Vogler Annotated Bib 9: The Resurrection and Return with the Elixir

Alexandra L. Minton
November 3, 2008
Vogler
Annotated Bib 9

Vogler, Christopher. “The Resurrection.” “Return with the Elixir.” The Writer’s Journey: Mythic Structure for Writers. Third Edition. Studio City, CA. Michael Weise Productions. 2007.


Stage Eleven of the Hero’s Journey is the Resurrection. The Resurrection functions in many ways. One is to “cleanse” the hero of death and help him retain all the lessons learned on his journey. Heroes need to be tested one last time. This stage can also be seen as “a checkpoint through which all the threads of the story have to pass” (202). Essentially, the Resurrection stage is in place to test the hero one last time before heading back to the Ordinary World and to make sure that the hero has learned lessons on the journey. The hero’s behavior and attitude should reflect change. This stage includes a new personality, cleansing, ordeals, showdowns, choices, climaxes, catharsis and character arc. The hero should emerge into this stage with a new personality. The hero needs to have learned from his ordeals in his journey. The major theme of this stage is change. The Character Arc is presented in the reading in this stage and serves as a guide for the writer. It correlates the hero’s steps and emotions and issues with Vogler’s A Hero’s Journey.

XI. The Resurrection
A. A New Personality
1. should reflect the best parts of the hero’s old personality and the lessons learned in the Special World
B. Cleansing
C. Two Great Ordeals
D. Physical Ordeal
E. The Active Hero
F. Showdowns
G. Death and Rebirth of Tragic Heroes
H. Choice
I. Romantic Choice
J. Climax
1. the last and most dangerous meeting with death
2. means “ladder” in Greek
K. The Quiet Climax
1. wave of emotion
L. Rolling Climaxes
1. individual subplots may require separate climaxes
2. mind, body, emotion climaxes
3. physical, emotional, spiritual
4. the hero’s whole world can be changed at once
M. Catharsis
1. in Greek, “vomiting up” or “purging”
2. in English, a purifying emotional release, or an emotional breakthrough
3. trigger the hero
4. raise the consciousness of both the hero and the audience
5. can be combined with a physical showdown
6. moment of highest awareness
7. works best through physical expression of emotions
8. laughter is a strong channel of catharsis
9. the logical climax of a hero’s character arc
N. Character Arc
1. used to describe the gradual stages of change in a character: the phases and turning points of growth
Character Arc Hero’s Journey
1) limited awareness of a problem Ordinary World
2) increased awareness Call to Adventure
3) reluctance to change Refusal
4) overcoming reluctance Meeting with the Mentor
5) committing to change Crossing the Threshold
6) experimenting with first change Tests, Allies and Enemies
7) preparing for big change Approach to Inmost Cave
8) attempting big change Ordeal
9) consequences of the attempt Reward
(improvements and setbacks) (Seizing the Sword)
10) rededication to change The Road Back
11) final attempt at big change Resurrection
12) final mastery of the problem Return with the Elixir
O. Last Chance
P. Watch Your Step
Q. The False Claimant
R. Proof
1. fairy-tale motif: magic brought back from the Special World tends to evaporate in the Ordinary World
2. signifies that spiritual and emotional experiences in a special world are hard to explain to others
3. the real treasure from traveling is not the souvenirs, but lasting inner change and learning
S. Sacrifice
T. Incorporation
U. Change
V. Function
1. cleanse heroes of the smell of death, yet help them retain the lessons of the ordeal
2. heroes must be tested one last time to see if they retained the learning
3. often the final, decisive confrontation with the villain or Shadow
4. climactic choice among options that indicates whether or not the hero has truly learned the lesson of change
5. a checkpoint through which all the threads of the story have to pass
6. the hero’s final attempt to make major change in attitude or behavior; may backslide
7. an opportunity for a hero to show he has absorbed, or incorporated, every lesson from every character
8. give an outward sign that the hero has really changed

Questions
1. Give examples of films with rolling climaxes.
2. Explain catharsis in more detail.
3. What does the phrase, “cleanse heroes of the smell of death,” mean?

The Return with the Elixir is the last stage of the Hero’s Journey. The Hero returns to the Ordinary World with a gift. This gift may be an inner gift, such as knowledge, or it may be an outer gift, such as medicine. It may function only in the hero’s mind or it may function for the community as a whole. The hero may or may not bring back a physical gift. “Returning with the Elixir means implementing change in your daily life and using the lessons of adventure to heal your wounds” (216). There are two main story forms. In a Circular Story Form there is a sense of closure and completion at the end of the story. Many Western culture films are of Circular Form. In an Open-Minded Story Form the audience leaves with a sense of “unanswered questions and unresolved conflicts.” Films in Asia, Australia and Europe use the Open-Minded Story Form. It seems that Western culture uses film as entertainment while Asia, Australia and Europe use films to raise awareness of particular issues and to make the audience think. Functions of the Return with the Elixir include surprise, reward and punishment, epilogue, pitfalls and unresolved subplots. Vogler mentions that the penalty for failing to return with the Elixir is to repeat the Ordeals until the hero learns his lesson or until he brings home the Elixir.


XII. Return with the Elixir
A. Return
B. Denouement
1. French for “untying” or “unknotting”
C. Two Story Forms
D. The Circular Story Form
1. sense of closure and completion
2. narrative returns to its starting point
3. tying up loose ends and making a story feel complete
4. communications change on the symbolic level
E. The Open-Ended Story Form
1. a sense of unanswered questions, ambiguities, and unresolved conflicts remain
2. problems may not be tied up so neatly
3. storytelling goes on after the story is over
4. moral conclusions for the reader or viewer are left
F Achievement of Perfection
G. Functions of the Return
1. last chance to touch the emotions of the audience
H. Surprise
1. should unite the plot threads
2. misdirection
a. lead the audience to believe one thing then reveal at the last moment a different reality
I. Reward and Punishment
J. The Elixir
1. proves the hero has been to the Special World, serves as an example for others and it shows that death can be overcome
2. literal or metaphoric
3. the best Exilirs are those that bring the hero and the audience greater awareness
4. The hero, or someone else, is doomed to repeat the Ordeals until the lesson is learned or the Elixir is brought home to share.
K. The Elixir of Love
L. The World is Changed
1. wisdom
M. The Elixir of Responsibility
1. heroes give up their loner status to take on a wider responsibility
2. ego → self
N. The Elixir of Tragedy
1. hero dies: audience takes away the “Elixir”
O. Sadder but Wiser
1. feeling of closure for the hero
P. Sadder but No Wiser
1. hero slides back into the same behavior he got into in the first place
Q. Epilogue
1. even though there is ssadness and death, life goes on
R. Pitfalls of the Return
S. Unresolved Subplots
1. Subplots should have at least three “beats” or scenes distributed throughout the story, one in each act.
T. Too Many Endings
1. KISS system. Keep It Simple, Stupid!
U. Abrupt Endings
V. Focus
W. Punctuation

Questions
1. Give some examples of films that would be considered circular. Open-minded.
2. Explain denouement in further detail and list examples.
3. Go over Unresolved Subplots and explain three “beats” or scenes.