Greek Heroes: O. J. Simpson Vs. Hercules

John Proctor, Arthur Miller’s main character in The Crucible, portrays these characteristics of a tragic hero. The people of Salem view John as a good person: “No, you cannot break your charity with your minister. You are another kind, John.” But, like a tragic hero, John faces a downfall due to his pride and mistakes: “God help me, I lusted.” HUBRIS In The Crucible, John Proctor has great pride in his reputation. According to Aristotle, a tragic hero’s pride or arrogance is called hubris. A tragic hero’s hubris causes his or her downfall.

Odysseus believes that his words are final and his actions are always right and just, but he often lets his ego take over his rational thinking, causing harm to his crew and tampering with the gods’s plans. His team could have returned home safely for it is the wish of Athena and the other heavenly gods who sit next to her in Mount Olympus, but Odysseus takes it to himself to anger and blind Polyphemus, the monstrous son of Poseidon, loved by his father but hated by the people, thus sabotaging their entire plan. After being blinded by the heroine, Polyphemus throws giant pieces of rocks at Odysseus's ship, almost destroying them all at once. But instead of retreating for safety, Odysseus continues to taunt Polyphemus and “[calls] out to the cyclopes again, with [his] men hanging all over [him] begging him not to”(Book 9, 491-492). His sense of pride and arrogance makes him neglect the pleas of his men even in these dire situations.

Prometheus loved humans more than olympians and gave them a number of gifts. In all accounts Prometheus is known as the protector and benefactor of man. He gave mankind a number of gifts including fire. He also tricked zeus into allowing man to keep the best part of the animals sacrificed to the gods and to give the gods the worst parts. Prometheus loves man, he created them, but, he also protects them, this makes him very important as he is one of the few deities to favor humans over the olympians.

Songs of praise were sung about him. He won every duel. He was feared by his opponents and acclaimed by his folk, …but was characterized by “Hamartia:, or the inherent “fatal” flaw, this finally brought about his downfall, resulting in pathetic tragic end/death.” Odysseus should be considered a greek hero because he was nobel with the fatal flaw (pride), achieved extreme feats, and fought for his own honor. First, Odysseus should be considered a greek hero because he was nobel with the fatal flaw which was having too much pride. While critics say he acted cowardly when trying to get out of the Trojan war, he ended up going and being the brains behind ending the Trojan war.

Aristotle once said "A man doesn't become a hero until he can see the root of his own downfall.” In literature, a tragic hero is best defined as a character who makes a mistake which inevitably leads to their downfall. Moreover, a tragic hero is often depicted as conceited, arrogant, and someone whose fortune is reversed. In “Inherit the Wind”, the issue of Matthew Harrison Brady as a tragic hero is significant since he was expected to triumph against Drummond because he was a hero to everyone else. Matthew Harrison Brady was looked upon his peers and most citizens as a hero; someone whom they can always count on. Brady, a lawyer and a (failed) politician, constantly emphasized his love toward religion; specifically the Bible.

Usually, epic heroes share common character traits such as bravery,courage,loyalty,. In Homer’s Odyssey, it is my belief that Odysseus is not heroic mostly because he was loyal when he was gone and left his wife. For example, when he went where Hades was all his men went and they ended up dieing.Even though some people may argue he is a hero because he had a good idea on how to win the war,also when Cyclops tried killing them Odysseus didn't say his name and stabbed him so they escaped. I maintain that he is not a hero because he wasn't loyal because he slept with Calypso and his men died.

History is full of heros but, what makes these people heros. Is it their bravery on the battlefield, the honor they give to their family, or their intelligence. Much of this is true in the time of ancient Greece. Although Grecian heroes give the gods some credit for their gifts they are often concerned about bringing the glory and honor upon themselves or their family; however, Biblical hero's want to bring honor and glory to God. Odysseus is a hero to the Greeks but not from a Biblical standpoint because of his arrogance toward his intelligence, perseverance, and courage.

Odysseus has many trials throughout his adventure. The Homeric usual hero is what he is set up as but unlike most of them he redefines himself. Homer’s creation of Odysseus as a dynamic character through the stories within stories and conflict explores the importance of the evolution of characters despite his apparent hero status within Greek culture Odysseus displays a strong hubris in the first parts of the Odyssey which would fit his reputation as the famous war hero he is. This turns to become a burden on him, he is determined and cares for his men yet his selfish and arrogant behavior cost him those men. Odysseus throughout the story implements his hubris and makes reckless moves which ultimately causes disaster in the long run.

An epic hero is considered to be an individual who is beyond any standard human being. The qualities of an epic hero consist of intelligence, loyalty, and bravery. In The Odyssey, written by Homer, Odysseus obligates all of the traits and further more in which represent an epic hero. His driven and ambitious curiosity has gotten him and his crew into unwanted dilemmas, yet both his strength and intelligence has gotten them securely out of them. His self-centered and arrogant character sets him where he shall not be, yet his loyalty is what brings him to peace and resolution.

A once powerful king turned blinded pariah, Oedipus is characterized by both his pride and his honorable character. Through such characterization, Sophocles heightens the emotions in the play by demonstrating how these traits contribute to the catastrophic conclusion. Sophocles deliberately depicts Oedipus as a seemingly infallible yet prideful ruler in order to augment the subsequent devastation Oedipus causes, thus realizing the vision of an Aristotelian tragedy. Aristotle identifies nobleness in character as a characteristic of a tragic hero. Oedipus personifies this criterion; he is revered as one of the most adept rulers in all of Greece.