Greek Heroes Research Paper

Three Heroes of Ancient Literature After approximately seven hundred years of Greek and Roman literature, the heroes of legends and myths both remained strong figures struggling through life as well as characters that also revealed the changing cultures of the ancient Mycenaean Greeks, the Golden Age of Athens and the Roman Empire. The lone figure swimming against the waves of pain and lost love remains the same in these stories, but the roles of the gods and the ability of the hero at the heart of the stories change. The great male heroes of Homer and Virgil stand strong and can match cleverness or piety with the strength of the imperfect gods. Sophocles tells us of a tragic hero who, as a female, cannot overcome the power of men in the kingdoms …show more content…
Greece was developing and the Roman Empire was coming out of political unrest and civil war, but Caesar Augustus was ruling as Emperor of the most powerful empire in the world and he wanted Virgil to “justify, glorify, and immortalize Augustan Roman power” (Norton, 978). Odysseus uses “his many disguises to test the loyalty of those he meets” (Norton, 187) as he attempts to get back to his kingdom. Aeneas is the devoted hero who will bring about the “origins of Rome in the destruction of Troy” (Norton, 978). The Greeks and Trojans in these stories sought help from the immortals to complete their legendary destinies. Homer and Virgil wrote to keep the great stories of their people alive. Victory comes out of death, defeat and delay. Both authors write about great men who with body and mind and supernatural assistance defy all the odds. Jupiter foreshadows the not yet greatness of the Roman Empire when he says “On them I set no limits, space or time: I have granted them power, empire without end.” Virgil has political motivations in establishing the Roman Empire of his time within the Greek legends of the Trojan War. Both Homer and Virgil keep hope alive with prophecies, words of directions and strength from the gods. Sophocles never builds that hope in his tragedy. Antigone starts the tragedy in a socially subordinate position even within the royal family and she is vanquished by the foolish power of the king. There is never hope as the deaths increase and the story nears the conclusion. But the audience felt empathy towards her and anger with Kreon. As Homer concludes his epic, Odysseus is running toward one more battle Athena stops the warrior with the words “Cunning Odysseus – restrain yourself, End this quarrel and cease from fighting” and as Virgil brings the wars to a close, Jupiter orders Juno to stop her attempt to defeat Aeneas and she is ordered to stop when he tells his wife “go no