English IV

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English IV

• Literary Heroes

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The Ancient Hero

• Son of god or goddess
• Almost immortal
• Generally either punished or rewarded by the gods
• ex. Hercules, Achilles

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The Epic Hero

• The central figure of a long narrative
• Reflects the values and ideals of a society
• Is mortal, but with superior strength

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the Epic Hero cont.

• Faces violence, death, evil to save mortals
• Supremely ethical
• In his quest, he defeats monsters
• Is glorified by his society in the end

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The Romantic Hero

• abides by code of honor
• must go on a quest
• rescues damsel in distress
• aids the needy
• fights evil

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The Modern Superhero

• Has secret identity
• Supernatural powers
• Has fantastic origin
• Fights against evil
• Good to a fault

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The Contemporary Hero

• Fictional
• Human, but with superior strength
• Not immortal
• No super powers
• Springs out of a need from the society

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The tragic hero

• Is neither completely good nor completely bad
• Is from a position of power or prosperity
• Is tragically flawed

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tragic hero cont.

• His tragic flaw is responsible for an error in
  judgment
• He suffers great loss
• At the end, he is humbled and enlightened by his
  loss