This lesson is adapted from 45 Master Characters: Mythic Models for Creating Original Characters by Victoria Lynn Schmidt.
Continuing on with archetypes, and this time the men get their spotlight.
Apollo: The Businessman
"The Businessman is a man on the go who constantly thinks about his work. His strong logical mind makes him great at being a team player and a trustworthy employee but doesn't help him to be a great husband or father. He doesn't know how to let loose and play with the kids, so he often takes work home to avoid family life.
...He understands the nature of cause and effect and lives his life accordingly. He can set goals and reach them where other men fall. His focus is rock solid; his actions clear and precise. He loves to plan and set high standards for himself and others, but he often falls short of his ultimate goals because he lacks the ruthlessness to reach them. He does well in a large corporation or on the faculty of a large college." -Schmidt
What does he care about?
-His career
-Being the calm and centered man in the room
-Strategic planning and team playing
-Competition
What does he fear?
-Losing his career
-Chaos
-Rejection
What motivates him?
-Self-esteem and self-respect
-Competition
-Success
How do other characters see him?
-Some see him as phony
-Doesn't stand out from the crowd in physical appearance
-No passion or love for life
Examples from pop culture:
-Commander Spock in Star Trek
-Professor Henry Higgins in My Fair Lady
-Sherlock Holmes in the stories by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
-Ebenezer Scrooge in A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens
Ares: The Protector
"The Protector is a man who lives in his body instead of his head. He feels everything intensely and craves physical activity of all kinds. He protects the ones he loves so fiercely it seems as if he's fighting for his own pleasure alone. He doesn't need much of a reason to fight or react harshly in a situation." -Schmidt
What does he care about?
-Winning the fight
-His friends and family
What does he fear?
-Not being able to protect those he cares about
-A desk job
-Having to use his mind too much
What motivates him?
-Survival
-Risk
How do other characters see him?
-Intense and passionate or thickheaded and bullish
-Intimidating
Examples from pop culture:
-Han Solo in Star Wars
-Superman
-Lancelot
-Romeo in Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare
Hades: The Recluse
"The Recluse is a man who has a rich inner life and creative spirit but can sometimes get lost in his own fantasies. He may be a sensitive man who can see other realms, a sort of psychic, and is in danger of totally withdrawing from reality altogether.
He can also be a great philosopher who spends hours reading and analyzing ideas. If he finds the right woman, he can have a small family life and enjoy some companionship, but the entire relationship is up to her. He has no skill in that department and may be distant for days at a time. Hestia is the perfect woman for him. She enjoys being alone." -Schmidt
What does he care about?
-Being alone
-His inner world
-His hobbies and projects
What does he fear?
-Large groups of people
-Losing his mind in one of his fantasy worlds
-His own emotions
-The enormous world
What motivates him?
-Need to know and understand
-Need to be alone
How do others see him?
-A bland person devoid of personality
-Fragmented and disorderly
Examples from pop culture:
-Beast in Beauty and the Beast
-The Phantom in Phantom of the Opera
-Victor Frankenstein in Frankenstein by Mary Shelley
Hermes: The Fool
"The Fool is a man who is still a boy inside. He won't grow up and doesn't feel inferior to others; he thinks they're somewhat blind to their own boring and shallow existences. People often flock around him after work because they know he'll lead them to the party where they can unwind.
He enjoys playing around and not acting his age. He thinks stressed-out businessmen are just plain crazy. He believes life should be fun and he's determined to enjoy himself. And he doesn't need a big fancy house with an expensive car in the driveway to do it.
...He loves to be the go-between, circulating through many social cliques. He doesn't care if what he's doing is legal or not. The consequences of his actions aren't important to him because he lives in the moment as a free spirit. he won't go as far as to hurt someone, but that's his only moral code. He'll try anything once, and the more people present to witness his actions the better." -Schmidt
What does he care about?
-His freedom
-A challenge
-Remaining youthful and carefree
What does he fear?
-Losing his freedom
-Boredom
-Not taking risks
-Commitments
What motivates him?
-The need to know and understand
How do other characters see him?
-Unpredictable and fascinating or childish and flighty
-Imagination is always working
Examples from pop culture:
-Peter Pan in Peter Pan
-Puck in A Midsummer Night's Dream by William Shakespeare
-Tom Sawyer in The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain
Dionysus: The Woman's Man
"The Woman's Man is a man who genuinely loves women. They captivate him. He isn't necessarily effeminate and can be very masculine. He simply loves everything about women and views them as equal or better than himself. He worships women and has stronger friendships with them than he does with other men. He'll never be one of the guys and cares nothing about the old boys' network." -Schmidt
What does he care about?
-Ecstasy, fun, love
-Dreaming
-His female friends
What does he fear?
-Being persecuted
-Losing his female friendships
-Losing his chances to experience things
-Having his dreams exposed as fantasies that will never come true
What motivates him?
-Love and belonging
-Esoteric ideas
How do other characters see him?
-A dreamer
-Great conversationalist
Examples from pop culture:
-Jack Dawson in Titanic
-Count Dracula in Dracula by Bram Stoker
Osiris: The Male Messiah
"The Messiah is the archetype of androgyny. Both the male and female version of this archetype are identical except for the fact that the male preaches and shows the way to love and enlightenment while the female is the way to love and enlightenment.
"The Male Messiah archetype can also contain any of the other archetypes, which will help him to achieve his goals in this lifetime. For example, William Wallace in Braveheart is a savior of his people who embodies the Ares/Protector archetype to go to war and achieve his goal of freedom.
...The Male Messiah has the ability to see the whole picture when it comes to problems. He never jumps to conclusions or gets involved in the gossip or drama of everyday life." -Schmidt
What does he care about?
-Himself as well as others
-Others recognizing their own divine nature
-Healing the soul above healing the body
What does he fear?
-That people will be led astray by those on the wrong path
-He won't be taken seriously
-Running out of time to fulfill his mission
What motivates him?
-Being connected to something greater than himself
-Facing his fears
-Sense of purpose
How do other characters see him?
-Either good or bad
-Idealistic, crazy, or on a power trip
-Divine, wise, giving
-Jealous of him
Examples from pop culture:
-Luke Skywalker in Star Wars
-Neo in The Matrix
-Gandhi
-Robin Hood
-William Wallace
-Martin Luther King
-Superman
Poseidon: The Artist
"The Artist is a man who is in touch with his emotions but may not always be the mast of them. He can channel his feelings into a creative act, or he can let them simmer under the surface without an outlet until he bursts, lashing out at everyone around him. He has a hard time fitting into a world that devalues men who express their emotions, and this adds to his insecurity and anger. Anger seems to be the only acceptable emotion he is allowed to express, yet his feelings run the gamut from love to rage.
...He doesn't realize the strength his emotions hold. He's very spontaneous and alive. He can amuse himself for hours with a simple toy or switch from one activity to another without missing a beat. If he can learn to control his outburst, he can be a healthy and vibrant person who deals well with stress and the complexities of life. If his emotions control him, he feels out of sync with the world around him and becomes a time bomb capable of going off at any moment." -Schmidt
What does he care about?
-Releasing his emotions
-What others think of him
-Being treated as an equal
-Appearing in control
-Getting behind a creative project
What does he fear?
-Being seen as inferior to other men
-Himself
-Creative blocks
What motivates him?
-Survival
-Being important
How do other characters see him?
-Some as neurotic and having no boundaries, or passionate, spontaneous, and alive
Examples from pop culture:
-Vincent Van Gogh
-Tristan in Arthurian legend
-Othello in Othello by William Shakespeare
-Prospero in The Tempest by William Shakespeare
Zeus: The King
"Unlike the Male Messiah who sees the whole picture and knows how everyone will be affected by his actions, the King sees only the big picture (which ignores the details) and is unable to see how a decision he makes will affect others on a smaller scale.
...He's a very strong man who can lead armies to victory and motivate people with his character and charm. He's a great strategist who can relate to other men and offer them exactly what they want to come over to his side. His word is law but he'll allow other men the option of saving face in front of him."
What does he care about?
-Having a kingdom to rule over
-Being admired and respected for his power
-Those under his command
-Being the best
What does he fear?
-Someone stronger, younger, faster, and smarter will come along and knock him down
-His emotions because they're so foreign to him
What motivates him?
-Self-esteem and self-respect
-Maintaining power
How do other characters see him?
-Either as a role model or an egomaniac
-Unemotional
-Very confident and sometimes arrogant
Examples from pop culture:
-King Arthur
-Julius Caesar
-Long John Silver in Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson
-Marc Antony in Antony and Cleopatra by William Shakespeare
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