Sunday Writing Prompt “Character Archetypes”

The Sacrificial Lamb By: Josefa de Ayala

This list of archetypes is pretty much endless but your job is to choose one or more of these archetypes and create your own character(s) which you will work into a poem or story. Create either a character that comically and rigidly adheres to the basic Hollywood formula or really dig deep and create a more realistic, more complex portrayal.

The Hero/Heroine (the young idealist: the hardened cynic with a desire for justice)
The Villain
The Mentor (helps the hero realize and maximize their potential)
The Shadow (often associated with the villain: represents a person’s dark side)
The Innocent (often a child but can be an animal or anyone with child-like qualities that is in need of rescue or protection: the innocent may have special powers)
The Bad Father (generally represented as a dictator-type figure: they are seen as evil and cruel)
The Bad Mother (is generally depicted as a witch or evil stepmother)
The Bad Child (represented as being psychopathic and manipulative)
The Shapeshifter (can appear in many different forms but their main purpose is to mislead the hero)
The Trickster/Fool (often serves as comic relief: they challenge the status quo but are often too chaotic/unstable/childish to elicit real, meaningful changes on their own)
The Damsel in Distress
The Bully
The Weakling
The Martyr/Scapegoat
The Sage
The Player (a male or female that uses sex appeal and sexual gratification to manipulate/control others)
The Bleeding Heart/Caregiver
The Hopeless Romantic
The Visionary
The Nagging Wife/Shrew
The Deadbeat Husband
The Popular Kid
The Manic Pixie Dream Girl (exists “to teach broodingly soulful young men to embrace life and its infinite mysteries and adventures”- Wikipedia)