Archetype Description Example Hero The protagonist of the story Harry Potter Usually brave, honorable, self-sacrificing, and truthful Anti-Hero Lacks typical heroic qualities Severus Snape Can be a protagonist Foil to traditional hero Might do the right thing, but not for the right reasons Shadow Voldemort The antagonist of the story Opposes the hero Dark reflection of the hero Mentor Trains and guides the hero Dumbledore Usually older and wiser Gives gifts and advice Herald Announces the need for a quest Dumbledore Forces the hero to act Hagrid Ally (s) Accompanies and aids the hero Ron Weasley May be comic relief Hermione Rounds out the hero’s personality Neville Longbottom Threshold Guardian Tests the hero The Dursleys Makes the hero face initial fears Hagrid Can become an ally (but does not always!) Trickster Uses humor to aid or test the hero Luna Lovegood Provides comedic relief Cuts the hero’s ego down to size
Archetype Description Example Hero The protagonist of the story Usually brave, honorable, self-sacrificing, and truthful Harry Potter Anti-Hero Lacks typical heroic qualities Can be a protagonist Foil to traditional hero Might do the right thing, but not for the right reasons Severus Snape Shadow The antagonist of the story Opposes the hero Dark reflection of the hero Voldemort Mentor Trains and guides the hero Usually older and wiser Gives gifts and advice Dumbledore Herald Announces the need for a quest Forces the hero to act Dumbledore Hagrid Ally (s) Accompanies and aids the hero May be comic relief Rounds out the hero’s personality Ron Weasley Hermione Neville Longbottom Threshold Guardian Tests the hero Makes the hero face initial fears Can become an ally (but does not always!) The Dursleys Hagrid Trickster Uses humor to aid or test the hero Provides comedic relief Cuts the hero’s ego down to size Luna Lovegood
Archetype-chart-for-summer-reading.docx