Heroic Ideal Essay

The Heroic Ideal, which is the set of values, qualities, and actions that exemplify the ideal hero, is ever-changing throughout the centuries due to the social, political, and ethical values of the setting. In the eighth and seventh centuries BC, Homer was one of the first to represent the Greeks’ definition of the Heroic Ideal through influential epic poetry such as The Iliad and The Odyssey, depicting a very individualistic and brutal perspective. However, a gradual change in heroic values and morals can be seen across the centuries in works from authors such as Sophocles, Sappho, Horace, and Virgil. Later in the first and second centuries AD, a new Heroic Ideal that revolves around serving others emerges in the works of Matthew. Each of

Challenging Homer, the influential epic poet Virgil redefines heroism for the more contemporary culture of Rome, exploring the costs of heroism and criticizing the old Homeric Heroic Impulse of “fight first, ask later.” Virgil expresses this criticism using Hektor, one of Homer’s heroes, to convey the consequences of Homer’s Heroic Impulse. Hektor visits Aeneas, the hero of The Aeneid, in his dreams, telling him, “‘Alas, O goddess-born! Take flight, Escape these flames! The enemy has the walls, Troy topples from her lofty height…” (Virgil, 998). Virgil expresses Hektor’s sense of urgency during the fall of Troy, illustrating that Hektor has already experienced the consequences of following Homer’s Heroic Ideal of fighting back, and is encouraging Aeneas to not make the same mistakes that he and other Greek heroes have made. Later in his journey, the audience witnesses Aeneas make the pivotal decision to leave Dido behind in pursuit of his duty to his people to build their new city and home. He tells her “At my own will, I would be watching over The city of Troy, and caring for my people…But now It is Italy I must seek, great Italy, Apollo orders, and his oracles Call me to Italy” (Virgil, 1033). Aeneas explains to Dido that he is not acting of his own free will, but rather is controlling his desires and letting his duty to his people and the gods dictate his actions, as an ideal hero according to Virgil