Related to both plot diagram and types of literary conflict, the "Hero’s Journey" is a recurring pattern of stages many heroes undergo over the course of their stories. Joseph Campbell, an American mythologist, writer, and lecturer, articulated this cycle after researching and reviewing numerous myths and stories from a variety of time periods and regions of the world. He found that they all share fundamental principles. This led to the Hero’s Journey, also known as the Monomyth.
| STAGE | SUMMARY |
|---|---|
| Ordinary World | Jason journeys to Iolkos. He loses a sandal when helping an old woman cross the river. |
| Call to Adventure | Because of an oracle's prophesy to beware a stranger with one sandal, Pelias sends Jason on a perilous quest to fetch the Golden Fleece from Colchis, at the edge of the world. |
| Refusal | The journey would be long and arduous. Luckily, Jason was supported by the gods. He had the Argo built, which included a prophetic timber from Zeus' sacred tree. |
| Mentor / Helper | In addition to Athena and Hera, Jason is supported by Chiron before his journey, and accompanied by many famous heroes during his quest, including Hercules and the Boread twins, Calais and Zetes. |
| Crossing the Threshold | The Argo sets sail for Colchis. |
| Test / Allies / Enemies | The Argo makes several stops, during which Hercules stays behind to find the missing Hylas. On one stop, the Boreads drive off the harpies that are plaguing the blind seer Phineus. Phineus helps the Argonauts make it past the deadly clashing rocks. |
| Approach | The Argo arrives in Colchis and Jason must perform great tasks in order to win the Golden Fleece. At the prodding of Athena and Hera, Aphrodite sends Eros to shoot Medea. She falls in love with Jason. |
| Ordeal | Medea provides Jason with the means to yoke the bulls and the secret to fighting the dragon tooth warriors. She also gives him a way to get the guardian serpent of the tree to fall asleep. |
| Reward | Jason claims the Golden Fleece! He also claims Medea as his bride. |
| Road Back | Aietes, angry that he lost both the Golden Fleece and his daughter, chased after them. To avoid pursuit, Medea chops her brother into pieces and drops them into the sea. Aietes stops the chase to gather his son's remains. Zeus sends storms to blow them off course. |
| Atonement | The Argo travels far, including being carried through the desert! The Argo itself suggests they travel to seek purification from Circe. Once there, Circe cleanses them of the murder of Medea's brother. The Argo is able to return safely to Iolkos. |
| Return | Through the wiles of Medea, Pelias is killed by his own daughters. Jason and Medea leave to start their life in Corinth. |
(These instructions are completely customizable. After clicking "Copy Activity", update the instructions on the Edit Tab of the assignment.)
Student Instructions
Use the story of Jason and the Argonauts and map it to the narrative structure of the Hero's Journey.
Engage your whole class by building a large Hero’s Journey chart on poster paper or a whiteboard. Invite students to add details from Jason’s story as you review each stage together. This interactive approach reinforces learning and encourages student participation.
Let students act out key moments by assigning small groups or pairs different stages (like The Call to Adventure or The Ordeal). Ask each group to script and perform a short scene that shows Jason’s challenges and helpers. This makes the Hero’s Journey memorable and fun!
Connect ancient myths to today’s stories by asking students to pick a modern book or movie hero. Have them fill out a side-by-side chart showing how Jason’s journey compares to their chosen hero’s path. This deepens understanding of the Hero’s Journey structure.
Encourage imagination by having students write a new adventure for Jason using Hero’s Journey stages. Prompt them to invent a new challenge or setting, guiding them to include each stage from Ordinary World to Return. This helps students internalize narrative structure.
The Hero's Journey is a narrative structure that outlines the stages a hero undergoes in a story. In Jason and the Golden Fleece, Jason follows this path by leaving his ordinary world, answering the call to adventure, facing trials, receiving help from allies like Medea and Hercules, and ultimately returning home transformed.
Jason's adventure aligns with the Hero's Journey by featuring key stages: he receives a call to adventure, refuses initially, is guided by mentors, faces tests and enemies, claims the Golden Fleece as his reward, and returns home after overcoming major challenges.
Jason and the Golden Fleece showcases several literary conflicts, including man vs. man (Jason vs. Pelias and Aietes), man vs. supernatural (dealing with gods and mythical creatures), and man vs. self (Jason's doubts and moral choices).
Jason and the Argonauts is a classic example for teaching narrative structure because it follows the universal Hero’s Journey pattern, helping students identify story elements like exposition, rising action, climax, and resolution.
A simple way is to break Jason's tale into key stages: his ordinary world, the call to adventure, trials with allies, obtaining the Golden Fleece, and his return. Teachers can use a plot diagram or chart to match story events with each Hero's Journey step for clarity.