Modern Heroes In Mythology By Edith Hamilton

Throughout history, heros come and go, and as they do, it becomes evident which character traits stand the test of time, and those that don’t; this is obvious in the book, Mythology by Edith Hamilton, which gives a brief recap of Greek mythology, and features several heroes, which are both different and similar to modern heros. When considering what Greek heroes have in common with today’s everyday heroes, the first that comes to mind is Hercules, mainly, as the book says, “he had supreme self-confidence” (225). The book goes into great detail explaining that Hercules was very confident, which translated into bravery, allowing him to face any challenge fearless. This is very similar to contemporary heroes, like firefighters, who have to be
brave in order to do their job of saving people everyday. Although, even though the bravery has stayed consistent, it’s undeniable that they do share some differences, especially in the story of Theseus, when he travels to Athens killing all the bandits on the way, as the book says, “He killed them all… he left not one alive to trouble future travelers” (210). Even though Theseus did a favor for anyone else who would travel down the path after him, he did commit murder, as many other protagonists of Greek myths did.