Posts Tagged ‘Trickster’

Robin Hood and the Making of an Outlaw Hero

Monday, June 14th, 2010

Ridley Scott’s 2010 film Robin Hood has been touted as being “Robin Hood as you’ve never seen him.”  Well, it depends on the “you” and the “seen.”

[What follows contains Spoilers, so if you haven't seen it, you've been warned.]

Certainly, many of the tellings of Robin Hood are about Robin’s life as the leading outlaw of Sherwood Forest.  Some versions have touched on what went before, how he came to be an outlaw, or what happened late in life.

The British television series in the 1980s showed how first a yeoman

and then an Earl’s son

became Robin Hood.  The Kevin Coster film Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves

shows Robin as a nobleman crusader who returns home to fight injustice.  1976’s Robin and Marion

also showed Robin as a crusader, who followed Richard the LionHeart off to war (after many forest adventures) and then returned home a much older man after the King’s death.

The literature and legends of Robin Hood cover many variations of how Robin became Robin Hood.  So, the claim that Scott’s Robin would be nothing like what you knew before is actually stretching the point, even if just limited to film appearances (and yes, I skipped mentioning the Flynn version).  Scott’s film doesn’t really stray very far from the core of the myth of Robin Hood as it has become.

First off, Robin Hood is one of the key examples of what an Outlaw Hero is.  Of the community, but not in it.  And the hero addresses some flaw in society.  So far, so good. We’re on track.

One thing that Scott’s Robin Hood does do is make our hero, Robin Longstride, a Transformer.  By being present in a scene, this Robin changes things.  More usually, one would expect Robin Hood to be a Trickster, the underdog who punctures illusions and outwits “bigger” opponents.  But Scott doesn’t go that route.

Early on in the film, King Richard explores his camp with his aide Robert Loxley, looking for an honest man.  They encounter a brawling Robin, who has been entertaining fellow soldiers with the shell game.  Then he is asked by the King to be honest and tell whether he thinks the King’s actions have pleased God.  Remember, as a Transformer, Robin changes things.  Even though Loxley tries to surrepticiously warn him against honesty, Robin says no, and cites a massacre Richard ordered in the Holy Land.

His honesty gets him put into stocks, where he is sitting when the King is killed.  Robin and his co-horts use the situation to cover their escape from Richard’s army.

As they head back to England, they encounter the ambush of the English messengers taking the news of Richard’s death - and Richard’s crown - back to England.  And Robert Loxley is the leader.  With his dying breaths, Loxley charges Robin with returning his sword to his father.  Robin decides to honor the request and does so by taking on Loxley’s identity.

Taking on a new identity certainly does transform things for a character.  But in doing this, Robin not only changes his social identity, he takes up the “burden” and responsibilities belonging to Loxley.  And in taking on that role he changes himself.  Likewise, in taking on Loxley’s identity, he has to take on Loxley’s wife.  This is yet another change for Robin (and for Marion).

Once he takes on this identity, his presence changes the way people react around him.  Their response to his perceived status strengthens his inherent resolution and leadership abilities.  That too changes him.

Onward the story goes, with the circumstances changing Robin and him changing the circumstances.  Right up to the point where King John rejects the changes in the power structure that had been prepared by Robin’s father and the Barons years before.  John declares Robin to be outlawed and so the “Legend Proper” begins.

There’s not much here that is alien to the nature of the Robin Hood legend.  Scott’s changes are, in effect, a distinction without much difference.  The one key “difference” in Ridley Scott’s version is that instead of a Trickster, he has given us the story of how a Transformer becomes an Outlaw Hero.

As always, feel free to comment here, or on the MESSAGE BOARD.

Pictures from Robin of Sherwood property of Goldcrest Films Int., Harlech Television, ITV.  / Picture from Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves property of Warner Bros. Pictures / Picture from Robin and Marion property of Columbia Pictures / Pictures from Robin Hood property of Universal Pictures.

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A Game for Tricksters and Shapeshifters

Monday, May 24th, 2010

We don’t often think of mythic archetypes as something we would apply to our daily lives.  And yet our own little personal mythologies can shape our social interactions.

I’ve been thinking about this lately, while wathcing Season 20 of Survivor.  Twice a year, this show sends a bunch of people off to some remote location, puts them through a variety of contests and then makes them vote each other out of the game.  Because the players are all living together in rough camps, the nature and quality of their social behavior can have a big effect on how far an individual may last in the game.  And the game is designed in such a way that merely getting to the Final Two or Three is not necessarily an indication of good gameplay on your part: it could be because other players know you are so disliked that if given a choice between you and themselves, the jury (players previously voted out) will not give you the big prize.

Over the years, there have been those who believed that winning at challenges is the key to winning the whole.  Or making big plays to dump athletes or very social players.  Some have believed that controlling all actions of their alliances is the winning way.  Others choose to stay under the radar, not being too outstanding, or too obnoxious, or too visible in any fashion.

But all of these approaches are affected by the presentation each player makes of his or her self.  This seemed particularly evident in Survivor’s Season 20, which was labeled up-front “Heroes Versus Villains.”  In this case, the players did not really self-select these designations.  And yet, some embraced the labels, some rejected them, and some didn’t care.  On an obvious level, Rupert deeply embraced the designantion of “hero,” to the degree that he was very reluctant to ally with a so-called “villain.”  Colby as well clung to his perception of “playing with honor.”  Russell gleefully plowed through players as chief villain (calling himself “king” several times).  Coach, who seemed disconcerted to be classed as a villain, set out to play with what he perceived as honor and warrior ethics.

The problem with all this is that the game of Survivor is not designed to accommodate such self-perceptions.  The social aspect of the game ends up ruling the final decisions of the jury, the people who will choose the million dollar winner.  Thus, insisting that just being “athletic and winning challenges” won’t help someone who doesn’t get along with his or her tribe-mates.  For those who believe they can “play with honor,” the reality is that they will have to breakk a promise at some point if they want to stay in the game.

The game of Survivor favors those who can operate in the modes of the mythic figures of Tricksters and Shapeshifters.

The Trickster, let us remember, is one who punctures illusions, works from the position of being an underdog, and who keeps the sense of humor at hand.  Not that the ojbect is to be the “class clown,” but rather to keep the sense of balance in the face of incongruity.  Tricksters keep an eye toward the best opportunities for bringing down “the big guys.”  A Trickster knows vividly he or she is at a disadvantage at all times, and so never lets down the guard.  If switiching alliances or just one vote serves the Trickster, that person will do it.  And all the while, the Trickster will work at maintaining public humor, in order to keep the social situation from turning against him.

The Shapeshifter, by contrast, is the one who keeps secret some key piece of information.  In Survivor, that could be a hidden alliance or possession of a hidden Immunity Idol.  A Shapeshifter will change voting targets as the game changes.  A Shapeshifter will change social activity as circumstances change: such as letting someone else “provide food” for a long time, until that person is no longer needed for strategic purposes; as soon as it is an advantage, the Shapeshifter will become a “provider” (assuming possession of that skill).  Another Shapeshifter might hold off in physical challenges until late in the game, when individual immunity is most important.

The way to deal with a Shapeshifter is either change shapes with that person or to hold onto them until they reveal their “hidden truth.”  When applied to Survivor, I suppose that means “be in an alliance with them.”

But note, of all the mythical archetypes, these two are best adapted to changing circumstances.  They are not the ones who come into the game and stick to a rigid personal mythology.  “Heroes,” “villains,” “warriors,” “honorable player,” “pure athlete,” all those personal labels end up tripping the players who cling to them.

As I said, applying mythic motifs to our “real world” lives takes some careful consideration.  Real lives tend to be more complicated than “story lives.”  And yet, because myth is about meaning, we do, in the end, tend toward the mythic shapes that best convey our “personal meaning.”  It’s an interesting prospect to consider.  What mythic forms are most important in your life?  And how do they become manifested in your lifte?

I’m going to have to go think about this some more.  I’ll be interested in anyone’s thoughts about it.

As always, feel free to comment here on the blog, or visit my MESSAGE BOARD for more free-form discussion if you want.

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Rick Castle - Trickster or Shapeshifter?

Tuesday, February 23rd, 2010

When we encounter a comedic character in stories, we often quickly categorize them as belonging to the Trickster archetype.  After all, most sidekicks are Tricksters, providing the comic relief, often serving to deflate the ego of the main character (think Star Trek and Dr. McCoy: “I’m a doctor, Jim, not an engineer!” or “… a bricklayer!”).  The clash between the Trickster and the main character frequently provides the comedy we see in stories.

When we look at the character Rick Castle, of ABC’s series Castle, are we looking at a Trickster character?  His sense of humor does work a bit in needling Detective Kate Beckett.  But I don’t think that is what is happening in the series.  Especially when Beckett needles and punctures Castle in return.

So, if Castle isn’t a Trickster, what is he?  I contend that he is a Shapeshifter.  We don’t see this archetype quite as often in stories, especially as an on-going character.  Let’s review some of the characteristics of the Shapeshifter.  The most important aspect is that the Shapeshifter is a keeper of special information.  The “trick” is to get the information out of the Shapeshifter, because the Shapeshifter often doesn’t want to reveal all that special knowledge.  The options for the character seeking the information are to either hold onto the Shifter as he or she goes through changes to hide the information, or to keep pace, changing with the Shifter.

Castle puts on many different shapes in the series.  And he’s not pretending in any of the shapes — he really does become them.

Most obvious to start with is Castle’s shape as a best-selling author.  He’s not pretending in this shape: he works for it and has a string of titles that justify the attention he gets in this shape.  He uses it frequently to evade intrusion into his personal life (including warning his daughter against visiting the “fan websites”).  This shape gives him entre to many special areas of life.

One of those “special areas” is that of “High Society.”  In that arena, Castle turns into the “wealthy, elegible bachelor” who mixes with the upper crust of New York social life.  Again, his presence there is not a pretense.  He knows the functions (such as the quarterly fund-raising benefits for a city dance company) and is considered a legitimate member of those circles.  In this shape, Castle can give Beckett access to information she might not get in her own guise of “detective.”  And note: she has to change shape with him to access that knowledge.

He does, of course, put on some guises for the mere fun of it.  But the fun and playfulness are actually necessary features for a well-balanced psyche.  He dresses up for Halloween, he plays fencing games with his daughter, he makes silly bets with the detectives.  Is he hiding a truth in this guise?  Perhaps.  Not one for himself, but rather one that Beckett needs.  She needs the playfulness he brings to counter the real emotional weight of the work she does investigating murders.

One of the realities of life that Castle deals with in the series is the fact that he is the single parent of a teen-aged girl.  He makes comedy out of it by putting on the exaggerated aspect of the “Prom Dad” (where the father of the girl frightens the date into behaving himself).  But even though Rick exaggerates it, it is also the reality.  He is not a neglectful parent.

Indeed, his shape as “Parent” is one of Castle’s truest forms, revealing the truth about his personality underneath all his playfulness, evasions and flippancy.  He is genuinely concerned about how Alexis proceeds in life.  And likewise, he does not conceal much from her — except perhaps the depth of his feelings for Beckett.  She, however, is a wise child, practiced in learning the secrets of a Shapeshifter and she already has an awareness of the connection between the adults.

But along with being a father, one of Castle’s most essential shapes is that of a researcher.  He has been shown doing careful research for his books.  He knows how to ask telling questions and he knows where to find sources.  When Beckett’s cases take them into strange territories, Castle’s research abilities (either past or present) give the pair special knowledge they need to solve the current mystery.

Castle and Beckett work as a team, and that, as much as the multiple guises Castle has, is another thing that shows Castle is a Shapeshifter and not a Trickster.  Remember, a Trickster’s job is to deflate the over-blown aspects of other characters.  But Castle never does that to Beckett.  He supports her in her pursuits.  He might be slightly more accommodating to her than Shapeshifters usually are — and yet, he does not (or at least has not yet) reveal to her all his hidden truth.  And that’s part of the fun of the series.

So … my call on Rick Castle is that he is not Trickster, he’s a Shapeshifter.  Hold on tightly and you will learn the truth.

Please feel free to comment or ask questions here or on my MESSAGE BOARD.

All pictures are copyright ABC Studios.

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Star Trek Trinity

Wednesday, June 24th, 2009

The release of the 2009 Star Trek movie re-sparked my interest in the character archetypes of Kirk, Spock and McCoy.  I made some initial comments about them as a guest blogger on Colleen Doran’s blog.   But that was comparing Kirk and Picard.

A well constructed character will have at least one archetype at the core.  When multiple archetypes are blended, you can create very interesting dynamics.

Let’s start with McCoy.  In this particular trinity of characters, he is firmly in the position of sidekick.  Sidekicks are often Trickster archetypes, for their job is to puncture the excesses of the principal hero.  Cranky McCoy frequently does this to Kirk and to Spock.  When Kirk pushes for some outrageous solution, McCoy puts the brakes on.  “Damn it, Jim! I’m a doctor, not a bricklayer!”  He also relights the fire when Spock dampens things too much with logic.  I read one critic who commented that McCoy was a bigot.  One assumes the comment was inspired by McCoy’s comments about Spock as a “pointy eared hobgoblin.”  But I think it is an error to call McCoy a bigot: he has no such reaction to other Vulcans or other aliens.  This reaction is specific to Spock.  It is another manifestation of his function as a Trickster, to puncture the excesses of Spock’s logic.

As a doctor, of course, McCoy is also a Transformer, changing the things around himself.  But this is often secondary to his function as a Trickster.  In the film, when McCoy first arrives on the scene, he transforms Kirk’s situation from being solitary to having a friend.

Spock is in many ways Kirk’s Shadow.  In being such, he also highlights the point I make in The Scribbler’s Guide to the Land of Myth that a Shadow is not necessarily an evil figure.  In this case, where Kirk is often passionate disorder, Spock is the opposite of that, emotionless (apparently) order.  But Spock is also a Threshold guardian: he oversees the possibilities of Kirk’s choices.  In the film, he is the one who has constructed the Kobayashi Maru test which winnows out candidates for command.  Kirk, of course, thwarts this  judgement, so Spock plays the next checking move of questioning Kirk’s ethics.  By doing so, he forces Kirk to become more than just contrary, to find the justification for his actions.

However, the one thing Spock is not, or rather is not best at, is being a Ruler.  He treats his judgements as absolute, and so does not readily attend to the advice of his subordinates, at least not when he is in command.  In the film, when Kirk (fulfilling his function as First Officer in putting forward his criticism of Spock’s choice and offering an alternate) counters him, Spock over-reacts.  He uses his authority not simply to remove Kirk from the bridge, but to abandon his appointed First Officer on the inhospitable and nearly deserted planet.  This is not wise leadership one would expect from a Ruler.

Kirk, however, is a Ruler.  Although he frequently pushes the envelope of a circumstances (a manifestation of his being a Transformer and Trickster), he does pay attention to the skills of his subordinates.  He delegates tasks appropriately.

This trio of characters provide balance and challenge to each other.  The dynamic between them continually shifts about; it is never static.  This is why they continue to be a fascinating set of characters.

You are welcome to comment either here or on my MESSAGE BOARD.

(Pictures are property of Paramount Pictures.)

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