Heroism In The Heroic Hero

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Two characters could be described as a hero, and could be two completely different characters. This is because what heroism is defined as changes depending on who one asks and on what they’re reading. Form Homeric epic to tragedy, the concept of heroism has been taken on by many different authors, each representing heroism differently. Even the same author can represent heroism differently. Heroism is a dynamic topic, and can change as time goes on, can change as the themes change between plays and poems, and can change from character to character. From Homeric epic, to tragedies, the idea of heroism has changed with the passage of time. Around 8th century B.C.E is when Homeric epic first defined heroism. From heroes, such as Achilles from the Iliad, to heroes like Odysseus from the Odyssey, a hero was represented as a brave, strong, and cunning individual. Homeric heroes also can be god-like, such as Achilles, who is a demi-god, born from the sea-nymph Thetis and Peleus, another Greek hero. While …show more content…

Around this time is when the tragic hero was widely used. The tragic hero is quite different from what heroism was in Homeric epics. Heroes now are more flawed, and not concerned with following the heroic code. Heroism at this point in time is also concerned with the downfall of a hero, instead of their success. Aristotle also said that the tragic hero’s misfortune is brought upon them by and error in their judgement, rather than their vices. A good example of a hero in this time period is Agamemnon, in the play Agamemnon. In this play, the downfall of Agamemnon is brought upon him by his wife, Clytemnestra. Agamemnon’s error in judgement was sacrificing his own daughter, and leaving for 10 years to Troy to go to war. This is what caused Clytemnestra’s desire for revenge, and thus brought misfortune upon the house-of-Atreus once more. It can be seen from Agamemnon what heroism was like during the 4th

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