Everybody says that no human being is perfect. An archetype in Greek mythology for a hero is to have flaws which is called hamartia. Even though most heroes out there have faults, is a perfect hero more inspirational? Flawed heroes are more inspirational than perfect heroes. Hercules and Perseus are two Greek heroes that showcase these traits. Hercules is the most well known Greek mythology hero and he himself was not a perfect hero. Even though he had many positive traits to him like strength, self-confidence, and courage, that did not mean he was 100% untainted. He was known for having violent outburst. One day with the use of magic, Hera sent Hercules into a rage of madness, that made him kill his wife and children. When he realized what he did, he first wanted to kill himself because of what he had done but then went to Eurystheus for help. Eurystheus gave Hercules twelve labors to complete to make amends for his mistake. When Hercules completed the labors, according to the text, “he would seem to have earned ease and tranquillity for the rest of his life.” (Hamilton, pg 236) People would find someone who made a mistake and was …show more content…
He completed the impossible task for a mortal of killing Medusa but he had some negative characteristics to him still. He was easily swayed by Polydectes to go on the mission to kill Medusa in the first place, which could have gotten him killed. Perseus was also oblivious of what Polydectes’s plan was to get rid of him so he can be with his mother, Danaë. Even though Perseus had some poor traits, his impressive traits, like his quickness, intelligence, and bravery, over powered the negative. Others can find a flawed hero like Perseus inspirational because he did not let his non-perfect traits hold him back, according to the text, ”Now, indeed, Perseus had a good reason to hope.” (Hamilton, pg 202) to complete his mission. His imperfections did not get in the way of his
A true hero will go through immeasurable lengths to benefit not him or herself, but the people around them. Heroes are neither selfish nor uncaring. They seek every opportunity they get to help those in need. One must have also gone through the entire hero’s journey to be deemed a hero. He must start off naïve and inept and through his challenges, transform into someone worth calling a hero. Most importantly, a hero is not perfect. He must listen to other’s ideas and utilize them. However, in The Odyssey by Homer, Odysseus disrespects his crew men and the gods’ advice, lets hubris interfere with his men’s lives, and is unfaithful to his wife Penelope.
Throughout history, many ancient cultures created stories involving great heroes and gods to explain certain aspects of their daily lives. These stories would form an important part of the culture’s religion and are referred to today as mythology. One great hero from ancient Greek mythology is Perseus. According to both ancient standards and today’s standards, Perseus would be seen as a great hero. The many actions that Perseus is said to have done in his adventures prove his heroism.
How would you feel if your one mistake caused you to lose everything that is important to you? This happens to multiple celebrities, but one professional athlete it affects severely is Tiger Woods. According to Golf.com, Tiger lost everything from his personal relationships, to a yield in his professional career, all because he made the mistake of cheating on his wife. He contains many of the characteristics that one can consider him to be a tragic hero. One Greek tragedy that portrays a similar situation is Antigone by Sophocles. Creon makes the mistake of not listening to others, which causes him to lose all his loved ones and his kingdom. He best fits the mold of a tragic hero because he has the tragic flaw of excessive pride and he experiences an increased awareness.
When a hero can atone for their flaws, for the mistakes they made on their journey, is when they truly begin to define their legacy. Gilgamesh found a measure of closure, and even a sense of immortality, in realizing the worth of his city. Odysseus realized the selfishness of his actions, and in admitting the effects such selfishness had on his family became a more well rounded individual.
Once he was a grown man, however, with a life full of potential, a loving wife and healthy sons, Hera decided to bring her wrath upon him once again. She sent fits of madness upon him, causing him to kill his wife and sons. When Hercules came, he couldn’t live with the guilt of his sins. He went to the oracle of Delphi for advice on how he could make up for his wrongdoings and rid himself of his guilt.... ... middle of paper ...
A well known example of such a person is Odysseus from Homer's "Odyssey". Odysseus is idolized for his few heroic deeds during the Trojan War and his journey home to Ithaca. He is often thought of as a hero, but, as he is human and therefore subject to human weakness and fault, is not a true hero although some of his deeds were heroic. Odysseus also possessed the necessary qualities and skills needed for him to succeed. This is perhaps the key to understanding why he was classified as a hero in the first place.
The hero stands as an archetype of who we should be and who we wish to be. However, the hero has inherent flaws which we do not wish to strive towards. In literature, these flaws are not used as examples of what we should be but rather as examples of what not to be. This is especially dominant in the Greek hero. While the Greek hero follows his fate, making serious mistakes and having a fairly simple life, the Anglo-Saxon "super" hero tries, and may succeed, to change his fate, while dealing with a fairly complex life. The Greek hero is strong and mighty while his wit and intelligence are highly valued. In the Greek tragedy, the hero struggles to avoid many flaws. Among these flaws are ambition, foolishness, stubbornness, and hubris-the excessive component of pride. He must overcome his predestined fate-a task which is impossible. From the beginning of the tale, it is already clear that the hero will ultimately fail with the only way out being death. In Oedipus, the hero is already confronted with a load of information about his family and gouges his eyes out. At this point, when he tries to outwit his fate he has already lost and is sentenced to death.
Often readers will criticize the champions of classical and medieval epics for egotism. Critics cite examples from the Odyssey, the Aeneid, and Beowulf of conceit and egocentric behavior. Odysseus, Aeneas, and Beowulf display a well-known arrogance befitting their accomplishments. The motivation for this arrogance, to complete these tasks, to perform these feats, is often over-generalized to the point of inaccuracy and confusion. One must not let such misinterpretations interrupt the humanization of these characters. Through the examination of the desires and behavior of these epic heroes, we can discover an underlying need for recognition or honor. In classical and medieval western epics, the hero’s desire to complete a given quest is fueled by their desire to gain or maintain honor or fame.
The Odyssey, the main figure Odysseus has excessive pride, a lack of faith, and selfish intentions, which prevent him from earning the title of hero. These mannerisms are just several examples of his multiple derogatory traits. They completely overpower the few positive attributes Odysseus possesses. The numerous negative behaviors that he displays are not those of a hero. Being courageous, determined, growing, or courageous in any way can make a hero.
The main character of the Odyssey, Odysseus the King of Ithaca is given a complex personality to an extent where it is hard to identify whether he is a true hero or not. True heroism is only achieved when a person achieves certain qualities that portray heroism. Odysseus is not a hero based on the standards of merciful, selfless, and gentle because of his actions of sacrificing his men, killing the suitors and being ruthless throughout the Odyssey. Along with many others qualities these three are helpful and necessary in a hero. A hero must be willing to do service for others and put the needs of others safety and protection before his own. Odysseus does not even come close to matching these qualities because he is a person, who only serves of himself, and he sacrifices his allies to achieve his goals and often he takes action ruthlessly.
The 12th labor that Eurystheus would give Hercules would be to do 100 push-ups, 200 pull-ups, 300 sit-ups, and 400 body-squats. Hercules did the work out in sets of 10. He would do 10 push-ups, 20 pull-ups, 30 sit-ups, and 40 body-squats 10 times. It took Hercules one hour to finish the work out. Hercules threw up after finishing the workout. Eurystheus congratulated Hercules for finishing the 12 labors and told him that he was forgiven for the murder of his wife and children. Eurystheus asked Hercules what he was going to do since he was finished with all the labors and Hercules replied back saying that he was going to Disney World.
William Shakespeare, one of the greatest writers of all time, uses Hercules as a persona of excellence throughout his play, "Much Ado About Nothing". Hercules, in Greek mythology, is a hero known for his strength, courage and legendary adventures. This gives the impression that Shakespeare liked the tales of Hercules.
Since Hercules was sentenced to many labors and accomplished the almost impossible tasks it’s safe to say that he is one of the bravest heroes. When Hercules was a child the goddess Hera was very jealous of Hercules Hera was jealous because Zeus cheated on her many times with mortal women to pass on his great genes to offspring and the more offspring Zeus had the better off Greece would be. Hercules was born because Zeus had an affair with another women name Alcmene or Hercules’s mother. So Hera sent two snakes into Hercules’s room when he was an infant to kill him but Hercules grabbed the snakes by the head and killed them. Also on his labors he defeated the Hydra, Nemean Lion, and the man killing Stymphalian Birds. In all of those labors Hercules showed a tremendous amount of bravery, because most mortals couldn’t even come close to these creatures or they would be killed. Fortunately for Hercules his adventurous personality, this helped him with the many adventures that he had to face.
Jason is known for retrieving the Golden Fleece while Hercules is remembered for his 12 labors. Jason traveled to mysterious locations and received aid from two gods: Athena and Hermes. In addition to the help from Phineus, Jason returned with the glory of the Golden Fleece. He returned to his home to become the rightful king of Lolcus. Similarly, Hercules was also a special hero. He was a demigod who had superhuman strength. After murdering his family, Hercules was sentenced to twelve very dangerous labors. After Hercules died, he was considered as one of the greatest heroes in Greek Mythology.
“I do believe and hero is a person that can be knocked down. A failure isn’t a person who gets knocked down; a failure is a person who stays down, and to me, the great heroes take the beating, get knocked down and stand back up again. Perseus is defined as one of the great heroes in literature, so you gotta take that on board.” Said Sam Worthington talking about the hero Perseus. Perseus was the best greek hero.