Heroism

Heroism is defined as great bravery, and as we look into history we see many instances of great bravery from the ancient period to the medieval era. Many of these heroes are either inspired by great works of literature or have inspired the literature themselves. Starting in the ancient period we look to Homer’s epic The Iliad, and read about the heroism of Achilles, Hector, and Odysseus. Later on in history, we think of warrior-king Beowulf and his adventurous tale as that of a true hero. Ending in the medieval period we romanticize the tales of the knights, and turn them into “knights in shining armor” the defenders of the weak and protectors of the innocent. From the medieval era we have different tales that paint knights as heroes, while in others they are shown as men who don’t uphold their strict code of conduct, chivalry.

Heroism in Troy

What it takes to be a hero changes, but mainly focuses on features tied up with bravery and working for a just cause. In many cases, the heroes of ancient Greece are protected by their gods so the men themselves often have near-godlike powers. According to Encyclopedia Britannica (2013), In the case of Achilles, he was the son of a nymph and king, so he had divine strength and was the most successful warrior for the Greeks during their sack of Troy. Achilles was so regarded as a hero that after his death, he was worshiped as a god (Burgess, 2012). Hector was the oldest son of King Priam and Queen Hecuba of Troy. Jean de Longuyon lists Hector as one of his Nine Worthies, warrior heroes who were models of chivalry (O’Reilly, 2012). Odysseus was a favorite of Athena the goddess of wisdom, due to his cleverness. Odysseus was the originator of the Trojan horse that initially ended the war by g...

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...n the lord's wife comes into Sir Gawain's chambers to seduce him, he shows humility. Gawain follows and upholds chivalry. Another popular story of that time was Chaucer’s The Wife of Bath’s Tale. The Wife of Bath’s Tale illustrates how important it was for knights to keep to a chivalrous life.

Heroism is idea that transcends the ages. From the ancient war heroes protected by the gods, to gentle knight who lives for honor we see how the idea of heroism changes with the times. However, we can see qualities in all heroes that link together. We see people who are working for and striving to protect things and people they care about. It is very important to note that history has remembered these heroes for centuries and millennia; I believe this makes it evident just how important the qualities of care and strength are to societies of the past, present, and the future.