Hostage

In the movie Hostage, the roles of the hero and of the villains are not as dominant as in other movies. When writers bring emotions into their stories, rules are changed and ideas are played with.
A family of three is taken hostage by three young kids, who really seem to have no idea what they're getting themselves into, in a small town in California. Jeff Talley is an ex-hostage negotiator, who is thrown back unwillingly into this hostage situation and has to save the lives of three stranger. He is the hero, however he isn't at first seen as a strong, able character. He had a career in Los Angeles as a negotiator, but after one mistake he lost the lives of two people and he suffers from the guilt everyday. We immediately feel sympathy for him because of his past, but we see that he has suffered and maybe start to queastion his ability as the hero. Jeff moved to this area to get away from his old life, leaving his wife and daughter in Los Angeles.
Two of the three kids are brothers, Kevin and Dennis, and the third is Mars. These three all play a part in the situation, however after watching them you know tha Mars is the real villain of the movie. You don't even have to watch the full movie to know this, you can just tell by his appearance. He has long, black hair and wears all black clothes. The darkness of his appearance suggests evil and despair. He is pure evil and everything he did in the movie was for himself.
Dennis is the older brother, although he is naive and confused. He listens to Mars throughout the movie instead of his brother, which brings him to his death. Kevin is the youngest brother, and although you are supposed to see him as one of the villains, emotion gets in the way. He never wanted to have anything to do with Mars, he only wanted to stay with his brother. He never wanted to have any part in the hostage-taking but is sucked in, and throughout he tries to tell Dennis that they need to walk away from Mars, but Dennis doesnt ever listen. He is kind of the 'Evil Figure with the Ultimately Good Heart', because you know he should be a good person and has that potential, but the circumstances work against him and he is taken advantage of. In the end, he suffers for trying to do the right thing. He does his best to save his brother, the family and himself, and is shot by Mars.
This just makes you aware of the different ways writers can make you label characters. When you feel sympathy for them, or any other emotion like that, it's hard to think of them as evil, and even when they make the wrong choices you feel bad for them. Same goes for the good characters, they could make the wrong decisions but you have sympathy or love for them so either way they seem like the hero to you.

Casablanca

Casablanca isn't a movie that people would think to associate with mythology. But when you look close, there is so many aspects that are directly connected to mythology archetypes.
Humphrey Bogart plays Rick, the hero. At first he seems rough around the edges, but by the end of the movie it is clear that he is the true hero of the film. In the end, he sacrifices his own happiness for others. He does what he thinks is right in the end.
Ilsa basically plays the Damsel in Distress. She vulnerable and confused. Rick and Ilsa are the star-crossed lovers, who just want to be together but can't be because of issues with their society, just like in Romeo and Juliet, Pyramus and Thisbe and other stories. Ilsa is married, and is trying to get to America with her own husband, so Rick doesn't fit into her future. But she loves Rick and wants to be with him. So they make plans in secret to run away together, like R&J and P&T.
Ilsa is also The Unfaithful Wife, because she is married, but she loves Rick. Rick of course loves her back and together they make official plans to leave Casablanca together but unfortunately, their plans don't work out. Ilsa leaves with her husband and Rick is left behind. So this story, along with the classic Romeo and Juliet stories, ends in tragedy.

So the main characters of the film were built around archetypes in mythology. It seems that no matter when the movie was made, what the movie is about and who in the movie there is always some kind of connection to mythology.

The Lion King

I was at my aunty's house last Sunday for Mother's Day and we watched the Lion King. A part with Scar came on, and something my little cousin said really surprised me. She said he was her favorite character, which surprised me because you'd think that little kids would be scared of him. When I asked her why, she said it's because he's 'sneaky.' Scar is the classic antagonist and he manipulates the characters into doing what he wants, out of greed. He wants to rule Pride Rock, and because of him Mufasa dies and Simba runs away. He causes the basic problem in the movie.
Simba is the hero. Throughout the movie he is conflicted with his grief over the death of his father, the guilt of the death of his father, and with the voices of his peers telling him what to do about it. In the end he does the right thing, and proves himself as King. He helps the lions and himself. `At the end of the movie, he shows true compassion and nobility when he provides Scar with the chance of leaving the Pride Lands instead of being killed. Scar, being the black-hearted character that he is, attacks Simba instead and as a result, ends up being killed.
At the end of the movie there is the final battle between good- Simba and the other lions in the pride, and evil- Scar. Fire surrounds them and the shade of the scene is red. Red represents violence, disorder, fire, anger and death, which are all important aspects of the movie.
Timone and Pumba are also very important characters, for a number of reasons. They serve as Simba's Hunting Group of Companions, the Friendly Beasts, and most importantly, the Loyal Retainers. They help him when he is most in need of help. Without them, he could not have completed his journey as the hero.
The Lion King consists of the classic 'good movie' aspects- The good, the evil, the tragedy, the love, the journey, the sidekicks, the girl, the hero and the feel-good ending.

Pyramus and Thisbe

Star-crossed lovers: Pyramus and Thisbe tells a tragic story of how two lovers, forbidden to be together but cannot bear to live apart, that try to find a way to get past the walls that divide them. They speak to each other through a wall, and one night they make a plan to flee the city and meet in the country at a well-known mulberry tree. Trees represent wisdom, which really contrasts to the naivety of the two young people. Pyramus gets there and thinks Thisbe has been eaten by a lion, so he kills himself. Thisbe then finds him, and she kills herself.

This is the classic tale of two people, longing to be together but unable to be. ''Love, however, cannot be forbidden. The more that flame is covered up the hotter it burns," is a direct quote, which pretty much sums up the whole point of stories like these. Romeo and Juliet, Tristan and Isolde and this story all show that people who are in love cannot be restricted by the hatred and disagreements of their parents, by walls, or even by death. In the end of each of these stories, the characters prove their love for each other by killing themselves. Death is the ultimate sacrifice, and for these lovers is always their fate.

You could argue that Pyramus and Thisbe's love was different than that of Romeo and Juliet, or Tristan and Isolde because they learned to love each other over time. They grew up living side by side and got to know each other, and then fell in love. It was love at first sight for Romeo. But both stories ended the same, they both ended in death for both lovers. Do you think either love was stronger? Since Pyramus and Thisbe knew each other, was their love for each other stronger than the others? They both seem to be making the same mistakes, one trait they all seem to have is impatience. If Pyramus would have simply waited for Thisbe before killing himself, at least a few minutes, they would have both lived and been together. Juliet and Romeo fought for their love to last forever and fought to be together, and it was all ruined. However, another problem for all four lovers was carelessness. If Juliet would have made sure Romeo knew what she was planning, he wouldnt have killed himself. Thisbe went to the meeting place and waited for what sounded like awhile, and then fled to hide from a lion. When Pyramus got there, he found her bloody coat, that she had conveniantly dropped for the lion to rip at. If they would have gotten to the meeting place closer to the same time, they could have lived. If Thisbe was more careful, and didnt drop her coat, she could have saved them both.

Night and day, and darkness and light played an important role in this story. The sun's light is talked about alot, when it first streams into their homes in the morning is when they talk to each other through their walls, and they decide to meet at night. During the day, when they talk to each other suggests the hope in their relationship and their hope that they can finally be together. The night they meet started as a mystery, the night often implies an the unknown, and it ended in despair and tragedy.