Religious Themes in Film

Lesson 5: Star Wars: The Godfather of Archetype Films

For Thought

1. What other Campbellesque myth structures can you find in Star Wars?
2. How does the symbolism of light sabers in the Star Wars movies compare with the symbolism of swords in The Lord of the Ring?
3. Twins are another theme in religious literature, especially in indigenous cultures of the Americas. South American myths found in the Popul Voh have a number of gods who are twins. Twins, in these cultures, are like the blind in other cultures: they are seen to have heightened spiritual powers. Where and how are twins used in the movies we have discussed so far?
4. Campbell analyzes the theme of the hero being born by way of a virgin birth. (311-314) Anakin Skywalker, it seems, was a virgin birth according to Star Wars Episode I. What are some of the other Campbellesque parallels that can be drawn with Anakin as a hero? What are other archetypes found in Star Wars Episode I and II?
5. How do the monomyths of the three trilogies compare? What are the similarities and differences between the Separations, Initiations, and Returns of the protagonists of all three trilogies?
   Bibliography

   Brown, Raymond E., Joseph A. Fitzmyer, and Roland E. Murphy, ed. The Jerome Biblical Commentary. New Jersey: Prentice Hall Inc., 1968.

   Herzberg, Max J. Classical Myths. Boston: Allyn and Bacon, Inc., 1954.

   "Joseph Campbell." Star Wars Origins web site. http://www.jitterbug.com/origins/myth.ht...

   Meeks, Wayne A., ed. The HarperCollins Study Bible. New York: HarperCollins, 1989.

   Rosenberg, Donna, ed. World Mythology. Chicago: NTC Publishing Group, 1994.

   Tedlock, Dennis, trans. Popol Vuh. New York: Touchstone, 1985.

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