Critical Analysis Of Joseph Campbell's Seventeen Stages Of The Monomyth

CHAPTER I
INTRODUCTION

BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY Are heroes born or made? Is it their destiny to live or die? Would they be successful or lose the battle? Most of the time one ponders about these questions upon reading narratives in books or viewing fantasy stories in films, one cannot help but ask what happens to the protagonist even though most of the time one already knows the answer. For a common cycle is already perceived that heroes are born through the signs of fate that they are inevitably designated to do. At the same time, heroes are made as they pass through trials and undergo transformation toward heroic success.
According to Joseph L. Henderson, an American analytic psychologist who has studied archetypal symbolisms alongside with noted Swiss

Specifically, the study seeks to answer the following questions:
1. Which of Joseph Campbell’s seventeen stages of the Monomyth recur in the following Philippine epics:
1.1 Biagni Lam-ang (Luzon);
1.2 The Epic of LabawDonggon (Visayas); and
1.3 Darangan: The Epic of Bantugan (excerpt) (Mindanao)?
2. How are these epics similar or different in their patterns of the seventeen stages of the Monomyth?
3. What are the common characteristics and motifs of a hero that are shown in these epics despite ethnic diversity?
SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY The study hoped to benefit the following people through the depth of understanding and fascination for the stories and heroes of the Philippine epics: Readers can bestimulated to explore the contents of the Philippine epics through various aspects such as archetypal patterns, socio-cultural background, and others. Students can become more appreciative of the Philippine literature as well as find inspiration and relevance in themselves to emulate the noble characteristics of the heroes in the Philippine