Archetype: Difference between revisions

{{tropeUseful Notes}}

An '''archetype''' is a universal theme, story or character which is so fundamental that, regardless of how many times it is used (or misused), it never becomes stale, dated or cliché. This is the opposite of [[Discredited Trope|discredited tropes]], which started out as good ideas but were used so often they became cliché. A "pure" archetype is always a partial personality, rather than a rounded character. In fiction or life, an excessively archetypal character is likely to come across as two-dimensional, if not ''one-''dimensional. (And in real life, they may be mentally ill!)

For example, ''[[Star Wars]]'' was purposefully built upon [[Archetypal Character|Archetypal Characters]]s, to which it owes its longevity. The entire story hinges upon [[The Heros Journey|The Hero's Journey]], which is an [[Archetypal Story]].

* Obi-Wan Kenobi and Yoda ([[The Obi -Wan]], [[Mentor Archetype]])