A hero is the central male figure in a literary text. In epics, a hero is often a mythological or legendary figure, often of divine descent, often with at least one parent who is divine. The hero manifests great strength or ability and is an illustrious, battle-tested warrior, who shows great courage, but who may act rashly at times.
The battles are often, though not always, with monsters. The exploits of epic heroes play out over both time and space, and often involve journeys with definite goals. In the course of these journeys, epic heroes often have a guide, often a divine personage who assists them.
These heroes meet women characters who serve to try to tempt them away from their goals. At some point in the exploits of the hero, the hero generally descends into a place of darkness, often the underworld. Epic heroes do not fail.
They meet their goals and are admired at the national level (that is by their nation or people)for their achievements and noble qualities.
THE PROMPT
Use the above definition of epic hero to examine three heroes in the two texts we’ve read so far: Achilles, Hector, and Aeneas.
All have been referred to as heroes.
But consider each hero against the definition and explain how each hero does and does not meet the criteria of the definition. As a central organizing point, decide who best fits the definition.
The paper should not be less than 1250 words long (exclusive of the Works Cited page).
Books can use are:
Iliad (Hackett Classics)Homer; Murnaghan, Sheila and Homer; Murnaghan, SheilaAeneid (Hackett Classics)Virgil; Lombardo, Stanley; Joh
