archetypal hero Essay

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THE ARCHETYPAL HERO BRAVEHEART A hero may be referred to as a person who protects, rescues, and guards. In the case of William Wallace, he fought to protect and guard the freedom of the children of Scotland. In the long battle for independence he gave his life for the ideal that every man should be his own master. He refused to accept the king of England as his own and also refused to confess to treason. In doing so, William Wallace was beheaded. We will be looking into the various character archetypes found in Braveheart There are many character archetypes in the movie. One would include the Father – Son Conflict. In the beginning of the movie William’s father is killed by the British. Wallace was only a child when it happened, now he had become and orphan. Resentment for the British starts to build up inside of him and gets a chance to be released when his wife is attacked by the British soldiers. Another common archetype would be of the Loyal Retainers. These men help to bring out the courageous and brave nature of the hero in his struggle for freedom. In the film these retainers are his loyal soldiers who stand by him all the way to the end. They follow him to battles as well as look out for him when it seems as though danger is near. It seems as if they reflect the exact ideas as him but do not possess the same strength nor leadership to be in his position. Just like the basis of William Shakespeare’s romanic tragedy, Romeo & Juliet, the archetype of Star-crossed lovers also has a role in this story. The woman that William Wallace loved dearly and even secretly married did not survived throughout the story. It seemed as if her fate was to die. In the event of her senseless and gruesome murder by the English officials, Wallace musters up the courage and men to fight against the tyrannical constraints of the English monarchy. Although her death
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