Literary archetypes

1605 novel by Miguel de Cervantes

thumb|Achilles during the [[Trojan War, as depicted in an ancient Greek polychromatic pottery painting (dating to ).]] thumb|upright|Joan of Arc is considered a medieval Christian heroine of France for her role in the [[Hundred Years' War, and was canonized as a Roman Catholic saint]] thumb|upright|William Tell, a popular [[folk hero of Switzerland.]] thumb|upright|Giuseppe Garibaldi, celebrated as one of the greatest generals of modern times, is considered an Italian national hero for his role in the [[Italian unification, and is known as the "Hero of the Two Worlds" because of his military e

Superman is a superhero created by writer Jerry Siegel and artist Joe Shuster, first appearing in issue #1 of Action Comics, published in the United States on April 18, 1938. Superman has been regularly published in American comic books since then, and has been adapted to other media including radio serials, novels, films, television shows, theater, and video games. Superman is the archetypal superhero: he wears an outlandish costume, uses a codename, and fights evil and averts disasters with the aid of extraordinary abilities. Although there are earlier characters who arguably fit this defini

heroic outlaw in English folklore, a highly skilled archer and swordsman

Merlin () is a mythical figure prominently featured in the legend of King Arthur and best known as a prophet and a magician, along with several other main roles. The familiar depiction of Merlin, based on an amalgamation of historical and legendary figures, was introduced by the 12th-century Catholic cleric Geoffrey of Monmouth and then built on by the French poet Robert de Boron and prose successors in the 13th century. Geoffrey's account presented Merlin as a prophet and royal advisor to Arthur's father, Uther Pendragon.

legendary, fictional libertine

Zorro ( or , Spanish for "fox") is a fictional character created in 1919 by American pulp writer Johnston McCulley, appearing in works set in the Pueblo de Los Ángeles in Alta California. Zorro is typically portrayed as a dashing masked vigilante who defends the commoners and Indigenous peoples of California against corrupt, tyrannical officials and other villains. His signature all-black costume includes a cape, a Cordovan hat (sombrero cordobés), and a mask covering the upper half of his face.

thumb|Count Dracula is an example of a villain in classic literature and film. thumb|Theme from Mysterioso Pizzicato, a [[cliché silent movie cue for villainy ]]

enchantress in Arthurian legend

European Christian legendary figure of a Jew who taunted Jesus and was cursed to immortally walk the Earth until the Second Coming

thumb|The trickster figure Reynard the Fox as depicted in an 1869 children's book by [[Michel Rodange]] In mythology and the study of folklore and religion, a trickster is a character in a story who exhibits a great degree of intellect or secret knowledge and uses it to play tricks or otherwise disobey normal rules and defy conventional behavior. Such a character may be a god, goddess, spirit, human or anthropomorphisation.

concept in psychology

novel by Emma Orczy

Shakespeare character

Shylock ( ; spelled Shylocke in the First Folio) is a fictional character in William Shakespeare's play The Merchant of Venice ( 1600). A Venetian Jewish moneylender, Shylock is the play's principal villain. His defeat and forced conversion to Christianity form the climax of the story.

stock character; youthful but one-dimensional character with overly idealized and hackneyed mannerisms, often considered a stand-in for the author

character in Shakespeare's play Hamlet

Fagin () is a fictional character and the secondary antagonist in Charles Dickens's 1838 novel Oliver Twist. Originally depicted by Dickens as explicitly Jewish, in the preface to the novel, he is alleged to be a "crafty old Jew" and a fence. In the story, Fagin is the leader of a group of children (the Artful Dodger and Charley Bates among them) whom he teaches to make their livings by pickpocketing and other criminal activities, in exchange for shelter. A distinguishing trait is his constant and insincere use of the phrase "my dear" when addressing others. At the time of the novel, he is sai

character in Snow White fairy tale by brothers Grimm

Prospero ( ) is a fictional character and the protagonist of William Shakespeare's play The Tempest.

The Vishakanya ( ) were young women reportedly used as assassins, often against powerful enemies, in Ancient India. Their blood and bodily fluids were purportedly poisonous to other humans, as was mentioned in the ancient Indian treatise on statecraft, Arthashastra, written by Chanakya, an adviser and a prime minister to the first Maurya Emperor Chandragupta (c. 340–293 BC).

fictional character from the Charles Dickens novel Oliver Twist

character from Spanish and Latin American (especially Chilean, Mexican, and Guatemalan) folklore that typifies the rogue, rascal or trickster.

American author and educator

literary archetype referring to a character that rejects established norms and conventions, has been rejected by society, and has themself as the center of their own existence

literary archetype

type of critical theory that interprets a text by focusing on recurring archetypes in literary works

archetype of the witch in Jungian psychology