HEROES THROUGH HISTORY
FROM HERCULES TO HE-MAN
HEROES
• Fight for honor, and never hit
an opponent while they’re
down.
• Always fights for good, and his
intentions are pure.
• He is incorruptible, and will
always win (or if he loses, there
will be a rematch later)
ANTI-HEROES
• An anti-hero lives in a more cynical
world.
• The character is typically flawed and
lives by an ambiguous moral code.
• Often has the potential for heroism, but
doesn’t always choose the high road.
GREEK HEROES (EPIC HEROES)
• Greek heroes were often largerthan-life, having assistance from the gods to complete
their impossible tasks
• Motivated by honor and glory
• The greatest achievement was being added to legend
• Theseus, Odysseus, Achilles, Jason
• Theseus - hero of Athens; saved the people from having
sacrifice their children to the Minotaur.
• Odysseus – slayed monsters and eventually came home to
restore order to Ithaca
• Achilles – Best warrior in the Trojan
war. Fought bravely against the Greeks
• Jason – Sent to capture a magical
golden fleece to reclaim his rightful
throne. (Jason and the Argonauts)
GREEK ANTI-HEROES
• Also called a tragic hero
• Usually of noble birth
• Has some tragic flaw that leads to his
downfall
• His actions result in increased selfawareness and self-knowledge
• The audience pities him and his fate
• Oedipus, Antigone, Heracles
• Oedipus – at his birth, it was prophesied that the baby would kill
his father (King Laius) and marry his mother (Jocasta). In an effort
to stop this from happening, he tried to kill the baby. His mother
rescued him and he was raised by shepherds. Later, in a chariot
accident, he killed the king (not knowing who he was) and thus,
was given the kingdom, including the queen. And so, Oedipus
killed his father and married his mother.
• Antigone – the daughter of Oedipus and Jocasta. Her two
brothers, co-heirs to the abandoned throne, fought until one of
them died. Antigone tried to bury him with honor, after a brief
exchange with he cheating fiancé, she hangs herself.
• Heracles – both a hero and anti-hero, he must fight for his
rightful place. Hera hated him, as he was the son of Zeus
and a mistress, so she drove him insane enough to murder
his own children. In order to make reparations, Heracles had
to perform the Twelve Labors.
• Slay the Nimean Lion, Nine headed Hydra, and the
Stymphalian birds
• Capture the Golden Hind of Artemis, the Eymanthian
Boar, and the Cretan Bull
• Clean the Augean stables in one day
• Steal the Mares of Diomedes and apples of Hesperides
• Obtain the Girdle of Hippolyta and the cattle of Geryon
• Capture and bring back Cerberus
HEROES IN LITERATURE
• After the Greek plays, heroes transformed and morphed over
time.
• Notable heroes are Beowulf, King Arthur
• Beowulf – became king by
killing monsters, then in his old
age, killed one last beast to
protect his people. Died in
glory.
• King Arthur – a just and honest
king. Restored order to Briton.
ANTI-HEROES IN LITERATURE
• Shakespeare loved the anti-hero. Examples include Julius
Caesar, Othello
• Julius Caesar was the Roman emperor, who became
overly ambitious. His advisors and closest friends
murdered him to keep him from becoming king.
• Othello fell in love with a beautiful woman, but allowed
a greedy advisor to convince him she was cheating. In
his rage, he killed her, then killed himself.
HEROES TODAY
• Modern examples of
heroes include: Indiana
Jones, Superman, Captain
America, Katniss Everdeen,
Harry Potter
• Though todays heroes are
typically multi-dimensional,
at their roots they are
committed to justice and
goodness.
• In recent literary history, a new hero
emerged: The everyman. This character
has nothing special about him, and must
rise to the occasion. (think: Lego Movie or
Kung-Fu Panda)
• The everyman serves to show the audience something
about themselves.
• The anti-hero has certainly become
popular in recent years. Think:
Hancock, Batman, Iron-man, Shrek
• In many cases, the anti-hero can
become a hero. In some cases they do
not. (Punisher, Gollum, anyone who
has a choice to be good but doesn’t)
VILLAINS
BEHIND EVERY GOOD GUY IS A BAD GUY TO CHALLENGE THEM
VILLAINS
• The old fashioned,
purely evil bad guys
• Never heroic, always
opposing justice and
truth
• Typically prey on the
weak and seek power
ANTI VILLAINS
• More or less “heroic
villains”
• Are either misguided or
piteous
• Javert from Les Mis –
just doing his job
• Darth Vader – was
taken advantage of
VILLAIN/ANTI VILLAIN BIO
• ½ page
• What qualifies them as evil
• How they became evil
• Villain or anti-villain?
• What happens to them?