Classical Hero: Perfect Human, Divine Birth & Extra-Ordinary Deeds - Essay Sample

Introduction

A classical hero constitutes a person who considers him or herself a perfect human being. The perfectionism here stems from his divine birth or noble origin. The classical hero goes on to perform extra-ordinary deeds, suffers and eventually dies most unusually. Among the Greek and the Roman cultures, the assumption is that men who are capable of receiving honour and moral virtue are from a good background (Worldview). The common-folk and the barbarians are seen as incapable of having nobility though they are considered brave. It is not relatively easy for a simpleton to grasp the notion and the idea behind the classism. Classical heroes did value their honour above everything else, including their own lives.

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Nancy Conner, a freelance writer and a professor at Phillips Academy, notes that in ancient times "adventure stories were highly popular" (12). She further states that for a person to be considered a hero, he or she had to fearless, ambitious and confident enough to tackle all the challenges presented before him or her. She adds that classical heroes were so optimistic that at a point, they could appear as "egomaniacs" to today's readers (12). Of the many ways in which classical heroes and sheroes are celebrated, this essay will focus on the six typical character traits of most of the heroes known to humanity. These include death, emotional quest, strong ability or attribute, great foreshadow, a battle of pride and humble beginnings.

Examples of well-known heroes of our time include Harry Potter, King Arthur, Luke Skywalker, Ponyboy and Atticus Finch. The first trait these heroes have in common is the humble beginnings as Harry Potter, for instance is an orphan and is forced to learn how to survive and face adversity. In his story, there is the mentioning of his uncle and aunt rather than his parents. Next is the series of events happening in Harry's life which includes him learning how to overcome problems facing him. These entail emotional, magical, social and ordinary teenage challenges such as schoolwork, exams, anxiety, stress, depression, friendships, infatuation, and preparing himself for the greatest wizarding war (Mulholland 249).

Female sheroes such as Penelope maintains one of the social virtues of faithfulness and loyalty to her family (12). When her husband Odysseus goes missing, Penelope withstands the torturous period by constantly warding off the would-be suitors with trickery and cleverness. She was equally hospitable and carried a lot of wisdom. Such attributes coincide with the definition of a hero and show one of the characters of having vital qualities and ability.

Lastly, King Arthur, the mythological hero of Camelot, shows a lot of bravery in fighting for his country and on several accounts risking death for his people. King Arthur also had the battle of pride as he would not allow his country to go the dogs. As is mentioned above, heroes had to be extra-ordinary to do the impossible. Whether the quest was emotional, physical or psychological, the hero would possess that unique ability that sets him or her apart from the rest and accomplishes it.

Works Cited

Conner, Nancy. The Everything Classical Mythology Book: From the heights of Mount Olympus to the depths of the Underworld-all you need to know about the classical myths. Simon and Schuster, 2010.

Mulholland, Neil, ed. The psychology of Harry Potter: An unauthorized examination of the boy who lived. BenBella Books, Inc., 2009.

World View, Home. "What Is a Classical Hero?" Reference, IAC Publishing, 2019, www.reference.com/world-view/classical-hero-3160bf40870381a.