Being a major fan of all Disney movies I thought it would be easiest for me to watch and analyze the movie Snow White, being one of my all time favorite Disney movies aside from Beauty and the Beast. As well, everyone seems to know the story.
Like most Disney movies, Snow White contains many mythological archetypes, from heroic archetypes to symbolic archetypes.
The mythological archetypes within Snow White include:
- Heroic archetypes:
"Hero as lover", which is shown, usually, by pure love motivating the hero to complete his quest. This is shown through the character of Prince Charming, as he goes on his search for Snow White, the girl of his dreams.
- Archetypal Journeys:
"The search for love", usually shown by the hero going out to rescue his princess. Which is shown as Prince Charming sets out to find the beautiful princess Snow White, out of his love for her.
- Situational Archetypes:
"Battle Between Good and Evil", usually a situation that pits forces that represent good and evil against one another. In this case, shown by Snow White, who represents all things good and her Stepmother, who represents all things evil.
- Symbolic Archetypes:
"Haven vs. Wilderness", which are usually used to represent places of safety, contrasting against the dangerous wilderness. This is shown through the home of the seven dwarfs, in the forest, where Snow White stays after she gets entrapped by the forest's strong grasps.
"Black", normally used to represent chaos, misery, death, or evil. In the case of the movie Snow White, black is worn by the stepmother, and is often associated with her, giving the idea that she is evil, and will cause chaos.
"White", commonly used to present the ideas of purity, peace, innocence and goodness. In this movie, Snow White dresses in white and in the beginning white birds are singing with her, giving the viewer this idea that Snow White is a pure, innocent and peaceful character.
"Forest", most commonly shown in media, to represent evil, lost feelings or fear. In this movie, Snow White does get lost in the forest, and this atmosphere shows her fear and the evil of her stepmother as she runs into the forest, fleeing from her evil stepmother who is trying to kill her.
"The Number Seven", usually used to represent hope, divinity, mankind, and Godliness. This archetype is shown through the seven dwarfs that Snow White finds living in the woods, where they represent hope for the princess who has become lost in the woods.
"Shadow",often used to show someones dark side, evil or the devil. This is portrayed both in the forest, showing the evil of Snow White's situation and across the faces of the stepmother, the old hag, and the hunter who is hired to kill Snow White, presenting the idea that these characters are evil.
- Character Archetypes:
"Friendly Beasts", often the animals that assist the hero on their journey, reflecting that nature is on their side. This would be the chipmunks, bunnies, squirrels, birds and raccoons in the forest, who lead Prince Charming to Snow White.
"The Damsel In Distress", normally portrayed by a vulnerable woman who must be rescued by the hero. In this case, Snow White portrays this character, needing to be saved by Prince Charming.
"The Devil Figure", often a character that represents evil. This character role is portrayed through the evil stepmother.
"The Evil Figure with the Ultimately Good Heart", Usually a redeemable devil figure who is saved by the hero's nobility or good heart. In Snow White, this character is seen through the hunter, hired to kill Snow White for the evil Stepmother, who, in the end, lets Snow White leave, with a warning to run far far away because her stepmother is trying to kill her.
"The Hunting Group of Companions", These are normally loyal companions who are willing to face a number of challenge to stay together. This group is portrayed through the seven dwarfs as they always stick together through tough times, for example, when Snow White "dies" near the end of the movie
Despite the fact that the hero and his journey are not the main focal points in the movie, the stages of his journey and the characteristics of his journey can still be extracted and compared to that of the mythological stages and characteristics of a hero's journey.
Some of the Characteristics of Prince Charming's journey include:
-The Hero struggles for something valuable or important
In this case, Prince Charming is struggling to find Snow White, his true love.
Along with his external struggles to find her, he also has to deal with the internal struggle after finding her "dead".
The Stages of Prince Charming's Journey:
- Departure: The time when the hero is called to an adventure. This is the point in time when Prince Charming finds out what has happened to Snow White and when he sets out to find her.
- Initiation: The point in a hero's journey where he crosses into a new, more dangerous world and gains a more mature perspective. In Snow White, this is when Prince Charming crosses into the dark, dangerous forest, and risks his life to save his princess.
- The road of trials: The hero is given supernatural aid, endures tests of strength, resourcefulness and endurance. This section is when Prince Charming is aided by the Forest animals, to find Snow White.
- The Innermost Cave: The point of the movie or story when the hero descends into a place of great trial, and through the experience, the hero changes internally. This takes place when Prince Charming finds Snow White "dead".
- Return and Reintegration with Society: The hero uses his wisdom to restore fertility and order to the land. This section of the hero's journey is addressed when Prince Charming wakes Snow White from her sleep and they both return to their land and live happily every after with no evil stepmother.
In Snow White, the hero puts his life on the line to save his lover that he has only known for one day. A man hired to kill a young, beautiful girl in the revenge of her own stepmother, tells the girl to run away because her life is in danger. A person's life is saved out of pure love, and an evil person is destroyed leaving the land peaceful and pure once again.
In what other modern movies or books does the reader/viewer witness the hero risking his life to save their lover? Are there any myths that you know of, both in Greek and Roman Mythology, that also follow this trend?
Is the idea of a person risking their life to save another person whom they have only known for one day, likely to happen in society today? If so, does that mean that mythological archetypes, both situational and character, exist in our lives today?
