Harry Potter 15 Archetypes Of The Main Characters

Harry Potter: 15 Archetypes Of The Main Characters

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1 Harry Potter: 15 Archetypes Of The Main Characters

Most of the Harry Potter characters fit into classic character archetypes, but which archetype applies to which character?

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Psychologist Carl Jung explored archetypes as part of his notion of a collective unconscious, claiming that humanity has a basic, shared set of character types. Joseph Campbell found the use of archetypes over and over in traditional and creation stories throughout the world. His ideas became the basis of his 1949 book The Hero With A Thousand Faces.

Jung had twelve basic archetypes and Campbell had eight, but many additional useful variants have since been claimed. Character archetypes perform a function within a story to argue either for or against the central premise, which with Harry Potter is the assertion that love in all its varied forms (compassion, empathy, mercy, and fraternal, filial, and romantic love) is stronger than the most oppressive and darkest forces allayed against it. The premise is not to be confused with the journey: Harry Potter’s central mission is to gather enough strength, skill, experience, and allies to defeat Voldemort. Here’s one way to look at J.K. Rowling’s characters through the lens of archetypes.

Updated on January 3rd, 2021 by Amanda Bruce: Harry Potter remains a huge part of pop culture today thanks to spin-off movies, Broadway shows, and the collective obsession with classifying both fictional and real people into their Hogwarts houses. The interest in the franchise only means that there’s always room for a more in-depth look at it and the characters. Accordingly, we’ve expanded this list with a further 5 archetypes embodied by the main characters of the series, from the villains and heroes to everyone else in-between.

15 The Warrior/Hero (Also The Orphan): Harry Potter

In a typical Hero/Shadow pairing, the Hero faces seemingly insurmountable odds because the Shadow is better equipped and just as motivated. This is certainly true of Harry Potter, who starts his Hero’s Journey an orphan child living in a closet with a scar and no training.

Harry has no knowledge of his past and is already targeted for assassination by one of the most powerful evil wizards in history. Talk about a disadvantage! Thankfully, Harry has the grit, courage, intellect, empathy, and kindness of heart necessary to gain both the skills and supportive allies needed to confront Voldemort, the Dark Lord.

14 The Jester/Trickster: Fred And George Weasley

The entirety of the Weasely family becomes embroiled in the fight against Voldemort early in the series. In reality, all of them could be considered Allies – those who help the Hero in their quest – but Ron’s older twin brothers play another role during the stories set at Hogwarts as well.

The Jester or Trickster is often the comic relief. They make the audience laugh and relieve the tension otherwise felt in the Hero’s Journey. In the case of Fred and George, that means playing pranks, cracking jokes, and developing Weasley’s Wizarding Wheezes, all while encouraging their peers to rebel against an oppressive authority.

13 The Friendly Beast: Hedwig

Fans could probably argue that there are numerous species outside of wizards that Harry meets on his journey who could fill this role. The Friendly Beast is often a non-human creature who helps lead the Hero in their quest.

While Hedwig doesn’t speak, she does provide Harry with some of his first steps into the world of wizards. She’s Hagrid’s gift to Harry early on, and remains a companion for him throughout his days at Hogwarts, allowing him to communicate with his allies all over the wizarding world.

12 The Ruler: Cornelius Fudge

The role of The Ruler is exactly what the name implies: an authority figure that holds sway over other characters. The Ruler can be either a help or a hindrance to the Hero on their journey, but they often find themselves out of touch with the reality of their situation.

Cornelius Fudge, the Minister of Magic for much of Harry’s formative years is just that. His influence on the community forces denial of Voldemort’s existence and sees those who believe in Harry act in secret.

11 The Caregiver: Molly Weasley

Those familiar with classic archetypes in literature might also reference The Caregiver as The Good Mother, but a Caregiver doesn’t have to be a mother, or even a woman, to fill this specific role. It’s someone who helps to provide structure in the Hero’s life, someone who helps care for them but doesn’t necessarily go on their journey with them.

Molly is not an active participant in the Hero’s journey until about halfway into the series, but she is there to provide Harry with a comforting environment, and a family in which everyone gets fairly disciplined instead of targeted. She helps give Harry hope and purpose, giving him a window into what he’s fighting for.

10 The Shadow/Villain: Voldemort

A common thread among well-defined villains is that they are often meaningfully connected to the hero, and it’s very much the case with Harry and Voldemort. Their wand-cores each come from tail feathers of Dumbledore’s phoenix, Fawkes (and they both in their own ways die and resurrect like phoenixes themselves).

They share a magical connection through Harry’s scar, where they each can see into the mind or experience of the other. Voldemort is set on killing Harry and finishing his takeover of the wizarding world that had been preempted by Harry and his parents when Harry was an infant.

9 Threshold Guardians: The Dursley Family/The Death Eaters

The function of Threshold Guardians is to thwart the progress of the hero, though they aren’t always serious obstacles. The Dursleys are quite abusive toward Harry, especially early on in the series. But as Harry gains confidence, the Dursleys get their comic comeuppance (more than once) and we get the satisfaction of feeling karmic balance in the process. The Dursleys only block Harry’s initial path to Hogwarts in Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone.

However, Harry must first battle the very deadly and very destructive Death Eaters in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire before he battles Voldemort in the flesh for the first time.

8 The Herald/Child/Mentor: Hagrid

Herald characters typically appear at the beginning of the hero’s journey as part of what Campbell calls the “Call to Adventure.” Hagrid liberates Harry from the Durselys at the beginning of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, informs Harry of his true wizard nature and origins, and acts as a mentor for the first few chapters (at least until Harry’s true mentor, Dumbledore, can take over the role).

Hagrid goes on to be a steadfast ally to Harry for the entire series. He also fits the archetypal function of The Child. With this archetype, we have a character trapped in a perpetual naiveté. Several major plot points turn on Hagrid’s innocence and inability to read bad intentions.

7 The Mentor/Sage: Albus Dumbledore

One of the richest mentor characters in the history of middle-grade fiction must be Albus Dumbledore, whose steady guiding hand is a powerful argument for the premise mentioned above. When all the wizards around him refuse to speak Voldemort’s name in favor of the much darker “He who must not be named,” Dumbledore counsels Harry to do differently, recognizing both the power of fear and the need for Harry to not give in to it.

The mentor archetype draws its power from the notion that their experience and wisdom come from walking a similar path in the past to the one the hero is currently on. It is not uncommon for the mentor to undergo a serious sacrifice.

6 The Mentor/Outlaw: Sirius Black

Harry’s Godfather, Sirius, is the main Mentor for Harry’s inner journey because he emotionally connects Harry to his dead parents. Dumbledore helps Harry navigate his actions, while Sirius helps Harry navigate his feelings.

Sirius also represents the outlaw archetype in a very literal sense, having broken out from Azkaban prison and spending much of his time in hiding. As is common with many Mentor characters, Sirius winds up a sacrifice for the cause, and Harry experiences great loss when Sirius is killed in battle.

5 The False Mentor: Mad-Eye Moody/Barty Crouch Jr.

In addition to the Mentors who actually help the Hero prepare for their quest, there can also be False Mentors. These characters aren’t always going to be villains, but they will be someone who the audience mistakenly believes to be filling the Mentor role.

In this case, the person the audience thinks is Mad-Eye Moody as the Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, but is really Barty Crouch Jr. in disguise, makes for a great False Mentor. This is a character who does build Harry, and even some of his classmates, up, teaching them useful magical skills, but it’s also someone whose main goal is to get Harry to Voldemort.

4 The Companion: Cho Chang And Ginny Weasley

Since this story does take place in a school, it’s inevitable that romance comes up as something Harry must deal with.

As he grows from a boy into a young man, the way he handles romance is a reflection of his growth as a hero. That is to say, he starts out awkwardly but gets better. He marries Ginny in the end.

3 The Ally: Ron Weasley

Because the mission/adventure is too difficult for Harry to tackle alone, he needs allies. Ron’s friendship and his family’s deep experience in the wizarding world help keep Harry grounded.

And Ron is at Harry’s side for just about every adventure, misguided or not. Ron is like a brother to Harry and over time the Weasley family becomes Harry’s surrogate family.

2 The Ally: Hermione Granger

Harry would not have survived his journey were it not for Hermione’s patience, studiousness, and steadfast friendship. Hermione is light years ahead of Ron and Harry in her maturity and often has to spell things out for them.

While Harry’s bond with Ron is centered around loyalty and trust, his bond with Hermione has abiding respect at its heart. She is like a sister to Harry. J.K. Rowling herself, however, expressed regret that she romantically paired Hermione with Ron instead of Harry, claiming, the two were “a better fit.”

1 The Shapeshifter: Severus Snape

The allegiances and missions of the Hero and the Shadow are crystal clear, but changeability, uncertainty, and unclear loyalties are the defining traits of the Shapeshifter, and Severus Snape embodies that grey zone beautifully.

His past as a Death Eater in service of Voldemort, his dripping dislike of Harry, and his antipathy toward Harry’s dead father James and his godfather Sirius on the one hand, and Albus Dumbledore’s unflinching trust in him on the other, Snape keeps us guessing at who he really serves.

Link Source : https://screenrant.com/harry-potter-archetypes-main-characters/

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