Analysis Of The Epic Heroes - 1270 Words

Luck of the Hero (An analysis of epic heroes) Often when reading literature, the reader can’t help but think that no character could have such qualities as they are portrayed in the story. A classic example of this are the epic heroes that help facilitate the history of important cultures. The epic is a long piece of poetry describing a hero’s journey to a better self and complete a mission. These heroes are often extremely brave and smart, which can leave the audience doubting any historical accuracy and believability in the character. These characters face nightmares in real life and live to tell the tale. Epic heroes are, after all, the explanation of a culture’s ideal warrior or citizen. However, these heroes also suffer from a tragic flaw, usually hubris or extreme pride in one’s self. It is a legitimate question to wonder how a hero can be so incredibily successful with such a large flaw. This question leads many people to assume that luck has a lot to do with the su ccess of the epic hero. Luck can be construed as the universe’s way of helping things along. Especially with the early polytheistic cultures, divine intervention was a large theme, and this can serve as the backbone of luck for the epic hero. Odysseus from the Odyssey is a prime example as Athena is a constant aid to him in his long journey home. Odysseus truly thrives from divine luck more than his own personal intelligence or bravery. To begin, Odysseus has extreme wit, but much of it is actually luckShow MoreRelatedThe Legacy and Legend of King Arthur and Heroes of Epic Poems: A Comparative Analysis734 Words   |  3 Pagesthe myriad heroes that came before him in ancient times. These heroes include the likes of Achilles, Gilgamesh, and Beowulf. However, principally due to the fact that King Arthur and his exploits are decidedly more modern than those of the aforementioned heroes, there are certain points of variance between his characterization and deeds and those of the figures that existed in ancient times. Therefore, it is accurate to say that Arthur retained many of the qualities endemic to heroes that precededRead MoreThe Ramayana As A Hero Essay1508 Words   |  7 Pagesthe analysis of major heroic archetypes and characters, is how the ancient Indian heroic society takes the ideas of heroism, with specific focus on the epic poem ‘The Ramayana’. 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An Analysis of Milton’s Paradise Lost The heroic qualities of Satan in John Milton’s Paradise Lost are overwhelmingly masked by his ‘satanic’ and villainous acts which qualify his character to fall into a category of villain rather than hero. Paradise Lost is an epic poem and like all epic poems, requires an epic hero with a tragic flaw. The tragic flaws of Satan are too prominent and effectual to call him an epic hero, but rather these flaws, or evil characteristicsRead MoreThe Epic Of The Iliad1562 Words   |  7 Pagesgreatest Greek epic poet. He has had an enormous influence on the history of literature. The poem, Iliad, has been translated into different languages, one of which will be used in this paper, translated by Robert Fagles. The poem itself is about one simple word: rage. This anger that infuriates everyone is transformed into a war that will not stop until one side, either Greeks or Trojans, wins. With the majority of the Gods taking sides, the reader can see a combination of heroes a nd gods fightingRead MoreThe Heroic Code1182 Words   |  5 Pagesvaries slightly from the region of the world. There are heroic codes of Asia, Greece, Germany, Spain, etc. They are all different but the basic principles are the same: honor and always being a virtuous person. Since I’m going to be starting off my analysis with examples from Homer’s Illiad, I will describe the Greek version of the heroic code. There are four pillars: first and foremost, the desire to excel and be a distinguished above others. Second, to stand firmly in battle and fight to the deathRead MoreEssay on Tolstoys War and Peace939 Words   |  4 Pageswith them. It follows the characters through fifteen years during the Napoleonic Wars, from 1805 to 1820. It gives a fictional description of the events in the life of the Rostov family as well as some of the historical events of the time. Analysis Tolstoy is regarded by some as the greatest writer about war (Bayley 16). He includes details in the military scenes of War and Peace. Many battles and army movements are described, but the details included are not militaristic. Instead, Tolstoy