The Monomyth Throughout Time
Ever since the dawn of time, human artistic expression has always been prevalent regardless of the medium through which it was conveyed. Even back when people were living in caves, they still found ways to produce paintings that give us, the humans of today, a window to a time where certain stories were already a very deep part of our psyche. Analyzing the art of the past and comparing it to the many different artworks up to the present, we have found that there were significant overlaps in the themes explored by mankind throughout history. These patterns have become more refined over the ages with the introduction of newer technology that provided advanced artistic media which opened the doors to many creative endeavors. A certain theme that reoccurs with almost every new medium is the archetype of the hero, also known as the monomyth. How did the artistic manifestation of the archetype of the hero develop with the advancement of media?
“Great stories are representations of patterns of adaptive behavior”
– Jordan B. Peterson
First of all, an understanding of how the theme emerged in the human psyche and why is required. It seems that the hundreds of thousands of years that preceded the advent of humans have played an important role in the origination of this universally shared idea of the hero. For a long time, primates had to survive the wild and chaotic conditions the world forced upon them. Therefore, they sought individuals within their groups that displayed certain characteristics that would lead to a more secure and elevated standard of living. These characteristics would come to be the foundational traits found in the story of the hero. The primates understood that in order to motivate members of their group to step up and take on the burdens of having to take the lead, these members would have to be the most praised and rewarded individuals of the pack. Hence, the glorious image of the hero has taken its place in the primitive mind as a motivation towards survival. That is why, we as humans, to this day, manifest particular heroic traits through our character and to answer the question as to why we have written and told many stories regarding this archetype, Joseph Campbell puts it concisely: “Because that is what is worth writing about.”
Heroic Features
Having understood the roots of this phenomenon, it has to be noted that there are certain principle elements that a hero-themed artwork incorporates in order to tell a good story. These elements pertain to the aforementioned image of the hero that exists in everyone’s subconscious. The first feature that should be noted and dealt with is that of size. Size determined strength in the primitive world, and this made the figure of the hero very one dimensional in that the hero was a big strong character and that was it. This limited the scope of who is considered to be a strong person which actually has widened since our divulgence from our primate ancestors. Humans have developed advanced capabilities that are various, and a human did not need to be large in stature to be considered great. Bearing that in mind, one feature that heroes must display is a level of bravery regardless of whether they feel fear or not. An indicator of bravery is a firm stance while facing the challenge, with the shoulders back showing that the hero is ready to face a problem head-on. Another feature of a hero is a determination with an unbreakable will. No matter how dire the situation may be, the hero’s will does not falter and remains strong as the will is something that we as humans can control. The strong are not necessarily those who deal the most damage to others, rather they are those who, when damaged, are still determined to struggle and fight.
Here is an experiment to see if people from different backgrounds would display similar notions of what a hero could be. Each person was given a pencil and a piece of paper and told to draw what is their own individual idea of what a strong person would be.
These were the results:
There is an evident overlap in what people’s idea of a strong person is. Some drawings were of people dressed in superhero costumes as that is the modern depiction of a hero.
Then and now
An analysis of art from ancient times to our modern day would reveal any possible changes or developments of the monomyth throughout history. The earliest works that convey the theme are stories and based on those stories artworks were produced. The story of Odysseus is an example of an ancient rendering of the hero’s journey and several statues were constructed in order to catch a glimpse of the protagonist’s character. Both the Greeks and the Romans built sculptures showcasing Odysseus and conveying the same features aforementioned. Odysseus is often depicted to have a muscular build and seems to either be going through a struggle or is actively seeking a challenge, all of which communicates a level of bravery.
Greek mythology is full of many stories relating to the monomyth, however, as the experiment indicates, people of different backgrounds can conjure up similar ideas. Therefore, taking a look at another culture would be imperative to see if the experiment holds up. In ancient Egyptian mythology, the deity known as Horus is also said to be a heroic figure. Contrasting his large size with the other beings clearly shows his superiority to them in this relief.
These artworks do not inspire the feeling of awe to us nowadays as they did to the people at the time. People of today have been accustomed to more advanced methods that stimulate us such as films.
A lot of ancient artworks regarding heroism and struggle were made to inspire the onlookers, and at the time of their production, they did. However, these same works do not have the same inspirational and emotional impact on people today as they did back then. This is due to the development of artistic media and what people nowadays are accustomed to. A statue displaying a certain emotional event, such as Laocoon and his sons, may not have the same feel and experience to view as say a film where images are moving, people are talking, and music is playing. Media has changed a lot throughout the years and especially the last few decades and artists are discovering new tools that help their art grow and innovate. Film is a very popular method of conveying messages and has been utilized to recreate the monomyth in a way never experienced before. The relatively new form of presentation combines the usage of many different media such as video, sound, acting, a theatre, an editing process. All this to produce one final product that will convey a message that would reach people. Some of the most successful of all time are based on superheroes who directly manifest the monomyth. Film has multiple layers to enhance the final screening for the consumers which offers a well-rounded experience unlike a statue or a painting.
The leap that art has taken from the dawn of time to the present is probably going to be a mere milestone of what artists can do compared to what is yet to come. If artworks and their effect on people can vastly improve throughout the years as they already have, who can say what innovations the future may hold? Artists are always thinking ahead, trying to see what might work and what won’t refining their craft along the way. With whatever may come of new technology, the monomyth will surely be recreated to further continue to amaze those who appreciate a good story.
