What is an archetype? My teacher keeps talking about it, but I am stumped. Could you please give a couple of examples?

An archetype is an original or fundamental imaginative pattern that is repeated through the ages.

For example, in Star Wars, you've got:

*the evil villain (Darth Maul, Darth Vader, the Emperor)

*the damsel in distress (Princess Leia)

*the hero (Hans Solo, Luke Skywalker)

*the sage or wise man (Yoda, the Jedi Counsel)

By now, you're probably getting the idea.  There are the Mom characters, the people who sell their souls to the Devil characters, the rebels, the people who never do anything wrong. 

These are the character types who show up over and over again in literature no matter what era.

Hope this helps!