Star Wars and the hero myth

Star Wars and the hero myth

Read about how the film Star Wars follows a pattern found in myths to practise and improve your reading skills.

Do the preparation task first. Then read the text and do the exercises.

Preparation

Reading text

Critics of the 2015 film Star Wars: Episode VII – The Force Awakens have called the film unoriginal and predictable because the story so closely mirrors the very first Star Wars film in 1977. But, in fact, both films follow a structure that pre-dates all Hollywood films, that of the 'hero myth'. That's because director George Lucas based Star Wars on the ideas in Joseph Campbell's 1949 book, The Hero with a Thousand Faces. Later editions of Campbell's book even featured Star Wars' hero Luke Skywalker on the front cover.

In his book, Campbell analyses myths from all over the world to describe the 'monomyth' – a pattern that you can see in myths from every culture. In short, a hero sets off from home on a journey, where he overcomes obstacles and defeats enemies to return with a prize. It's a tale that has been told for thousands of years, from the Ancient Greeks with The Odyssey to JK Rowling's Harry Potter books.

George Lucas was one of the early film directors to directly base his story on the 17 stages of the hero's journey. Typically the hero starts the story living an ordinary life, but something happens that calls them to an adventure that changes everything. At the beginning of Star Wars, Luke lives an ordinary life with his aunt and uncle, repairing robots. When he finds Princess Leia's message to Obi-Wan Kenobi inside the robot R2D2, it is 'the call to adventure' that starts the hero on his journey.

According to Campbell, the hero at first refuses the call to adventure, but a mentor appears who helps them and they decide to 'cross the threshold' and travel into the 'special world' where the adventure happens. The next stage consists of passing tests, fighting enemies and meeting friends as the hero prepares to face their biggest challenge. For Luke the mentor is, of course, Obi-Wan, the friends are Han Solo and the robots R2D2 and C3PO and the enemy is Darth Vader inside the special world of the Death Star.

Next, the hero overcomes obstacles on the way to facing their greatest challenge. There often comes a moment when they face death or loss and that experience gives them the strength to finally defeat the enemy. Luke loses his mentor when he sees Darth Vader kill Obi-Wan, which helps him find the strength he needs later on. When heroes succeed, they return from the special world, changed by their experiences forever. Luke's change comes when he remembers Obi-Wan saying, 'Use the force', and he uses it to help him aim his laser into the heart of the Death Star. Luke takes his first steps to becoming a Jedi, and the hero myth restarts in The Return of the Jedi, except this time his mentor is Yoda.

Task 1

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Discussion

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Average: 4.6 (14 votes)
Profile picture for user Mujahid

Submitted by Mujahid on Thu, 21/12/2023 - 11:18

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Personally, I enjoy most hero stories because they embody qualities like courage, enthusiasm, and often conclude with a happy ending. Occasionally, I also read critics' comments or watch TV shows for movie reviews before deciding on a film to watch.

Submitted by betelf on Tue, 24/10/2023 - 15:26

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I like the Harry Potter series. I recently read it, and I didn't expect to like it this much.

Submitted by Noctuarn on Fri, 06/10/2023 - 20:38

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My favourite hero stories is probably Christophers Nolan's Batman series, especially "Dark Knight".

Submitted by jmajo on Fri, 08/09/2023 - 16:31

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My favorite hero stories are those entirely based on real facts or people who did extraordinary things to overcame diffictult situations in dangerous enviroments, because it prove us the capabilities of the human beens and its ways to evolute.

Thanks for the lesson.
Great site!

Profile picture for user Ramiro Solana

Submitted by Ramiro Solana on Fri, 11/08/2023 - 21:54

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My favorite hero is Bilbo Bolson and now I realize that The Lord of the Rings also follows the stages of Campbell's hero's journey, although I don't know which book actually preceded the other. Anyway, it's fascinating how many stories are so similar in their structure that I hadn't realized before.

Submitted by Phuphan on Thu, 20/07/2023 - 18:10

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My favorite hero is Baymax in the film Big Hero 6. He is so cute and warm. Moreover, he gives me a deep impression because of his sacrifice

Submitted by Artyev on Tue, 23/05/2023 - 01:29

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I don't have favourite hero stories, but I like some actors of films, such as Jay from the film "Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back", or Ivan from the serial "Svaty".

Submitted by Miss zahra on Sun, 23/04/2023 - 16:56

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Actually i am not fan of this kind of books or movies. but last century these kind of movies and books were very popular in my country. these days horror movies and science fictions are most common and frequent among young people.

Submitted by ze-lal on Fri, 12/08/2022 - 05:48

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I've not seen many superhero film, but I read a lot of myth stories and I have few favourite heros, like in Persian myth, I like Kaveh and Rostam