Attributes of Heroes and Antiheroes

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The differences of heroes include antiheroes and heroes. Antiheroes and heroes such as Walter White, Macbeth and Beowulf have similarities and differences alike with the actions they decide to take to develop their hero-like personas. The perception as well of what a hero truly is, could be very extensive to grasp. An antihero is defined by Dictionary.reference.com as, “a protagonist who lacks the attributes that make a heroic figure, as nobility of mind and spirit, a life or attitude marked by action or purpose, and the like”. The way a person perceives an antihero is dependent on what the character does and how he does it. Walter White for example experiences hardships within his family that lead him to make decisive actions for the benefiting overall of the family while still affecting lives of others. Walter in episode 6, season 4 states, “You clearly don’t know who you’re talking to, so let me clue you in. I am not in danger, Skyler (his wife). I am the danger. A guy opens his door and gets shot, and you think that of me? No! I am the one who knocks”. This way of thinking and way of taking action to benefit his family not only has people killed, but also is thought of in Walters as the right way to do things. If he had to be the one who “knocks” and do the dirty deeds at the end of the day he would do it, which is why Macbeth is also categorized and looked upon as an antihero. Macbeth based upon his beliefs and actions can indeed be considered as well as an antihero and it’s made clear when he committed the murder of King Duncan. Macbeth took matters into his own hands to hurry along a process that would end up benefiting him and goes on and says, “I go in and it is done. The bell invites me. Hear it not, Duncan, for it is a... ... middle of paper ... ...y need to have to face the extreme of having to risk their own lives, they still see what is capable by one person, one solider, one hero in order to be recognized as a hero. Many societies admire heroes, but having something such as a soldier to influence the meaning of a hero in a positive way, to be a “role model” per se for the American people is truly admirable as it unites the people together, and motivates potential heroes through the fact that they see what a hero can be and already are today. To conclude, heroes and antiheroes have his or her own unique attributes but have similarities that define what a true hero could and should be in whatever society a hero needed to be defined in. The variety of opinions based upon what a hero is is comprehensive but each individual should define a true hero uniquely as the circumstances are different almost always.

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