Using specific examples from the literature, compare Greek heroes in Homer's time to the heroes in Herodotus' and Sophocles' time. Although there are still many similarities, what has changed? Compare that to our day. Is there a similar shift occurring in what makes the ideal man?
The Greek heroes were usually warriors and fighters. The qualities of a great Greek hero included: wealthy, intelligent, strong, swift, god-like, loyal, intimidating, strategic, and more such as. Some Greek heroes from Homer's time were men like Achilles, Hector, Paris, and Agamemnon. These men were part of the battlefield and fought for their country, their family, and their own pride. The Greeks were very prideful and thus were the heroes of that time.
In Oedipus The King by Sophocles, the main character Oedipus is thought of as the original tragic hero. I like the dictionary definition for a tragic hero:
"a great or virtuous character in a dramatic tragedy who is destined for downfall, suffering, or defeat"
This describes Oedipus very well. His destiny is to be the murderer of his father and to marry his mother. It takes awhile for Oedipus to piece together all the clues to his real identity. I feel that it takes more time than it should have actually taken for Oedipus to figure out that the prophecy has come true. I believe this makes him naive and slow.
The attributes of a hero greatly changed from Homer to Sophocles time. The heroes are no longer fighters or ambitious. Compared to our day, heroes can be completely different to different individuals. Some may name their heroes as celebrities, men and women who can be compared to heroes from both Homers' time and Sophocles and Herodotus' time. Celebrities are prideful and intimidating like in Homers' time while they also might be dimwitted and destined for downfall like the story of Oedipus in Sophocles time.
This is a harsh look at Oedipus, but before I read it I wondered how the play could work at all. A son who kills his father and marries his mother?
ReplyDeleteI like your honest commentary.
The heroes in Homer's time were spending their days finding glory in battle. Oedipus spent his whole life trying to escape fate. The difference between these two heroes vary greatly. And the involvement of the gods in their lives also differ greatly. With the gods help maybe mortals were better able to achieve their greatness. In Sophocle's time the gods involvement was very limited.
ReplyDeleteOuch, kind of harsh on Oedipus, don't you think? I doubt anyone would have "pieced together the pieces" quicker than him. And even if they did, it would be too late, wouldn't it?
ReplyDeleteAlso, you named some great heros, but it would have been nice to get some specific examples of their characteristics rather than just naming them.
Lastly, I disagree with your last take on heros. I think that there are specific heros for individuals, however, there are people that every takes as heros and that society celebrates as a whole. Some people win over everyone's hearts.
A very blunt commentary though, straight-forward and no beating around the bush.
I do not think Paris is considered a hero. In our day I think there is a difference between a celebrities and a hero. Firefighters are heros. celebrities, while popularized, do not have a following of people saying they are heros.
ReplyDeleteOh poor Odeipus. I think it's made obvious for the reader for the sake of dramatic, situational irony to make the story interesting, but if this was a real event, I don't think we would have necessarily pieced it together any better than Oedipus. We have to keep in mind that the audience has a lot of information unavailable to him.
ReplyDelete