Heroes

Types of Heroes

• Epic (Odysseus)• Tragic (Romeo, Hamlet)• Conventional (Harry Potter)

Epic Hero

• A figure of heroic stature, having national or international importance

• Great historical or legendary significance• Action consists of deeds of great valor or

requiring superhuman courage• Triumphs in the end with the “good”

overcoming the “evil”

Tragic Hero

• A figure of noble stature who has a greatness about him or her

• Not eminently good or just, but faces misfortune brought about by some error or tragic flaw (hamartia)

• A pre-eminently great, but not perfect, figure -- combined with strength, there is usually a weakness

• Encounters a downfall (tragedy) – partially his/her own fault and the result of his/her own free choice rather than the result of pure accident, villainy or some overriding malignant fate– Downfall fills the reader with some empathy or pity; some

discovery or gain in self-knowledge is evidenced; the hero may be defeated, but he/she has dared greatly and gains an understanding in defeat

Conventional Hero

• Usually ruggedly handsome or beguilingly beautiful

• Figure faced with significant obstacles that he/she finally overcomes to achieve a goal

• May have vices, but none that the reader would not mind having

• Reader can, in his/her imagination, identify himself/herself with the hero and can relate to the adventures and triumphs

Hamlet as Tragic Hero

• Begins with noblest motivations (to punish his father’s murderer)

• Does not survive to see the full outcome of his actions

• What is his tragic fall?

Hero’s Journey

• The Mundane World: where he doesn’t want to be• The Call to Adventure: there’s something else out

there…• Crossing the Threshold: hero crosses into new

world from old• Path of Trials: meets new people, learns new skills,

overcomes challenges• Master of Two Worlds: Returns to old world a

changed person