Common fantasy themes

Some themes are particularly common in fantasy stories. Below we consider some of the themes that you are very likely to find in fantasy.

Good vs. evil

The struggle between good and evil is a typical fantasy element. Traditionally, evil is represented by the antagonist and his/her army, while good is represented by the protagonist and his/her loyal supporters. Many fantasy works culminate in an epic battle, such as the battle of Helm’s Deep in the 2002 movie Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers. The story should always conclude with a happy ending where good triumphs over evil, and world order is restored.

However, the battle between good and evil might not only play out at an external scale. It may also take place at an internal level within the characters themselves. One example is Jamie Lannister in Game of Thrones (2011-2019), who is torn between his loyalty to his cruel sister and his growing sense of morality.

Finding your identity

Another universal theme in fantasy is finding your identity. This might sometimes also be phrased as growing up, since discovering who you are is part of growing up. This theme dates all the way back to the fairy tale genre.

The identity theme is linked to the development of the - often youn...