Leia plays the role of not only the goddess but the temptress as well and that is why she is such an essential part of both Luke and Han's journey as heroes. In the words of Campbell the goddess must give purpose to the hero and that is precisely what Leia does throughout the films. In A New Hope Leia gives both Han and Luke purpose, which is to rescue her, however this is not all that Leia offers. She plays the part of the temptress when Han is lured back to help the rebels, although this is unnecessary for him to do he does so simply because he know that Leia is there. She also manages to get both Luke and Han interested in the rebel cause and eager to take part in the rebel war, giving our heroes yet another purpose. In The Empire Strikes Back Leia continues her role as goddess but also adds in another role, temptress. There is an interesting dynamic between Han and Leia they begin to like each other, which is a double whammy seeing as Leia is now preforming as a goddess by providing Han with the challenge of winning her over.
Leia has to be rescued multiple times during the films and each time she is rescued something good comes out of it, Luke continues on his journey, or they become friendly with the Ewoks who will later become their comrades. Leia is quite possibly the most important character because without her the heroes would be without direction or motivation. Her role as both goddess and temptress is essential.
Good point about rescuing the damsel in distress, which we will talk about in our discussions of The Indiana Jones trilogy. Lovely picture, and good discussion of both roles.
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