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Domenick
D’Angelo
Professor
Smith
ENG
102
Stardust
Research Paper
Love,
this four letter word that conveys such emotion and drives people to insanity.
Is it merely just one emotion or is it motivation to go beyond what people
think they’re capable of? In the film Stardust
the story of Tristan, a boy who isn’t the most wealthiest head over heels for a
woman name Victoria whom has her eye on someone else and thinks of Tristan as
barely a friend. After attempts for Victoria’s heart, Tristan is trying to
think out of the box to win her over a neighborhood rival. Victoria informs
Tristan that his rival is on an journey to bring a ring to Victoria from a far
away land, proposes that if Tristan is able to bring her a star she will wed
him. Tristan embarks on an insane journey to a forbidden part of town in hopes
to get a star for his beloved Victoria. Tristan’s journey suddenly changes when
the star he was so desperate to find is in a human form called Yvaine and she
is beautiful. His journey becomes their journey; evil witches are on a look for
Yvaine because a star can grant them immortality. During an insane of a chase
and fight, Tristan realizes love is something unconditional one can’t do one
task and suddenly another loves them. He realizes he just had a crush on
Victoria, and in the end Yvaine and him marry. Love conquers all, and love
makes people do crazy things. Throughout the
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entire film you see many interesting
characters that happen to follow archetypes from the Pearson system.
According
to the Pearson System of archetypes, Tristan would follow the archetype of the
lover. Someone who loves unconditional and someone whose love knows know
limits. Despite love being infamous for leaving people with stress and even at
times a broken heart, Tristan fights through extremes for something he truly
believes in. According to a poet from England, Lord Alfred Tennyson who once
said, "It is better to have loved and lost than never to have love at
all." I feel as if Tristan fully believes in that, knowing that love can
make one feel things that aren’t too desirable its worth it in the end because
one put themselves out their for something so precious.
Yvaine
would follow the archetype of the innocent. For many years Yvaine has looked
over Earth and see humans and all their infamous human emotions and she admires
the lengths people go for love. Whether its parental, friendship or romance
love is still love and love is powerful. Yvaine follows the innocent, because
she’s a bit naive, spontaneous and definitely up for an adventure as she did
when she met Tristan. Yavine is an innocent soul, with no evil thoughts or any
clue what it means to be human. But the journey although at first she was being
captive open to her eyes to things she just couldn’t see being a star a million
miles away from humans. That although humans are notorious for destroying
everything, their capacity to love can make them do things that would amaze
themselves if they dove in without a second thought. Adventure especially to
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someone like Yvaine who is an innocent,
can determine a lot of their perception of both life in general and importantly
their inner person.
The evil witch Empusa
would follow the destroyer archetype. According to the novel What Story Are
you Living? “The Destroyer character can be seen as a victim (experiences
tragedy or loss and then has to rebuild his or her life) (120). Empusa is a
victim of vanity, she believes that youth and beauty is everything no matter
what the cost. Being old and hideous to her is considered a tragedy and her
quest to steal Yvaine to be immortal and youthful is what she is willing to do.
Empusa being a destroyer she clearly is willing to destroy anyone or anything
to get what she wants. The final fight scene she kills one of the last of the
King’s sons because he got into her way of getting Yvaine. In the end of the
fight scene Yvaine shined so bright and killed Empusa without having to touch
her. That final moment I thought of the quote from an unknown author, “Destroy
everything you love, before everything you love destroys you.” Empusa felt that
she had to destroy Yvaine to get what she loves, immortality and eternal beauty
but in the end she wasn’t able to and Yvaine destroyed Empusa.
Stormhold’s King would
obviously follow the ruler archetype. He enjoys ruling everything and being in
full control. His greatest fear is no longer being able to be king and having
to pass his royalty to one of his many sons. Although he obviously would prefer
giving it to one of his own children than to have a stranger take his place.
The king
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enjoys the throne too
much. Seeing this character made me think of the quote John Emerich Edward
Dalberg Acton once said, “Absolute power corrupts absolutely.” Power,
fame, money, and social
status can change a person in a blink of an eye. Not only is the person who is
corrupted in grave danger, but also in this case so are the people of Stormhold
under his ruling.
Captain Shakespeare who is played by my favorite actor Rober De Niro
follows the jester archetype. He is filled with joy, humor, and isn’t obsessing
with the negative in the world but still finds the positive. His greatest fear
would probably being too bored, because he is such an advocate of living a
carefree life. When people typically hear the word jester they think of an
unintelligent slave to perhaps a king of some sort and all they do is dance for
the king. But with archetypes they’re not so black and white. Captain
Shakespeare serves himself, as he is the captain of his ship. He entertains
himself; his main goal in life is to make sure he is enjoying life to the
fullest because he is fully aware that life can easily no longer be there for
people. Although his character didn’t have the biggest role, he should’ve
because he can teach people a lot. Breathing and being alive doesn’t mean
you’re living life. Laugh everything off, treat life like it’s a party because
everything in life is temporary the good and the bad.
Archetypes play a big role in works of literature and also in this
case a film, they’re more than just stereotypes, which I initially thought of
when learning about what archetypes were. Archetypes are a system of
personality types that many people
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unknowingly fit to. When
reading the twelve different archetypes I instantly think of people in my own
personal life that would perfectly fit each of the archetypes. Reading
archetypes helped me understand characters a whole lot more, it gives the pros
and cons of a archetype, their hopes and fears, and the true essence of the
character. A better understanding of characters gives people a better
understanding of the story in general and as to why certain characters do
certain things. I wish I‘d learned the twelve archetypes earlier in my English
education; I probably would’ve been able to analyzing characters a whole lot
easier at this point of my education.
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Work
Cited
Pearson, Carol, and Hugh K. Marr. What
Story Are You Living? Gainesville FL: Center for Applications of
Psychological Type, 2007. Print.
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