Gooch- Princess Leia's role for the Hero

In the entire Star Wars trilogy Princess Leia plays a pivotal role in continuing the journey of the hero. She is both the inspiration for his mission and a distraction from his destiny. Unlike the heroes, Luke and Han, Leia remains constant in her conviction and her bravery for the cause. Through out the history of film, women are often portrayed simply as the damsel in distress. In Leia’s case, while she may be introduced in this fashion her character grows further and we come to see the power that she holds as a great authority figure in the fight against the empire. This empowerment gives her the ability to be more than just a girl to save, but also the woman who inspires the work of an army, and who especially sparks the action of the two leading men.

Her role as the goddess, especially for Luke, is the most obvious role she plays. The audience is constantly reminded of her importance and purity as she is almost always shown in her glowing white outfits. Despite her constant fight against the evil of the dark side, she remains pure and unwavering. It is the vision of her calling for help that first intrigues Luke to embark on his journey, and once they meet, his love is one of the inspirations for him to keep going. Although, her relationship with Han is not as glorified as it is for Luke, through her constant challenges for him not to give up the fight and her bravery in their journey together (especially in “The Empire Strikes Back”) she is his goddess and inspiration not to return to the man he was before.

Her role as the temptress is one that is slightly more hidden. It seems inconceivable that such a strong and brave character could ever serve as a contributor to the hero’s doubts, but it is not by her flaws that she becomes the temptress. It is through the weakness of the hero that she becomes, as Campbell explains, a symbol “no longer of victory, but of defeat.” In his failures, Leia becomes Luke’s reminder of all that he has left to learn. While Luke has to save her from danger in all three films, it is in “The Empire Strikes Back” that Luke abandons his training and his call to be a Jedi in order to save her. In the final film he also risks his mission to defeat Darth Vader so that he can save her from Jaba’s cave. All of these efforts distract Luke from his mission and in each challenge he becomes weaker and doubts his ability to be the Jedi he is called to be.

Madere: Leia as Goddess and Temptress

In this photo from Star Wars: A New Hope, Princess Leia is very clearly the Goddess that Joseph Campbell discusses. She is dressed in white (as she is for most of both the first and second movie), she looks regal and, with the light cast down upon her in this scene, she looks almost angelic.

Leia's role as Goddess carries over from A New Hope into The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi. She is still very much a driving force behind the Rebellion, as seen in the beginning of the movie in her role as executive of the Rebels' movements on Hoth. She also serves as Goddess for both Luke and Han personally. For Luke, as in A New Hope, she gives him a means and reason to fight and fulfill his role as Campbell's Contemplative hero in the story. In Han's case, she provides a search for something more fulfilling than just material wealth, which eventually blossoms into love. In this way, she becomes Han's savior in his quest for a more meaningful life and fulfillment of his role as the Civic hero. She also actually is Han's savior when she poses as a bounty hunter in order to rescue him from death at the hands of Jabba the Hutt.

However, in The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi, Leia becomes, both literally and figuratively, a Temptress. For both Han and Luke, Leia is an object of lust and reason for competition. However, this role changes in her interactions with Luke once they learn they are brother and sister. He then must overcome this loss and others associated with his family and past in order to continue on his quest. For Han, he must overcome the reasons for his original attraction to Leia--lust, money, greed, power, the winner over Luke in the battle for her affection--in order to achieve something more pure and wholesome with her.