CHARACTERS in a STORY - The archetypes Part I

Authors like  Christopher Vogler present us with an extensive list of types of characters that we call ARCHETYPES. They are the type of characters that you need to include in your story. If you have a protagonist who has a task, which is walking from A to B and he does it in one go, the story will be simple and boring... maybe even there is no story. Now we have the same protagonist with exactly the same task, walking from A to B, but on the way another guy appears and create lots of issues that make the protagonist to move to C and D before finally he can reach the B. That will be more interesting.

But let's start from the beginning.  I think Vogler's ehxaustive list sometimes become a bit repetitive with some archetypes being coincidente with anothers. Is not a disagreement (who am I to do so) but is a simplification. I turned the Vogler's archetypes in an easier diagram.

First of all I create the protagonist or the Hero of the story. I put him in the centre of the universe. All the other ones will surround him and push him or pull him from his final objective.

The PROTAGONIST will have a task in the story which can be so many different things: Conquer the Castle, Win the Battle, Get the Girl, Become Rich, Find happiness, Build a life...

In his journey to achieve that he will have plenty of other circunstances and characters that prevent him to do it. They are the ANTAGONISTS. It doesn't need to be another person. It can be an object or a strenght from the other world. In Castaway, Chuck Nolan (Tom Hanks) is trying to survive in a desert Island, just like Robinson Crusoe 200 years before. The Antagonist in both stories is the Island. It's the Island which prevents the hero to return home. Is not any human being who stops them to do it.

In other way both Heros have a friend, who I call here a COMPANION, someone/something that helps the hero to survive in the Island and does the journey, or part of it,  with him. A FRIEND. Robinson Crusoe has Friday the indigenous and Chuck Nolan has.... Wilson the Ball.

Both of them help the hero to keep his sanity, even with the insane conversations with a ball or to a indigenous who can't speak the same language. But that conversations maybe help Chuck and Robinson to survive during the time they were trapped in that Island.

I will continue for some time with this diagram of characters.

CYA.