Who is a hero: antiquity and modernity

Modern society is experiencing a period when a person with his personal principles extols himself above the social norms of morality. Such a process is due to the cultural trends that have developed over the centuries.

Regardless of the country or continent, there are a number of similar elements of mentality. Such factors are the "culprits" of alienating a person from moral norms. The whole process leads to the fact that society forgets certain moral categories that characterize certain people. For example, the word "hero". For many years now people have been asking questions about the meaning of this word and about the characteristics of the person it describes.

Who is a hero?

This concept can be viewed from the perspective of several thematic points of view. Each of them represents the concept in question in different ways. In the most classic version, the hero is a person with special qualities that help him to ascend above all other people. He possesses valor and courage in the maximum meaning of these words. Each of his actions is based on a deep awareness of their activities and their need.

This characteristic determines the special requirements for the hero as a person more significant than others. The classical definition refers to the very first point of view. It represents the meaning of the word "hero" from the position that it is an ordinary person. But there are other interpretations of this word - mythological, literary (dramaturgic) and philosophical.

Mythological point of view

The meaning of the word "hero" can vary depending on different contexts. Mythological point of view implies the consideration of the hero as a person who lived in a particular era. Basically, all the tales of outstanding personalities came to us from the myths and legends of ancient Hellas. The heroes of the Greek stories had supernatural powers and were often demigods. The presented facts make it possible to derive the concept of the term "hero". This is a man endowed with supernatural power. He is in eternal struggle with evil (monsters, evil kings, titans, gods, etc.).

Also, to answer the question of who such a hero is, the understanding of the appearance of such a person from the point of view of the mythological theory will help. According to ancient stories, the characters appeared from parents, one of whom was a god. In the future, children received supernatural powers, but not the immortality of their extraterrestrial parents. In history, there are cases when heroes for their considerable merit were accepted by the gods in their circle, thereby giving them eternal life as a gift (for example, Loki, Hercules, Asclepius, etc.).

A hero is a key figure between the worlds of gods and people. He is in constant opposition to the forces of evil in order to ensure the safety of all mortals. As we see, the mythological point of view makes it possible to single out not the only meaning of the word "hero", which essentially helps to approach the full understanding of this term.

The glorious age

As for the heroes and the time when they lived, there is a whole theory. According to her, between the bronze and iron centuries was heroic. At this time, people, called heroes, exterminated all the titans, monsters and other deified beings. The era ends with two famous wars. This is a campaign of the Seven against the Thebes and the Trojan War. In them, outstanding fighters destroyed each other. This theory largely explains the mythological meaning of the word "hero". A deep conceptual explanation is given, confirmed by historical facts and stories from the ancient Greek epic. In the context of the theory of the hero - this is not an ordinary man, who lived long before modern civilization.

Heroes in Philosophy

A completely opposite understanding of the word "hero" is given in philosophy. Scientists working in this field are famous for knowing every element of modernity meaningfully and deeply, delving into the very essence. By their standards, a hero is an ordinary person who makes a sacrifice for the sake of his neighbor, regardless of his well-being. Thus, in the philosophical sense, any individual can be a hero. He should not have any supernatural powers or be a son of God.

It should also be noted that the meaning of the word "hero" has changed over time. Each epoch had its own understanding of the term in question. This is due to the fact that people of different times created their own image of the hero. If we could travel in time, then the question of who such a hero, representatives of different epochs would answer in different ways.

The meaning of the word "hero" in literature, cinema and theater

The term in question has one more meaning. Each of us heard the expression "protagonist". It means an actor, around which the whole plot of a literary, theatrical or cinematographic work is twisted. Such a hero is an image, he is not necessarily a person. Everything depends on the idea of the author of the work. This protagonist is called a protagonist.

The main character plays a significant role in the whole work. Based on his qualities, the whole plot is constructed. By the way, there is no mandatory prescription about the fact that the protagonist should be alone. Very often in literature or cinema one can find works in which several main characters are included at once. This move gives the work a peculiar color.

Conclusion

The article examined the main points of view that help to understand the meaning of the word "hero". Based on different contexts and time frames, you can find numerous interpretations of the specified word. This causes a large number of answers to the question of who is a hero.