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Heroes
Types of Heroes
• Epic (Odysseus)• Tragic (Romeo, Hamlet)• Conventional (Harry Potter)
Epic Hero
• A figure of heroic stature, having national or international importance
• Great historical or legendary significance• Action consists of deeds of great valor or
requiring superhuman courage• Triumphs in the end with the “good”
overcoming the “evil”
Tragic Hero
• A figure of noble stature who has a greatness about him or her
• Not eminently good or just, but faces misfortune brought about by some error or tragic flaw (hamartia)
• A pre-eminently great, but not perfect, figure -- combined with strength, there is usually a weakness
• Encounters a downfall (tragedy) – partially his/her own fault and the result of his/her own free choice rather than the result of pure accident, villainy or some overriding malignant fate– Downfall fills the reader with some empathy or pity; some
discovery or gain in self-knowledge is evidenced; the hero may be defeated, but he/she has dared greatly and gains an understanding in defeat
Conventional Hero
• Usually ruggedly handsome or beguilingly beautiful
• Figure faced with significant obstacles that he/she finally overcomes to achieve a goal
• May have vices, but none that the reader would not mind having
• Reader can, in his/her imagination, identify himself/herself with the hero and can relate to the adventures and triumphs
Hamlet as Tragic Hero
• Begins with noblest motivations (to punish his father’s murderer)
• Does not survive to see the full outcome of his actions
• What is his tragic fall?
Hero’s Journey
• The Mundane World: where he doesn’t want to be• The Call to Adventure: there’s something else out
there…• Crossing the Threshold: hero crosses into new
world from old• Path of Trials: meets new people, learns new skills,
overcomes challenges• Master of Two Worlds: Returns to old world a
changed person
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