The Monomyth
The Hero's Journey can be summarized by the following steps:
-introduce the hero, having an ordinary day in his/her ordinary world
-the hero has a flaw, so the audience will empathize with the hero and engage in his/her pursuit of success
-unexpected event, something happens to change the ordinary hero's world
-call to adventure, the hero needs to accomplish a goal (save a princess, retrieve a treasure). Often the hero is reluctant to answer the call. It is here that he meets with mentors, friends and allies that encourage him.
-the quest, the hero leaves his world in pursuit of the goal, faces tests, trials, temptations, enemies and challenges until he achieve his goal
-the return, the hero returns expecting rewards
-the crisis, something is wrong, the hero at his lowest point
-the showdown, the hero must face one last challenge, usually of life and death, must use all that he has learned on his quest
-the resolution, in movies this is usually a happy ending. The hero succeeds, and we all celebrate
Film Plots against the Hero's Journey
| | Shrek | Mulan |
| introduce the hero | An ogre who lives in a swamp and just wants to be left alone | The only child of the honored Chinese family, Fa |
| hero has a flaw | Shrek is an orgre | She’s a girl. She is smart, headstrong, and loud. Not good qualities for an honorable Chinese female |
| unexpected event | Shrek’s swamp is invaded by fairy tale characters displaced by Lord Farquaad. Shrek wants his swamp back. Donkey knows where Farquaad lives. Shrek is forced to go with Donkey. | Mulan’s weakened father, Fa-Zous, is called to join an army and fight the Huns |
| call to adventure | Farquaad gives Shrek a choice: Rescue the princess or die. Shrek goes to rescue the princess, but only after Farquaad promises to give him his swamp back if he does. | Knowing her father would never survive, Mulan disguises herself as a man and joins the army. |
| the quest | Shrek makes friends with Donkey, crosses rickety bridges above lava, fights a fire-breathing dragon, and rescues the princess. | With the help of a dragon and a lucky cricket, Mulan learns skills to fight the Huns under the leadership of Shang, her captain |
| the return | Shrek has to persuade the princess to go to Dulac. On the way, they fight Robin Hood and his Merry Men, play with spider web balloons, and find a place to sleep because the difficult princess insists and fall in love. | The Huns attack. Mulan starts an avalanche, defeats the Huns, saves Shang, but gets wounded in the process. Shang discovers Mulan is a girl. |
| the crisis | Fiona, the princess, is about to marry Farquaad. Shrek has his swamp back, but is miserable. Donkey tells him to go tell Fiona he loves her before it is too late. | She is outcast. On the way home she discovers the Huns are going to attack the Emperor’s city. She hurries there but no one will believe her. |
| the showdown | Shrek rides the dragon to Dulac, stops the wedding, confronts Farquaad, and tells Fiona he loves her. | Huns kidnap the Emperor. Mulan defeats the Huns. Emperor offers her honor and a job. She just wants to go home. Shang still won’t have anything to do with her. |
| the resolution | Shrek rides the dragon to Dulac, stops the wedding, confronts Farquaad, and tells Fiona he loves her. | Emperor gives Shang a good talking to. He goes after Mulan. A Zhou is proud. She has honor and the girl gets the guy. We celebrate. |
Three Act Structure, defined by Aristotle
Aristotle called this structure Plot. Plot was not just the sequence of events in a story, but also the emotions that were necessary to move the audience through the story.
In the first act, pity and empathy must be established for the hero so that the audience cares about the character and will engage in his pursuit.
Then, the second act is the scene of suffering and challenge, creating fear and tension surrounding the hero and his challenges.
In the final act, fear and tension are released by catharsis, the emotional release that allows for closure to end the story.
