The U Shape and the Hero's Journey

I can't think of any story where you get exactly back to where you started. The key there, I think, with both this U shape and with the hero's journey is that the hero comes back home changed. In Romeo and Juliet, maybe it ends with these feuding families still, but their understanding of their feud has been changed by their children's actions. So I do think there's this sense of even just the perspective of the characters on the equilibrium has changed as a result of that dip in the U.

Transcript

Play full episode

The AI-powered Podcast Player

Save insights by tapping your headphones, chat with episodes, discover the best highlights - and more!

Get the app