Heroism
The hero in literature is a powerful character.The play, Iphigenia in Aulis, written by Euripides defined heroism through the characters. A few characters showed great heroism, unlike a few who did not show heroism. Clytemnestra and Iphigenia displayed great heroism. The characters showed heroism by their actions and nature. Agamemnon however, who is selfish did not show any heroism Iphigenia is portrayed as a hero in the play . Iphigenia showed heroism by her actions and nature. She sacrificed for greater good so the the Trojan War could continue. Her Courageous sacrifice saved Greece. Iphigenia had chosen death which showed how unselfish she is. She admitted to Achilles, “I have chosen death:it is my own free choice.” (1.1013). Iphigenia got to live up with the Gods because of her “generous blood” and willingness to sacrifice.
Agamemnon was very selfish and showed cowardly behavior throughout the play. Menelaus questions Agamemnon’s loyalty as commander of the Greek forces: “Will you not help Greece?” (1.227). He continually lied to his wife, Clytemnestra and his daughter even after Clytemnestra knew what he was planning on doing to his daughter . Agamemnon was very contemptible and treacherous. Agamemnon did not show any
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Clytemnestra first demonstrates her own form of bravery by giving up all pride and begging Achilles to protect her child from cruel and untimely death. Clytemnestra responds to the messenger’s news that Iphigenia had been chosen by Artemis to live with the gods because of her “generous blood” and willingness to sacrifice herself. While the Chorus of Women seems to think this is a cause for rejoicing, Clytemnestra’s bitter diction “stolen” (1.1230) reveals her anger. She is defiant in her anger, even questioning the gods’ status: “What gods?” (1.1231). Clytemnestra’s bitterness at the end of the play foreshadows her murder of Agamemnon upon his return from the Trojan
Over the years she has harboured ill feelings concerning her husband Agamemnon because he killed her husband and then begged her father for forgiveness. Eventually Iphigenia decides that she wants to sacrifice herself for glory and Greece. Glory is what stems all of the events throughout the movie. Greece is going to war against Troy because Helena left her husband. Greece wants a glorious win over Troy and are willing to sacrifice Iphigenia for a possible upper hand. Agamemnon is willing to sacrifice his eldest daughter so that he can be the great military leader that he once was. Iphigenia is willing to die with the belief and hopes of being immortal in the history of
Hero is often a person who is admired or idealized for their outstanding courage and often bravery. In the story “Theseus” by Edith Hamilton, Theseus a young Athenian boy shows his heroic side by overcoming difficult tasks on his journey to save his people from the evil Minotaur. Theseus shows his bravery by entering the Labyrinth with only his hands and a ball of thread determined to kill the Minotaur and save his people. Theseus’ actions and heroic deeds shows that he's an epic hero with the fact that he tends to put others first before himself no matter the difficulty of the task.
The Greek interpretation of what makes a man “civilized” and what makes him “savage” is a recurring theme throughout the ancient epics, battle narratives, and dramas, including Aeschylus’ Agamemnon. In this first installment of The Oresteia, the chorus of Argive elders expresses keen outrage at the killing of Agamemnon, which suggests that they equate savagery with the madness they see in Clytemnestra: “just as your mind is maddened by the bloody deed, the blood-fleck in your eyes is clear to see” (1426-1427). In many places throughout the play, however, Clytemnestra proves that she does not fit the description of savage that is defined in Homer’s literature, for example and instead gives evidence that she is a very complex, rational woman. The chorus ignores the many admirable qualities of their queen —her skill at running the estate and her compassion for those who have suffered, among other things— simply because she is a woman. These qualities may not entirely excuse Clytemnestra from taking a life, but they combine to form a more noble picture of the queen than the chorus chooses to portray. Clytemnestra has relatable motives and displays empathy and respect for many different people, including the husband who she just killed, which sets her apart from the classical Greek definition of a savage —a designation forced on Clytemnestra by the chorus, but not necessarily to be believed.
Heroes are found in every work of art. Whether it is in the television shows we watch, the movies we go to see, the poems and stories we learn about, the books we read, there is always someone or something defined as the hero of that piece. Is the hero always the good guy who defeats the evil? Or is it something more, something more meaningful. Not every story line has a good vs. evil and not every story has a defined l hero, but does that mean there is not heroism in those works? Heroism isn’t a list of actions or characteristics that someone or something could have. It is the morals behind every action, the attitude that defines the characteristics of the person; it is the person thinking about others before himself, the courage someone or something has to brace something difficult, the bravery of the hero when it comes face to face with a problem. In the readings Beowulf, Act of Courtly Love and The Wife of Bath from The Canterbury Tales heroism isn’t very present in all three. It shows itself more loudly then in some than others. Heroism is shown in different ways in all three readings.
Beowulf is the exact image of a perfect hero. He is unimaginably strong, selfless, determined and courageous. Victor Frankenstein may be much less of a hero, but a hero nonetheless. Heroism is often seen as someone who is strong, brave, selfless and determined. It is someone who would risk their own life for the benefit of others. It is someone who is physically strong and mentally capable of enduring extreme pain and hardship. Heroism can ultimately be defined as someone who puts others ahead of themselves.
It is revealed that the goddess of wild animals, Artemis, is angry, and the sacrifice of Iphigenia and the massacre of Troy are mentioned. Agamemnon was well aware of what he was getting into and began his worried oscillation between the love of his daughter and the love of his power, prestige, and country. His weakness of character is becoming more apparent, his ethics appear arbitrary.
... She was powerless to act otherwise. She was not a respected military leader like her husband. She couldn't bring him to court or change destiny in any other way. So, as a mother, she did what she felt she had to do. She acted for the justice of her child and her sex. When Agamemnon ordered the soldiers to put the bit in Iphigeneia's mouth before her sacrifice, it was because he didn't want to hear the cries of his daughter dying. Clytemnestra, however, forced her husband and the rest of Greece to hear the cries, the cries of the pained women and deal with the situation he did nothing to mend. For this she would be condemned, but because of her powerlessness, for this she was justified.
The Achaeans are more concerned with personal glory and achievement rather than the well-being of the city. Two Characters who definitely display this characteristic are Agamemnon and Achilles. Agamemnon is selfish and is only concerned with his own honor. This is seen almost immediately in the poem. In book one, during the tenth year of battle, Chryses visits Agamemnon and offers ransom for his daughter, Chryseis who was taken as plunder early in the war. Although the ransom is attractive, Agamemnon refuses the money because the girl represents power and glory and that is far more important than wealth. Plunder represents victory; therefore, the more women Agamemnon possesses, the more glorified and powerful he feels. Eventually, Agamemnon returns the girl to her father; however, he insists that someone give him a female to compensate for his loss and restore his honor. He views the situation as a challenge to his authority and complains, "I alone of the Argives go without my honor. That would be a disgrace" (1.139-40). Agamemnon demands, the "Argives will give me a prize, a match for my desires, equal to what I have lost, well and good. But if they give me nothing I will take a p...
In Webster’s Dictionary, a hero is defined as a person noted for courageous acts or nobility of purpose, especially if this individual has risked or sacrificed his life. In the Iliad and the Odyssey, the code which administers the conduct of the Homeric heroes is a straightforward idea. The aim of every hero is to achieve honor. Throughout the Iliad and the Odyssey, different characters take on the role of a hero. Honor is essential to the Homeric heroes, so much that life would be meaningless without it. Thus, honor is more important than life itself.
Aeschylus begins by portraying Clytemnestra as Agamemnon’s faithful wife brought only to a murderous rampage by the news of her daughter’s murder, but indeed she was stricken with the curse of jealousy and had a yearning so strong to maintain power she killed the father of her
A hero/ heroine is described as the principal male/ female character in a literary or dramatic work or the central figure in an event, period, or movement. The classic tragic hero was defined by Aristotle in the fourth century as, “someone who is highly renowned and prosperous” (LATWP, 639), suggesting that there is a “natural right ordering and proportion of traits within the human being that if violated, produces calamity” (LATWP, 639). The book goes on to define classical tragedy as one that “involves the inevitable destruction of a noble person by means of character flaw, usually a disproportionate measure of a specific human attribute such as pride, jealousy or indecision” (LATWP, 639).
Heroism, the act of exhibiting noble or self-sacrificing conduct, and the appearance of heroism are two nearly indistinguishable manners. Their difference is the amount of depth contained, in definition. Heroism is an occupation. In determining if a character is heroic, the commentator must know the character’s intentions, manners, and desires. The appearance of heroism is a quality. To determine an appearance, the reader can use one piece of information to decide if a character appears heroic. Aeschylus’s “Prometheus Bound” and Milton’s “Paradise Lost” are comprised of characters that have both heroic and heroic-appearing roles. Two characters that portray and contrast these roles well are Satan and Prometheus.
The prize was the daughter of an Apollon priest, Chrysies. The distressed father prays to Apollo who then sets a curse upon the king and townspeople. When Achilles hears that this was the cause of the horrible curse, he demands that Agamemnon return her. Agamemnon declares to Achilles that he must “fetch [him] another prize, and straight off too…” (line 138) to compensate for his loss. This shows how greedy and selfish the king really is and infuriates Achilles. To fetch someone else is a demeaning circumstance. Agamemnon reiterates his problem by griping that his prize is being taken away. By doing this, he tries to persuade and guilt Achilles into feeling bad for him. He wants Achilles to feel remorseful and hand Briseis to him. This conveys that women have no purpose to Agamemnon and are only thought of as objects. Therefore, he should see that the curse was his fault and nobody else’s. Instead, he should put the people before himself. Achilles is the best warrior who was willing to help the king out with his problem. He gestures that “We Achaeans will pay you back, three, four times over” (line 150) illustrating how forgiving Achilles can be in spite of the problem that has approached them. This depicts that he has pride and does not want the people to suffer anymore. He cares about the wellbeing of others. Furthermore,
In Aeschylus’ The Agamemnon, Agamemnon and Clytemnestra have to make tough decisions throughout the play, decisions they believe are justified. The actions of Agamemnon and Clytemnestra are not justified because they are caused by their blinding hubris and desire for power. Agamemnon makes the choice to kill his daughter just so he could lead his troops to Troy. Clytemnestra kills her husband, not just for revenge, but for his position and power as king of Mycenae. They make selfish choices and do not believe they will be punished for them. By exposing their true motives, Aeschylus makes it clear they are not justified in their actions.
First, one can see the importance of the sacrifice of one life in order to save many more. In the Grecian tale, Iphigenia is forced by her father and the multitudes of Grecian soldiers to sacrifice her life in order to appease the god that controls the winds. Her inner struggle consists of the desire to live verses the knowledge of the fact that if she doesn’t die, her family will be executed along with her. Iphigenia must decide which is more important in the grand scheme of things. Her decision to die is only made because she realizes that she is the sacrifice for the ones she holds dearest to her heart, her own family members. This devotion to her kindred is her reason for willingly giving her life. As Achilles speaks with Iphigenia about her decision, he notices the nobility and courage that she is putting forth in order to make such a huge sacrifice. This courage is much like the courage that is shown in the sacrifice of lives today for others.