An Analysis of Our Archetypal Heroes

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Through nuanced and ever-changing experiences and attitudes, humanity progresses and evolves while still averting to the archetypal hero, and of the quest that these heroes embark on, as a means of justifying the importance of our existence. From these texts and myths, we then adapt the values and attitudes of these heroes to our own textual interpretations and stories in which we place meaning and ideas in our social context, and to explore our own human condition. The ‘Epic of Gilgamesh’ is arguably one of the oldest texts known to man, and of such, presents a foundation in which literature evolves into thousands of appropriations and evolutions of the archetypal quest. Such texts include the novel ‘Cold Mountain’ by Charles Frazier, the quest ridden love story set in the obstacles of war, the futuristic representation of Fascist Germany ‘V for Vendetta’ and the popular TV series ‘Breaking Bad’. Due to constant appropriations of ‘heroes’ throughout texts, and also the presence of ‘role models’ that we admire and aspire to in our present day, it is clear that society will always need a hero, and the values and attitudes of that hero are variable to the current perspectives and ideas of the time. As Jung elaborates, “Archetypes are the result of a collective unconscious created by the experiences of our ancestors”, reflective of the manner in which the archetype evolves throughout our storied existence, constantly referring to our past experiences and social context. Through stories we discover who we are, and so does the individual who embarks on such a quest, or happens to have that quest befallen on them. Throughout our storied existence, heroes and individuals are provoked to go forth on a quest, or undergo internal discovery after a specific event or condition that forces them to create or find meaning for their existence and leave behind a legacy that

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