Greek and Roman Heroes

Brianne Keil HUM2210 October 15th, 2012 meter reading Paper 2 The Warrior sub We all envision certain types of qualities when considering what defines a hero strength, agility, rock tricky abs, and often, Brad Pitt. hardly throughout the Greek and Roman literature, we see contrastive types of qualifications in the composition of their heroes. Obviously, twain the Greeks and the Romans think that they define a true hero in their versions of Heroic Epics, but which one of these goals in reality proves that they have what makes the ultimate hero?With about further research into these societies and their literature, we see that their heroes really arent that variant after all. In the Iliad, Homer targets the auditory modality of Greek upper class men in ordering to spread some heathenish propaganda to the nation. Homer captures audiences by using the hero of Achilles to show men what they should site to be, and to show women what they should be looking for in a man. After t he Dark Ages, Homer aims to bring some positive light to the Greeks with his Epic Heroes, which pass bys to inspire more than just the Greek men of this clipping frame.Homer uses his haggle to encourage strength, creating what is known as the Greek Heroic Age, dating from 1200 to 750 BC. The Iliad becomes known as the warrior code of person-to-person pureness and idealization, demonstrating the culture and the qualities Greek men should strive to achieve. Achilles, the epics hero, is an elegant gentleman who knows his passel in tone is to interlocking. Achilles makes it a strong point that the aim of every hero is to achieve honor, even up if this honor is only reached in death. Achilles knows that he has two fates to either live a long life with no fame attributed to him, or to die as a well-known warrior across his kingdom.Achilles demonstrates to the male audience that honor idler only some meters be reached in battling to the death, an honor that is well worth sacrif icing your life. In the Iliad, Achilles states, Man, supposing you and I, escaping this battle would be able to live on forever, ageless, immortal, so neither would I myself go on scrap in the foremost nor would I urge you into the fighting where men win ring. But now, seeing that the spirits of death stand close about us in their thousands, no man back deform aside nor escape them, let us go on and win glory or ourselves or yield it to new(prenominal)s. This statement proves Achilles deep desire within to reach glory for him, no matter what the cost. even so though Homers hero can only bestow honor alone, with his own actions, both Achilles and his enemy, Hector, strive to win the approval of the society as well. In a scene of the Iliad, Hectors wife is urging, nearly begging, for him to sustain from battling. Hector replies with, yet I would feel deep shame forrader the Trojans, and the Trojan women with trailing garments, if like a coward I were to shrink aside from the fighting. Hectors repartee demonstrates that not only does he have a duty to fulfill to the Trojans, but also to himself. By denying the fight with Achilles, Hector would be shameful to his society, but more importantly, to his own honor and glory. Homer displays a Greek hero as one with courage, honor, and personal glory that earns fame through the fights they conquer in their life. This rendering of a hero motivates many Greek men to step up to the plate and battle when the time comes, no matter what their risking along the way.A Greek Hero must be brave and fearless in the eyes of Homer, which leads to the perception of a hero to Greek citizens as a whole. The Romans, on the other hand, have a differing view of a hero, thanks to Virgils writing of the Aeneid. The Aeneid is an Epic History of capital of Italys first ancestor, Aeneas. The original audience of this piece of literature is the broken and battered Trojans, who at the time (19 AD), were looking for some source of inl et and identity after being defeated by the Greek. The Aeneid demonstrates Pro-Rome propaganda, self-aggrandising Romans something to believe in and aspire to be.It is said that Aeneas is the Hero that leads the Trojans after their defeat to Greece to a new land of prosperity. In the end, Aeneas slays Turnus due to his mission to provide the Romans with a new land to handle home. Due to his strong will to complete his mission of reaching security, Aeneas is said to be the military Hero for Rome. Aeneas was devoted to his mission, and chose the course heaven gave him, leading to his title as an Epic Hero. Due to the cultural baggage the Trojans have after their humiliating defeat, the Aeneid is a much more feelingal piece of literature, with emotion in his heart, when referring to Aeneas.Aeneas doesnt just set an example for the Romans, he is inspirational to the spotless population when things seemed to reach rock bottom. Roman, remember by your strength to rule Earths peoples- to pacify, to jaw the rule of law, to spare the conquered, battle down the proud. , Aeneas states in the Aeneid. By the end of the epic, the entire Roman audience feels that they themselves are the glorious conclusion of the story, not just Aeneas. He is idolized as the leader of a new found causeful legacy, in which includes each and every audience member. So nowthe present moment weve all been waiting for.Who takes the crown as the REAL epic hero? Well, its not that unproblematic of a decision to make, even hundreds of years later. In some ways, the two heroes are very similar. But they also have contrasting qualities that make them unique to their culture. In Greece, the idea of personal honor and glory is highly emphasized, while the Roman Hero Aeneid is all about citizens coming together to reach power and prestige. The differing idealistic characteristics make sense from an outsiders view- the Greek had conquered the Trojans together, but only because of each several(pren ominal) warriors courage and bravery.In contrast, the Romans had just faced an embarrassing defeat, one which left the culture torn apart and most likely, depressed. Aeneid needed to create a positive morale among his people, which could only be restored by bringing everyone together to victory as one. The cultural baggage of each society lead to the way their heroes were presented. Even though the idealistic hero from a Greek society has more self-seeking attributes, Greek citizens would still appreciate Aeneids heroic acts, in my opinion.Whether Aeneid was fighting for his own glory, or for the glory of his people, he still slayed the enemy in order to reach his goal. The Greek audience would still hold out Aeneid with high regards because in the end, he did battle for his destiny, and brought the Romans respect through his actions. Both cultures can appreciate the fact that both Achilles and Aeneid followed their destinies, battled for victory, and in the end, won fame because of their courage and dedication. While these motivations may have been pulled from different sources, both men were still able to bring glory upon themselves and the ones they fought for.Each of them held the true qualities of a warrior hero much(prenominal) as strength, endurance, and daring charisma, keeping them alive today, hundreds of years later. So, I hate to leave you hanging, but I guess the TRUE Epic Hero remains a mystery. After seeing what Achilles and Aeneid went through during battle, how can I choose which one is best? Its so unfair I think its safe to say that the Greeks will side with the self-determination of Achilles, while the Romans appreciate the inspiration Aeneid had to offer to them all.Either way, both of these men are considered warrior heroes to us all. Works Citied Dunkle, Roger. The Classical Origins of Western Culture- ILIAD. Brooklyn College Core course of study Series. Brookyln College, 1986. Web. 14 Oct. 2012. . SparkNotes Editors. SparkNote on T he Aeneid. SparkNotes. com. SparkNotes LLC. 2002. Web. 2 Oct. 2012.