Question

Why do writers still employ archetypes today?

Answer 1

The reason why writers still use Character archetypes is because they have been working since ancient times and still work.

think about it, you have probably heard of these character descriptions in every great book/story/movie.

Shapeshifter- the character that can change turn into something (AKA the werewolf and that pirate from the pirates of a Caribbean) or just go from good to evil or evil to good.

The Hero- no explanation needed

the trickster-A character for comic relief and to cause mischief

The guardians threshold- basically henchmen and stop the hero from moving on there journey

the Herald- the person/object that gets the hero to go on a journey

the mentor- the person that teaches the hero about the world. Also trains the hero

the shadow- the main villain that the hero has to defeat. 

Also there is the monomyth that is the story structure. But you just wanted to know about character archetypes. BTW what class is this in, (and the grade level), I have always been interested in this.