Anti-Hero Essays

  • Aeneas, the Anti-hero of Aeneid

    2032 Words  | 5 Pages

    Aeneas, the Anti-hero of Aeneid Many people seem to be under the impression that the Aeneid is a celebration of Roman glory, led by the hero of fate Aeneas. I find these preconceived ideas hard to reconcile with my actual reading of the text. For starters, I have a hard time viewing Aeneas as a hero at all. Almost any other main characters in the epic, from Dido to Camilla to Turnus, have more heroic qualities than Aeneas. This is especially noteworthy because many of these characters are his

  • Kosinski's Being There and the Existential Anti-Hero

    3196 Words  | 7 Pages

    Kosinski's Being There and the Existential Anti-Hero Critics have referred to Kosinski's Being There as his worst novel.  Perhaps, Kosinski's prosaic style is deceptive in its apparent simplicity (especially when contrasted with The Painted Bird).  "What Kosinski seeks to do," as Welch D. Everman relates, "is to stimulate the reader's recreative and imaginative task by offering only the essentials...Kosinski's style draws the reader into the incident by refusing to allow him to remain passive"

  • Free Hamlet Essays: Hamlet the Anti-Hero

    1203 Words  | 3 Pages

    Hamlet the Anti-Hero Hamlet certainly isn't a hero in this play. He exhibits many of his weaknesses that contradict other characters in the play. A hero is a person who shows great courage through his actions and one who is noble and self-sacrificing. He does exhibit courage in parts like when the ghost came and Hamlet followed it, but yet he certainly isn't self-sacrificing. He sacrifices other characters lives to benefit his chance of getting revenge with Claudius. I thought Hamlet was a selfish

  • How Is Hamlet An Anti Hero

    765 Words  | 2 Pages

    essay will explore two plays that clearly demonstrate the idea of hero and anti-heroism. The two plays are: William Shakespeare’s Hamlet and Henrik Ibsen’s Hedda Gabler. The first paragraph of this essay will define and deconstruct the qualities that both titles manifest. The second paragraph will analyze the actions and qualities of the character Hamlet in Hamlet to prove that he perfectly fits the Aristotelian model of a tragic hero. The third paragraph will argue that Hedda Gabler in Hedda Gabler

  • Robert Ross the Anti-Hero

    1004 Words  | 3 Pages

    Findley place in Robert’s life is what molds him into the type of character he becomes. Timothy Findley manipulates what a hero is supposed to be, by making Robert Ross a distorted kind of hero. Robert Ross exemplifies anti-heroism throughout the text because of his need to be a savior but inability to do so, his morals and his connection with animals. Robert Ross becomes the anti-hero because of his need of to save others but inability to do so; Robert, himself, is not aware of the fact that all he wants

  • Kvothe Anti Hero Analysis

    711 Words  | 2 Pages

    Shairwin Mendoza Violet McKeon Writing 39B 20 April 2014 On Kvothe: The Anti-Hero There are heroes in every story: fairy tales, fables, epics, film, video games, etc. and they all have shared many characteristics together, which set the standards of what a traditional hero is supposed to be: courageous, selfless, strong, triumphs over evil, and saves the damsel in distress. “The definition of hero depends on the society in which these characters originate” . Most high fantasy stories take place

  • Deadpool: Who Is An Anti-Hero?

    698 Words  | 2 Pages

    If the person that is supposed to save your life uses a morally questionable means to do so, are they still a super hero? This description better defines an anti-hero. Action movies tend to have a very predictable set of characters. You’re quickly able to identify the villain while expecting the super hero to orchestrate a plan to impede their sinister plot. Deadpool is a movie that manages to keep you on the edge of your seat with continuous action sequences. However, you are left rooting for a

  • Was Andrew Carnegie A Hero Or Anti Hero?

    694 Words  | 2 Pages

    cities expand bringing urbanization. Although many people consider him a hero, he is considered an antagonist because of his atrocious working conditions coupled with the long hour and the wages. So was he a hero? A hero is generally defined as someone who is admired or idealized usually for courage, outstanding achievements, or noble qualities. On the other hand, an anti-hero is someone who lacks the traits of a traditional hero but still has the greater good of the people in mind. Though Carnegie

  • The Hero and Anti-Hero in Joseph Conrad?s Heart of Darkness

    1377 Words  | 3 Pages

    The Hero and Anti-Hero in Joseph Conrad?s Heart of Darkness In studying Joseph Conrad's, The Heart of Darkness, many critics dwell on the issue of heroism. Who is the hero, Marlow or Kurtz? It is clear that both Marlow and Kurtz are the protagonists of the story; however, protagonist and hero are not always synonymous. Marlow is the hero in the traditional sense of the word, while Kurtz is the more modern hero, often referred to as the anti-hero. Marlow starts out as just as everyman,

  • The Hero and the Anti-Hero in Hemingway's The Sun Also Rises

    774 Words  | 2 Pages

    A definition is seldom absolute, and the fickle definition of hero is no exception. Some envision a hero as one who excels in battle and others admire champions of peace. Regardless of this personal understanding, however, all common and perfunctory thoughts surrounding the title, hero, are quickly unraveled when we examine the life of any mortal. While it would be impossible for anyone to perfectly satisfy the role of a hero, save the Savior, most of us have created certain standards within our

  • John Gardner's Grendel As An Anti-Hero

    501 Words  | 2 Pages

    in a story can be considered an anti-hero. In the story Grendel, by John Gardner, the reader is challenged to contemplate the thoughts and feelings of the anti-hero, Grendel. Exploring heroes like Beowulf, and anti-heroes like Grendel, and the Beast in Beauty and the Beast, causes the reader to develop a better understanding of the relationship that exists between the characters and their society. Both

  • Anti-Hero Protagonist in Euripide´s Medea

    626 Words  | 2 Pages

    Medea the Anti-hero An anti-hero is the protagonist of a story who lacks some attributes almost always present in a hero, such as selflessness and mercy. Where the hero will save the antagonist at the end of the story if such an opportunity presents itself, the anti-hero will most likely leave his or her foe to rot and choose to forgo saving the life of an enemy. The anti-hero might go as far as to hasten the humiliation or death of said enemy to further her or his own agenda. In Euripides’ play

  • Representation Of The Anti-Hero Archetypes In The Film And Television Industry

    1725 Words  | 4 Pages

    RD 5: Rough Draft The hero and the anti-hero; certainly an unknown, household archetypes that has flooded literature and more recently the film and television industry. These two archetypes have been brought to life through memorable characters both in the pages of a novel or on the big screen. According to Michael Ryan, “A structure is something that does not vary, “ and, “Narratives often follow patterns that they share with other narratives” This states that no matter how the writer, screenwriter

  • Essay On The Anti-Hero In The Crucible By Arthur Miller

    1544 Words  | 4 Pages

    The Anti-hero in The Crucible A hero is defined as "someone admired for his bravery, great deeds or noble qualities". There are three categories to which all heroes can be classified into, one of which is the anti-hero genre. An anti-hero has the role of a hero thrust upon them. They do not particularly want to be brave or noble but their actions lead them to be a hero. Facing difficult decisions and doubt are also classic traits of an anti-hero. They often lack confidence in themselves

  • The Anti-Hero

    2063 Words  | 5 Pages

    Dostoyevsky’s novel and represents a subversion of the typical courageous hero. In this regard, the Underground man is an anti-hero, since as a protagonist he not only challenges the typical literary version of a hero, but also challenges conventional thinking (Brombert 1999, p. 1). Antiheroism Cuddon and Preston (1998) describe the anti-hero as a “non-hero” since he comes across as the “antithesis of a hero” (p. 42). The traditional hero is demonstrative of heroism and is typically characterized as “dashing

  • Prufrock Anti-Hero

    1050 Words  | 3 Pages

    For a time, the main characters in a story, poem, or narrative were easily classified as either being a hero or a villain. A hero would be easy to identify by the traits he'd possess, such as bravery, honesty, selflessness, trustworthiness, courage, leadership, and more. The villain would be easy to identify as well, possessing traits such as maliciousness, deceitfulness, immorality, dark, wishing harm upon others, and more. But what if the character lacked the natural heroic qualities but wasn't

  • Anti Hero In The Odyssey

    655 Words  | 2 Pages

    considered a role model or a hero. In the Odyssey written by homer, Odysseus is the protagonist. During the beginning he is depicted as a hero after defeating the Trojans in the Trojan War. But on the way back to his home, Ithaca, he made a god also known as Poseidon, mad. So instead of taking less than a year to get home, it took 10 years. And on his journey back to his homeland, he becomes more of an anti-hero. In the Odyssey, during his journey back, Odysseys turns into an anti-hero because of his arrogance

  • Gatsby Anti Hero

    971 Words  | 2 Pages

    Readers are easily able to clarify whether a character is a hero or a villain, whether they are completely selfless or malicious. However, anti-heroes are characters that tip toe the line between good and evil. There is more to these characters than simply saving the people around them or destroying anything to get their way. These characters may be fighting for a good cause but will go against the rules or even kill to get what they want. They might take advantage of others and rebel against what

  • Macbeth As An Anti Hero

    708 Words  | 2 Pages

    him change from the dignified, first-rate man he once was into the anti-hero he virtually becomes. When the play first begins, the story introduces readers to a man many can’t help but love. Macbeth is a well-known and very well-respected thane and soldier. As a character, Macbeth is introduced

  • Beowulf v. Grendel

    1070 Words  | 3 Pages

    Janell Touchette Period D 3/6/05 Beowulf/Grendel Test 1.     An anti-hero is the opposite of a hero. It is the character that goes against all the traditional values of society. Grendel has strong traits of the average anti-hero. He lives in a cave with his mother in the middle of no where. Everybody in the land refuses to accept him, even as the lowest of their kind, and they are constantly trying to kill him. He is deprived the rules and consequences of society by not being allowed to join men