The Difference Between The Modern Hero And A Hero In An Epic

What makes a hero in our society different from a hero in an epic? There’re many differences in the two since both have different characteristics, and qualities by definition of those societies. A hero of an epic is in many ways different from the ones we see today.

One of the most famous epic tales in our world, ‘The Odyssey’, tells the story of a man who outwits monsters, is used by the gods, and is ultimately used as a pawn in their twisted game. The main protagonist of that story; Odysseus would not be considered a hero in our society today due to being written in a different time and therefore has different morals and makes different decisions on things. But he isn’t the only definition of hero that is known to our world, A hero I always read about as a child was Spider-man and how he saved so many people and worried about others more than himself, this by our definition is a hero in many ways. The epic tale of The Odyssey is one heard all around the world and is classified by numerous sources as one of the most famous epics known to man. It proclaims the story of Odysseus the main protagonist of the tale. Every tale that is considered an ‘Epic’ will have a protagonist, and they will be considered the “Hero”. Although Odysseus lies, hurts those around him, and even cheats on his wife multiple occasions, he still is considered a “Hero”. So, you must ask yourself what is the classification of a Hero in an Epic Tale?

The qualities that consist are the hero must have a noble birth, superhuman capabilities, humility, and facing strong opponents and so forth. By these standards Odysseus is the very definition of a hero. Odysseus goes up against so many strong opponents in the tale, he uses his intellect to confuse the Cyclops and make him seem like a fool, and you could even argue that his cleverness is one of his superhuman strengths. Odysseus and his men plunge the stake into Polyphemus’s eye and blind him and since Odysseus told the Cyclops his name was “Noman” he makes Polyphemus embarrass himself. The Cyclops states “Noman is killing me by fraud; no man is killing me by force.” He faces the god’s multiple trials, and yet he still seems to emerge alright. Although he may possess all these qualities he still appears arrogant and at most times very headstrong. He still gets all his men killed and cheats on his wife, that doesn’t classify as a hero in my book. Now that we’ve discussed what makes up an ‘Epic Hero’ what are the characteristics of a hero in today’s world?

A hero by today’s standards contains the actions and beliefs that the person holds and displays. According to the article ‘What Makes A Hero’ on the website Psychology Today the writer of the article asks the audience, he states “What actually makes a hero? I'd argue it's the willingness to make a personal sacrifice for the benefit of others.” And he’s right a hero sacrifices and puts their lives on the line for the greater good, and this hero characteristic doesn’t just apply to super heroes like spider man but to everyday heroes like soldiers in war, firefighters, police officers too. There’re obvious differences in heroes like Spider-Man and Odysseus, such as for instance, Peter Parker AKA Spider-Man had a really humbling upbringing and it was due to a lot of his loved one’s dying due to tragic events. His parents left Peter to stay with his Uncle Ben and Aunt May, and they soon died in a plane crash later that same year. He spent most of his life with his aunt and uncle until his uncle unfortunately was shot and killed. He soon learned after all of this that nothing lasts forever and that he needs to be the best version of himself he can. His uncle had always been a father figure and always tried to raise him with very encouraging and wise messages and the one that has been used more than anything is “With great power comes great responsibility” and this helped Peter understand the role he could take on with his newly obtained powers. These events are what sparked his passion to save people and ultimately stop more tragedies like the one that happened to his uncle.

Although the two “Heroes” may be labeled as those things under different circumstances both overcome trials that eventually test their abilities and boundaries as a hero. Both heroes have villains and monsters to fight whether that’s Green Goblin from Spider-Man or Poseidon the god from The Odyssey. Both characters are witty and use their intellect in hopes of outsmarting their opponents. From the article “Who Are the Real Heroes in Today's World?” the author Pamela Oliver states “A Hero is someone who rises up, from whatever their station in life is, or whatever their circumstances are, and comes to embody a representative of the highest level that a human being can attain”. Both heroes have been both the victor and loser in many situations, but they keep getting back up and never quit fighting for what they believe and attempt to achieve their goals whatever that may be. What an epic hero and a hero of today have in common they all strive to be the best they can be, whether that’s for the people around them or for their own personal gain.