The Monomyth of the Hero

In the course of analyzing the myths and lore of various world cultures, Joseph Campbell saw an underlying similarity throughout the stories. He then articulated a storyline-structure he believed to be universal for hero-myths. This storyline he called the monomyth.

Here is an outline of the basic structure of the universal hero’s monomyth. I'll be using these narrative points to dissect various films in future posts.

Act I. Departure
- The Call to Adventure
- Refusal of the Call
- Supernatural Aid
- The Crossing of the First Threshold
- The Belly of the Whale

Act II. Initiation
- The Road of Trials
- The Meeting with the Goddess
- Woman as the Temptress
- Atonement with the Father
- Apotheosis
- The Ultimate Boon

Act III. Return
- Refusal of the Return
- The Magic Flight
- Rescue from Without
- The Crossing of the Return Threshold
- Master of the Two Worlds
- Freedom to Live

Here are two diagram images I pulled off google that depict the monomyth in its stages. The first image is more basic while the second is a more in depth description.