Ideal Warrior Hero
Topic 2: The Warrior Hero
Actor, Christopher Reeve, once said, “What makes Superman a hero is not that he has power, but that he has the wisdom and the maturity to use the power wisely. A hero is an ordinary individual who finds the strength to persevere and endure in spite of overwhelming obstacles.” Everyone has his or her own idea of what makes someone a hero. Sometimes this idea has to do with one’s culture or status in society. Homer’s Iliad, and Virgil’s Aeneid, use epic literature to present and describe an idealized warrior hero in correlation to their respected cultures. The Greeks do it for personal honor and glory but the Romans do it as a unit.
Homer set the “standard” for the Ancient Greek warrior hero through his cultural propaganda, The Iliad. The Iliad is an epic poem with an episodic plot, set during the Bronze Age. It portrays two enemies, Achilles and Hector, on opposing sides during the Trojan War. Although they are bitter enemies, these warriors encompassed similar, hero-like characteristics such as superhuman qualities and abilities, bravery, strength, and courage on the battlefield. These characters symbolized idealized warrior heroes in the Ancient Greek culture and provided inspiration to the intended audience mostly of 18-25 year old, upper class, Grecian males and females of the twelfth century. The young men were citizen-soldiers, able to afford bronze weapons and armor. This epic inspired these men and was a model of courage, skill, and strength. One must possess these traits in order to attain personal honor and glory. The women used these characteristics as guidelines of what to look for in a mate. A public hero would giver her status in society as the one who is married to him and bears his children.
Achilles, referred to as the dominant hero in the Iliad, is the strongest and most fearless Greek warrior against the Trojans in the Trojan War. He is proud and impulsive and gets angered when he thinks that his honor is being
Actor, Christopher Reeve, once said, “What makes Superman a hero is not that he has power, but that he has the wisdom and the maturity to use the power wisely. A hero is an ordinary individual who finds the strength to persevere and endure in spite of overwhelming obstacles.” Everyone has his or her own idea of what makes someone a hero. Sometimes this idea has to do with one’s culture or status in society. Homer’s Iliad, and Virgil’s Aeneid, use epic literature to present and describe an idealized warrior hero in correlation to their respected cultures. The Greeks do it for personal honor and glory but the Romans do it as a unit.
Homer set the “standard” for the Ancient Greek warrior hero through his cultural propaganda, The Iliad. The Iliad is an epic poem with an episodic plot, set during the Bronze Age. It portrays two enemies, Achilles and Hector, on opposing sides during the Trojan War. Although they are bitter enemies, these warriors encompassed similar, hero-like characteristics such as superhuman qualities and abilities, bravery, strength, and courage on the battlefield. These characters symbolized idealized warrior heroes in the Ancient Greek culture and provided inspiration to the intended audience mostly of 18-25 year old, upper class, Grecian males and females of the twelfth century. The young men were citizen-soldiers, able to afford bronze weapons and armor. This epic inspired these men and was a model of courage, skill, and strength. One must possess these traits in order to attain personal honor and glory. The women used these characteristics as guidelines of what to look for in a mate. A public hero would giver her status in society as the one who is married to him and bears his children.
Achilles, referred to as the dominant hero in the Iliad, is the strongest and most fearless Greek warrior against the Trojans in the Trojan War. He is proud and impulsive and gets angered when he thinks that his honor is being