Arrogance of Greek Heroes Essay -- Epic Conceit Aeneid Odysseus Essays

Arrogance of Greek HeroesOften readers will criticize the champions of guileless and medieval epics for egotism. Critics cite examples from the Odyssey, the Aeneid, and Beowulf of conceit and egocentric behavior. Odysseus, Aeneas, and Beowulf display a long-familiar arrogance befitting their accomplishments. The motivation for this arrogance, to complete these tasks, to perform these feats, is often over-generalized to the vertex of inaccuracy and confusion. One must not let such misinterpretations interrupt the hu mankindization of these characters. Through the examination of the desires and behavior of these epic heroes, we can discover an underlying need for recognition or take note. In classical and medieval western sandwich epics, the heros desire to complete a given ask is fueled by their desire to gain or maintain esteem or fame. The first hero to be considered is one of the original Greek champions. Odysseus, often characterized as a braggart and self-cen tered, displays all the traits of a man doing his best to leave his mark. He will never take the simplest of r popes to do work a problem he would much rather use his deceitfulness and inventiveness to contrive a plan that exploits the weaknesses of his foe and uses all the resources at his disposal God help me the man of intrigue broke outCome weave us a scheme so I can pay them back Stand beside me, Athena, fire me with daring, fierce as the day we ripped Troys glittering crown of towers down. Stand by mefurious now as then, my bright-eyed oneand I would fight troika hundred men, great goddess, with you to brace me, comrade-in-arms in battle(l.437-47, VIII) Odysseus would rather engineer a plan that ensures a total elimination of the suit... ... wife and stead as well as his place in Carthage in the pee-pee of the gods, in the name of a quest that does not directly attain him. From this pursuit, he does not stand to gain spoils, and the most that could be express of his fame would be drawn from his descendents. It is this moral stance, this understanding of universal placement, of purpose, that sets Aeneas apart from new(prenominal) heroes. Not every hero is a perfect model of character, moreover these well-known heroes of epic poetry do have powerful senses of honor and endeavor. Perhaps the authors meant these characters to exhibit flaws, or to relate to an idealized hero run into that modern readers cannot understand. Regardless, it cannot be assumed that these characters are driven by a simple egotism, but rather by the same desire of galore(postnominal) other men to be remembered, especially to be remembered for great things.