Particularly, they perceived themselves as the emerging heroes in all their undertakings and that they were created to conquer the world. However, with the dawn of the tragic drama, the Greeks started to view live as being tragic with very many misfortunes happening to man. Their heroism as Greek citizens changed during this period for man was seen to be prone to suffering and torture. Life during this time was mystery with man becoming brutal to each other and enjoying the suffering of his fellow man as portrayed by the tragic drama. According to Steven (2006), the political systems during this time were crude with the strong people having their way, at the same time denying the weak their say.
In his Iliad, Homer uses the character of Diomedes to personify his definition of effective leadership, often juxtaposing him with the unproductive and cowardly Agamemnon. Homer believes that the bravery to assert one’s opinions and the willingness to act independently, even against authority, constitutes a successful leader. After suffering severe casualties and losses at the hand of Hector and the Trojans in Book 9, it is Diomedes who first denounces Agamemnon’s plans of retreat and unifies the Achaean forces with words of promise. Later that same book, following the failed embassy to Achilles, Diomedes alone instills hope in the Achaean kings by seizing control from the flustered king and ordering Agamemnon to fight in the front lines himself. Finally, Diomedes is forced to bravely save the Achaean cause again in Book 14 when tempted with thoughts of surrender and home by Agamemnon - he exerts his authority and bravely refuses to retreat, encouraging his comrades to continue fighting.
As two main characters in the play “Medea” written by Euripides is Medea and Jason. The play is a classical thesis “an intense love will be the cause of bad things”. The play revolves around the time of Jason abandoned his wife and sons and how Medea revenged Jason. Through the play, Euripides shows his sympathy for Medea and her reasons to be angry. However, he also creates a model of Greek man as Jason that lead to the tragic deeds at the end.
In Arthur Miller’s more complex world, a more complex tragic hero is needed. Indeed, a more complex hero is needed because Arthur Miller is also telling of his own tragic struggle through John Proctor. Aristotle gives four basic characteristics of a tragic hero: nobleness of birth, a tragic flaw, the hero’s downfall, and the anagnorisis, or the realization by the protagonist that his downfall was his own doing. There are other accepted requirements as well, such as the hero suffering more than he
The significance of the Ionian Revolt also dictated and contributed to the course of other battles that followed the revolt due to the new discoveries the states made of their opposing armies. Also, the potential economic and social consequences of the Ionian Revolt should be accounted for. Therefore, the significance of the Ionian Revolt can be argued to be both crucial, yet minor in some aspects. It can be argued that the Ionian Revolt played a significant role in regards to acting as a catalyst for the Persian War that would follow. Herodotus notes that when Darius was told of the Athenians’ actions in Sardis, he vowed to punish those who were to blame and he instructed the servant to recite ‘Sire, remember the Athens.’ Thus, Herodotus alludes that the implications of the Ionian Revolt acted as a spark to ignite the hatred and seek for revenge in Darius to the Athenians which can be reflected by the Persian Wars.
For example,Oedipus from Oedipus The King by Sophocles is a well thorough example of a tragic hero, as well as Okonkwo from Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe. Both characters are heroic and important people in their societies as well as admired by readers through the imagery of their action. However, the flaw that each of them have ruins their lives and drives them into pain. Oedipus is a mythical Greek king of a city named Thebes, he fulfills a prophecy that said he would kill his father, and thereby brings a disaster on his city and family. Okonkwo, on the other hand, is a wealthy and a well respected warrior of the Umofian clan, a lower Nigerian tribe who gives effort to develop into a powerful and successful person, nevertheless ends up self murdered and doomed as an evil spirit.
His painting Night Watch is noted for its excellent use of chiaroscuro. The eyes are deep and sorrowful and the expression seems to be that of triumph over great inner-struggle. It is believed that during this time Rembrandt may have been subject to the Copernican revolution, and surely this art piece seems to show that Rembrandt was reclaiming his solitude. Unfortunately, his drastic change in style cost him his popularity, which of course also meant his
Unique Tragic Hero A hero does not need to be good, he just need to be the winner. In ancient time, Greek tragedy was not only a form of entertainment but also a tool to make people embrace The Gods. It endues emotions such as pity and fear in the audience that the protagonist’s affliction may happen to them. Thus, a tragic hero is extremely crucial to promote such emotion. Medea, an ancient Greek tragedy written by Euripides has Medea, a female character as the tragic hero.
The Odyssey In the epic poem, The Odyssey, by the Greek poet Homer, the main character, Odysseus, shows signs of heroism. The poem tells the story of Odysseus, a war hero from Ithaca and his journey to redress himself. Throughout the story, Odysseus proves himself to be the hero through his masterful skills, breathtaking strength, and quick thinking. To finally redress himself, he needed wisdom from several of gods. However, Odysseus has good traits that an epic hero has, but he also have bad traits too, such as, being overconfident and angering gods.
With the Balance of Power destabilising, which, according to Thucydides, is the only means to achieve peace, the growth of power in Athens caused the Spartans to feel more and more insecure and thus they started to prepare to defend themselves. This very much reflects the realist point of view, as it argues that without a Balance of Power there can be no peace and it also shows how easily the balance can be dis-rupted so that it causes a war. Thucydides that war may be justified on grounds of pursuit of the national interest and in order to achieve peace at last. However, there are differences as to what is a ‘legitimate’ national interest. Where for political realism everything that is in the interest of the state and can be achieved by