Zach Smith Hero Essay
Zach Smith
Smith 1
5/21/10
Middleton
Period 3
Archetypes of the Titans
What makes Perseus from Clash of the Titians a hero? Many
traits describe Perseus as a hero going on his Hero's Quest. With his
unusual birth by the a Greek god, to defeating the Kraken, this archetype
goes well with him. Both versions of the film have differences but overall
doesn't change. This is the transformation of man into a true hero.
Many of these characters in Clash of the Titans relate to
different archetypes. Persus is a combination of a Anti-Hero and Willingly
Hero. Perseus's mentor would have to be this foster father who he is the
inspiration of his journey. The heralds would have to be the Stygian
Witches because they give information about killing the Kraken but also say
that the Perseus's will die. The Threshold guardians are Medusa, the giant
scriopions, Calibos and finally the Kraken. The women, Andromeda, is a
combination of a scapegoat and damsel-in-distress. Finally, The Shadow is
the Greek god, Hades, who is the main mastermind.
Perseus was born to the father of Zeus, the King of the Greek
gods. In the 1981 version, the mother is the daughter of King Acrisius and
the 2010 version, the mother is the wife of King Argos having them both born
in royalty. Perseus's Hero Journey starts when Hades kills his foster
family and launches him into a revenge-stricken adventure. The death of his
foster parents causes him to seek atonement for their deaths and leaves the
world he once knew. He grows from a fisherman to a top-notched hero.
Like almost every true hero, Perseus needs a special or tool to
use to accomplish his journey. Perseus has a couple of special items that
proves to be useful like in the 2010 version, Perseus receives a sword and
the Pegasus by Zeus. Medusa's head is the ultimate weapon used to defeat
the Kraken turning it to stone. What makes each weapon so special that only
half god/half human can wield them. But not just physical weapons ca
n stop the destruction of villain but they need a strong willed mind to get
through the hardships.
Throughout the Hero's Journey, the Hero needs to prove himself.
In the film, Perseus goes through many trials to prove himself as a true
hero. Perseus defeats the giant scorpions controlled by the Djinn, desert
sorcerers, and then defeats Medusa to gain her head to defeat the Kraken.
Then, Perseus defeats the resurrected Calibos and finally the Kraken and
saves Andromeda in the process. Having saved the city of Argos and the
damsel , Andromeda, He proved himself to be a true hero.
The Clash of Titans is a rough depiction of archetypes and the
Hero's Journey itself. Perseus is a also a mixture of different hero
archetypes that seem to conflict with themselves or change after each event
that occurs to the him. The other characters in the film seem to go well
with their chosen archetypes even with some of them being mixed together.
Seeing this as just another action film, it doesn't not get deep with
archetypes or the Hero's Journey. This may be like just an ordinary action
film but with this information added, it seems a lot more enjoyable.
Bibliography
Clash of the Titans, 2010, film, directed by Louis Leterrier
Archetypes notes
Hero's Journey notes