Literature Quotes:
"I dream of you, to wake: would that I might Dream of you and not wake but slumber on; Nor find with dreams the dear companion gone, As, Summer ended, Summer birds take flight."	Monna Innominata by Christina Rossetti
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Now, that we are familiar with the techniques of writing quality characters (see posts titled: 8 tips and tricks to play Frankenstein) I have decided to continue posting about the characters. The next few posts will be dedicated to the typical character archetypes. I apologize right away to those who dislike fantasy since I am an avid reader of the genre my examples will most likely be taken from the pages of various popular fantasy novels. On the other hand, I will try to gear the info in these posts towards a more general writing audience.

First of all, what is a hero or heroine? (In modern fiction women are no longer restricted to the damsel in distress syndrome awaiting their knight on a white horse to come and save them just think Xena, Buffy or further in time Athena the Greek warrior goddess as well as the Vikings' Valkyries)

The hero or heroine is the central figure in a story. He/she is the character the readers will sympathize with, root for and hope they come out alive and OK from whatever perilous journey they have embarked on. In other words, this character is the protagonist and the story is their story, although not necessarily told from their eyes but nonetheless about them. This is the traditional definition, if you like stories where the hero is a villain read this article by Melanie Anne Phillips for a different approach.

There are 3 main types of heroes or heroines.

The Classic Hero

These types of heroes are the tried-and-true, pure-of-heart and nearly perfect souls that save the day for a living. They are honor bound to save the weak, to rescue cats from trees and fight till their deaths. Their only reward is a soft smile from a pretty lady.

An example is Hercules, son of Zeus, who faces his twelve labors and come out standing tall with an asking for more attitude. Another would be King Arthur and his knights of the round table (I'm not talking Monty Python here), pure of heart and battling their human frailties to overcome adversity. Not to mention the biggest Superhero of all times: Superman- the man of steel himself would be a classic hero example.

These heroes are the embodiment of all that is good; they are role models.

The Anti-Hero (often referred to as the Swashbuckler)

While the Classic hero is what we aspire to be, the swashbuckler is who we really want to be. They are the bad boys and girls of the heroes. Swashbucklers possess most of the good qualities of the Classic heroes, except they are humanized. They smoke, for example, or curse. Usually, anti-heroes uphold the same justice as their fellow Classic Heroes but they do it their way and enjoy breaking the occasional rule to achieve the greater good. In a sense, we as readers prefer this category of heroes simply because they are more realistic and believable. These characters are more likely to occur in real life than lets say Superman. These reluctant heroes appeal to both our adult conscious as well as our inner repressed child with their rebellious and confident attitudes, which is the main reason they are currently so popular in books, movies as well as TV shows. Another feature these heroes possess is the obvious room to grow, to better themselves and perhaps achieve the status of Classic heroes as we read their stories.

Common examples

-Robin Hood stealing from the rich to give to the poor. No matter the reason the classic hero would never steal because it's wrong kids!

-Indiana Jones with his gunslinger adventures

-Lara Croft who breaks the etiquette rules of the privilege and wealthy.

-Buffy Summers, which is mainly concerned with her love affairs and her wardrobe. Yet she still manages to be both the chosen one and a teenager.

The Dark Hero

The dark heroes are perhaps the toughest of the heroes to write and base a story around, as they become so dark they may turn their audiences and have them rooting for the villain. These heroes are usually driven by some kind of tragedy or traumatic event in their life that turns them against the laws of society and, in some rare cases, nature. Dark heroes do not break the rules like the swashbuckler but simply disregards them to get the job done. The best-suited example would be the millionaire Bruce Wayne. He witnesses the death of his parents , falls into a cave while disturbing a family of bats and become the well-known Batman who illegally punishes lawbreakers in his own unique way. Another character who easily falls into this category is Paul Atreides in Frank Herbert's Dune. Driven to the deep deserts of Arrakis after a bloody coup led by House Harkonnen, Paul becomes "Muad'Dib." In the beginning, he is nothing more than a revolutionary, but as the story unfolds so does Paul's evolution into a messiah. While he does use his powers to liberate Arrakis, Paul also uses his newfound abilities to hold the universe for ransom. - Dark Hero examples taken from Tee Moris "Living World."

This how I sum up to myself the 3 main archetypes: God's angel I call the first with their quasi perfect souls, the second god's teenagers with their questioning of authority and the last god's henchmen, those who do the dirty work.

Subtypes of Heroes (can be part of any of the 3 main archetypes)

Wikipedia has a good list of what I call template heroes. They can be part of any of the three main archetypes above. I'm giving out the link simply because reading these will help you categorize your favorite characters from TV and novels but some of these are on their way if not already clichés so try to be original instead of just reinventing a well known character.

Here are a few examples:

-The Chosen One: must typically fulfill some ancient prophecy and then saves the world, frequently has Jesus complex. Typically requires the help of a Wise Old Man or Elderly Martial Arts Master to fulfill this destiny. Almost always of apparently humble origins. Requires multiple sidekicks, often with radically different skills.
Examples include Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Luke Skywalker from Star Wars, Neo from The Matrix, Aragorn in The Lord of the Rings, Harry Potter, Lyra in His Dark Materials, Sabriel in Sabriel, and Martin the Warrior and Matthias in the Redwall books. Almost always the central character.

-The Clumsy Hero: a well-meaning person who often accidentally destroys friend and foe alike, Examples include Inspector Gadget, Edward Scissorhands, Coop of Megas XLR, Frank Drebin of The Naked Gun series, or Inspector Jacques Clouseau of The Pink Panther.

-The Private Investigator: a hero archetype that stumbles into detective stories to solve a mystery case, whether it is a whodunnit murder or any other crime activity. The Private Investigator (or P.I.) is usually cool, relaxed, intelligent, sardonic, and introspective, often relating events through an internal monologue. A stereotype look would see him drink whiskey, smoke cigarettes, dress in a raincoat or trench coat and fedora and be an excellent shooter (based on Clint Eastwood or Humphrey Bogart).

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