise, the end of a
relationship, the death of an old personality.
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When
the Faun comes back and gives Ofelia another chance, and she grabs her
brother, this is probably the hardest thing for her to do and the deepest
part of her journey.
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The Ultimate
Goal: Reward (Treasure)
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The protagonist becomes self-assured and
often receives physical gifts and/or emotional rewards. Since personal
limitations are broken, the protagonist can see the big picture not only in
relation to him/herself but also in relation to others. The protagonist
understands how the ultimate goal can be accomplished and the mission
completed.
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The
ultimate reward is Ofelia being crowned the princess of the underworld
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III: Return (Through the protagonist's ultimate sacrifice of self,
s/he walks in an enlightened state.)
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Refusing to
Return
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Although seldom a true refusal, the
protagonist, who should return "home" with his/her powers, ability,
or wisdom, remains isolated and often faces a death of sorts. Sometimes s/he
prefers to live in the enlightenment than return to a "home" that
might not accept the ultimate gift.
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Ofelia doesn't really have any sort of connection with the people she lives with aside from Mercedes, who had been discovered as a spy. so she sits alone in her room for the most part.
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The Chase
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The protagonist flees toward safety to
thwart the attempts to take back the treasure, power, ability, or wisdom.
Because the protagonist has changed, the chase characterizes his/her courage
and confidence.
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The
chase is pretty literal, when Vidal is chasing Ofelia back to the labyrinth before
he shoots her
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The Rescue
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The protagonist is unable to save
him/herself. Others help him/her return "home," which may deflate
his/her ego, but since s/he sees the entirety of the mission, s/he
understands the importance of what is accomplished.
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Saving
her brother costs Ofelia her life. The rebels do manage to save her brother.
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Crossing the
Return Threshold
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The protagonist must face the evil or its
leader and the realization that home is no longer a place but a state of
being. Those in his/her past may not accept his/her new ability, power, or
wisdom and may test it as a final trial to the protagonist.
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Capitan
Vidal sees Ofelia talking to the faun, but he doesn’t see anything so he
shoots her.
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Master of Two
Worlds
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The protagonist has the ability, power, or
wisdom without limitations to relax in whatever world (physical, mental,
emotional, or spiritual) s/he finds him/herself. S/he can adjust to who s/he
was in the past and who s/he might be in the future.
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This
one is more apparent, Ofelia lives in both the world with the Faun and the ‘real
world’ with Vidal and the Rebels
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Freedom
(Often the theme
of the quest)
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The protagonist is able to combine the
workings of unenlightened (old) and enlightened (new) societies into one
world, the world where the protagonist now resides. S/he understands that
his/her old self had to "die" in order for the new way of life to
begin. S/he no longer fears change because s/he has learned to live in the
moment regardless of what that means.
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Ofelia
has to be shot to complete the last task, which she understands, seen by her
smile at the end.
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Mis En
Scene analysis paragraphs, final scene
Claudia Scully
Setting and Props
During this point of the movie, the
actual bloodshed is seen when Ofelia’s blood falls onto the ‘totem pole’ figure
in the center of the labyrinth. After the bloodshed, she’s transported to a
golden castle with beautiful architecture and stained glass windows. Through
this, the director creates a reverence for the new location of Ofelia, and
gives a level of comfort to the viewers in knowing that she’s safer now than
she was before.
Costume, Hair, and Makeup
The costume, hair and makeup also
provide contrast between reality and the palace. Ofelia wearing white, drab
clothing signifies her innocence when she was killed, and her more basic
clothing represented her lowly position in the earthly world. However, when she
is transported to the palace, her clothing switches to shiny gold robes that
match the extravagance levels of the king and queen’s. The design of their
crowns also matches the architectural structures in the labyrinth. This strong
contrast leads the audience to be happy that Ofelia is in a place that is much
better than her earthy life.
Facial Expressions and Body Language
In the labyrinth, Mercedes is very
close to Ofelia, and appears to be choking back tears. The facial expressions
in the scene show that although it’s sad Ofelia had to die, without it, she
would’ve never reached her full potential or true happiness. After seeing her
family at the end, she smiles, as she is accepted and welcomed into her new
life, as at that point she understands why everything had to happen the way it
did.
Lighting and Color
The darkness of the real world
exists to provide extreme contrast to the splendor of her final destination, or
the palace, which was entirely gold and red; bright, and regal colors. The
palace was brightly light, and had a stained glass window in the back to let
light shine in, in contrast to the night sky back at the labyrinth. This also
serves to represent how Ofelia’s world light up once she escaped the oppression
of the fighting and violence in her reality. The brightness of the palace
allows the viewer to experience the same level of awe and wonder as she sees
her new home for the first time.
Positioning of Characters/Camera angles
The angles of the camera show all
of the steps required to get to the final location, the palace. The director
takes the time to show Ofelia’s blood dripping onto the statue before showing a
close up shot of her face as it’s surrounded by the bright light which
transitions into the palace scene. When in the palace, there are a lot of
overhead shots, which show the space between the royalty figures and everyone
else. Each has a throne far away from the other, and elevated fairly high off
the ground, representing their power and importance. These shots also cause the
viewer to marvel at the palace and its beauty, while frequently seeing Ofelia’s
reaction to her new reality.
