Carl Jung, renowned psychoanalyst, is well-known for his work in psychiatry and analytical psychology. More specifically, Jung is credited especially for his theory, the “Collective Unconscious”, the foundation for his twelve archetypes. “Ruler”, “creator”, “innocent”, “sage”, “explorer”, “outlaw”, “magician”, “hero”, “lover”, “common man”, and “caregiver” define the twelve categories that Jung uses to describe human beings (these twelve archetypes are now most commonly used in literary studies, rather than in psychology).

As narrowly defined as these archetypes may seem, they are in fact incredibly simple, while still managing to have room for the nuances and intricacies of one’s character. The “Lover”, for example, may incline one to place any love interest in that category. However, the definition of “lover” is not limited to romantic or sexual love. In the case of Aramis (as played by Santiago Cabrera in the 2015 television adaptation of Alexandre Dumas’s Les Trois Mousquetaires), for example, one might see his flirtatious nature and decide he is the “lover” archetype on those grounds only. However, as apt as that description may seem for Aramis at first, the archetype of the lover is more complex than that. A “lover” is someone seeking connection, physical or not. Aramis, a devout Catholic and base-born child of a prostitute, seeks intimacy and belonging. Sometimes this reveals itself in charm or flirtatiousness, but more often than not, Aramis finds intimacy in his faith, and connection with his fellow Musketeers. For these reasons, Aramis would be defined as the “lover”.

The “common man” or “everyman” archetype has the connotation of being an extra, or a background character. One hears “common man” and is tempted to give examples such as Seamus Finnigan, from “Harry Potter”, “Buffy the Vampire Slayer”’s Jonathan Levinson. These characters, or a lack thereof, has no impact on the plot of the work, but rather act as fillers or average faces to reference the protagonist against. However, just as the “lover” is not simply the love interest, the “common man” is not necessarily a forgettable sort of character. Returning to the example of JK Rowling’s “Harry Potter”, Ginny Weasley could be defined as the “common man”. She is intelligent, sneaky, an excellent dueller, and a loyal friend. It is her loyalty, honesty, and strong sense of duty that puts her in the “everyman” category; the “everyman” is a kind of foundation, a righteous example to the other characters. They often find themselves in dangerous or difficult situations but do not so much as blink, as long as they’re fighting for something they care about. A “common man” is not an afterthought, or a piece of a background, but is a team-member, and an essential character, as is Ginny Weasley.

Archetypes are not limited to literary characters; as stated in the first paragraph, Carl Jung developed his archetypes to help define and understand real people. Louis XIV, King of France during the seventeenth century, is an excellent example of both the complexities of Jung’s archetypes, as well as how said archetypes can be applied to actual human beings. The “ruler” archetype may come to mind when thinking of a past king of France, but any history buff would assign Louis XIV the “jester” archetype. “Rulers” are often in search of control, stability, and structure. While Louis XIV was certainly the ruler of his country, in Jung’s categorical system, he is a “jester”. The “jester”, like the “everyman” and the “lover”, seeks connection with others. The “lover” craves intimacy, the “common man”, belonging, and the “jester”, enjoyment or happiness. Louis XIV was known as the “Sun King”, due to his talent in performing the role of Apollo in ballet, a favourite pastime of his. He loved to perform, to talk to and play with others, and to build beautiful castles for all his friends to congregate and converse in. True to the “jester” archetype, King Louis could not stand being bored or, worse, being alone. He sought his own happiness through the happiness of others, a trait that most certainly places him in the category of “jester”. Furthermore, the “jester” can be prone to inappropriate revelry, leading them to dismiss suffering, hardship, and cruelty. This is descriptive of most French monarchs, but particularly Louis XIV, who ignored rampant slavery, a budding war with Spain, and was well-known for his infidelity to his wife, Queen Anne. As human beings are intricate and malleable beings, Carl Jung developed his archetypes to be the same.

Strong desire is a good qualifier to assign characters and people to certain archetypes. Lady Sybil, of the BBC’s “Downton Abbey”, would be defined as the “explorer” archetype, as her strongest desire is freedom to live as she wills, without restriction, and that others may have the same opportunities. This is evident in her marriage to the Irish chauffeur, a man well below her social status, her eagerness to open her home to wounded war veterans, and her advocacy for the rights of other women in both the home and in public. Likewise, the “explorer” seeks freedom for themselves and for others. An “explorer” is not necessarily rebellious, but is strong-willed and has a solid moral compass.

Obi-Wan Kenobi, from “Star Wars”, is a “caregiver”. Kenobi, like other “caregivers”, works for a cause, a kind of greater-good. They strive for a structured and peaceful world, and are more than willing to impart their knowledge to and share their mission with others. In the case of Kenobi, this is made clear to the viewer by his training of Anakin Skywalker, his service as a general in the Republic Army, and his mentorship of Luke Skywalker.

Also from “Star Wars”, the little green alien known as “Yoda”, is filed easily under the archetype of “sage”. His wisdom, knowledge, and understanding of the world is an invaluable resource to other characters, but, true to the nature of a “sage”, takes a primarily hands-off approach, choosing to instead select a hero to do the job for them. This is perhaps because Yoda and other “sages” desire peace above all-else, and seek an end to the conflict in their world.

Similarly to the “jester’s” flippant nature, the “innocent” can often come across as unconcerned with the world around them, and dismissive of the conflict they must overcome. In Disney’s “Peter Pan”, for example, Wendy is at first charmed by Peter’s child-like faith and laid-back nature. However, she finds that Peter, being the “innocent” archetype, is often unreliable and irresponsible; he allows the mermaids to nearly drown her,  endangers her life and the life of her little brothers, and sulks and throws fits when he doesn’t get his way. The “innocent” archetype is defined by both hopefulness as well as naivete, optimism as well as ignorance, and revelry as well as frivolousness.

The “magician” is another well-known archetype, and for the purposes of this essay I present Homer’s Odysseus as the example. The “magician” always has a trick up their sleeves, a clever wit and often an ego or sense of grandeur. Odysseus is renowned and favoured by Athena for his quick mind and clever tricks, and is quite conscious and proud of this. Similarly, the “creator” can be subject to self-assuredness and dramatization, such as Neoptolemus (also known as Pyrrhus), the son of Achilles. Neoptolemus is enchanted with the idea of fame, as was his father, and eager to help in the war effort. Like other “creators”, Neoptolemus longs to stand out. To be distinguished from the crowd is the “creators’” greatest desire, and often they firmly believe they deserve it.

Two final, similar archetypes, are the “outlaw” and the “hero”. Both archetypes are defined by their courage, strength, and determination to be better than what people expect them to be. Returning to the first example, the 2016 BBC’s “The Musketeers”, Porthos is an example of the “outlaw” archetype, and the author of the original work itself, Alexandre Dumas, is clearly the “hero” archetype. In most other forms of Musketeers-related media, Porthos is the comic relief, fat and jolly and laughable by all accounts. In the television series, however, Porthos is based heavily on Alexandre Dumas’s actual life. Porthos was born to an African woman and her slave-owner, and grew up homeless before joining the French army and then, eventually, the Musketeers. Both passionate and kind by nature, Porthos is sometimes volatile, or fanatic. He holds firm to his belief and ideals, no matter the cost, and is willing to do anything to prove himself, true to “outlaw” nature. Similarly, Alexandre Dumas, the “hero”, was born to a Haitian slave and her French owner. He joined the army, rose through the ranks, and eventually became one of history’s most beloved authors. Like the “outlaw”, the “hero” has strong convictions, as Dumas had to in order to make something of himself in a world that was determined to hold him back. The “hero” archetype is also defined by their competition against near-impossible odds; for the mixed-race, illegitimate son of a slave, surviving is a difficult task, let alone thriving.

Just as human beings and well-written characters are flexible, complex, and nuanced, so are Carl Jung’s twelve archetypes. This does not mean, however, that the archetypes are a complex system, suited best for trained psychotherapist and not the layman. On the contrary: Carl Jung’s system of archetyping is perfectly simple and easy to understand because of the nuanced nature of the twelve categories; it is easier to place characters and people in each box, or archetype, because no box is perfectly square, or perfectly one way without room for individuality.