Heroic Values

Heroic Values

A hero is defined as someone with distinguished courage or ability, admired for his brave deeds and noble qualities. But is that the only criterion that makes up a hero? Sometimes there are heroes who are not admired by everyone initially. Other times a person might not always have distinguished ability, but pulls through at the right time to make himself a hero. The truth is, there are no exact qualities that make up a hero. One person may be seen as a hero to some people, but not to everyone. Heroes can be human or immortal, and may have character flaws. In fact, a hero may not even be liked by everyone. Gilgamesh, Achilles, and Aeneas are all considered heroes. All three of these men are leaders, which is a very usual quality of a hero. All three of these men have a challenge to overcome in order to make themselves a better leader and become or remain a hero. Gilgamesh, Achilles, and Aeneas all share common values that define them as heroes.

Gilgamesh is not a hero at the beginning of the story. He is a king, a man who is indeed very powerful- but this does not make him a hero. Early in the story, Gilgamesh is anything but a hero because he actually abuses his power and takes advantage of his people of Uruk. He is two parts god, one part human, and the strongest in the land. The creation of Enkidu, his equal, is the first step of Gilgamesh becoming a hero.

When Anu in the sky heard this,/ he said to Aruru, great goddess of creation

that she is:/ 'You created humans; create again in the image of Gilgamesh

and let this imitation be/ as quick in heart and as strong in arm/ so that these

counterforces might first engage,/ then disengage, and finally let Uruk's

children/ live in peace'/(Gilgamesh, Ln 69-75).

It is Gilgamesh's relationship with Enkidu and his journey for eternal life that shape his values into those of a heroic king. The fight between Enkidu and Gilgamesh marks the beginning of a friendship between the two. This gives Gilgamesh the value of companionship, something he has never really had before. This is an important value to this hero because it forces Gilgamesh to gain traits that are more social, which are necessary as a king. Until Enkidu, Gilgamesh did not know how to treat people. It is the relationship between Gilgamesh and Enkidu that converts Gilgamesh into a good king. It is not until Enkidu's death that Gilgamesh realizes that he will eventually die too. This causes the king to desert his glory, wealth, and power. Once Gilgamesh does this, he is on the quest for eternal life. Gilgamesh actually does obtain the plant of eternal life, but does not eat it yet. He saves it to share with the elders of Uruk, which shows how much his values have already grown to this point. But when the serpent robs Gilgamesh of the plant, he realizes that he is going to die like everyone else. It is a combination of all of these things that forces Gilgamesh to come to grips with his role as a "human" king. Gilgamesh is now considered a hero because he encompasses many values that he did not have before Enkidu and his journey. The fact that Gilgamesh went from a terrible king to a great king shows that he grew as a person. Knowledge, experience, acceptance of himself, and selflessness are the main values that compose King Gilgamesh's heroicness.

Like Gilgamesh, Achilles is not a hero at the beginning of his epic, but grows into one by the end. Unlike King Gilgamesh, Achilles has all of the tools to be a hero from the beginning, but his pride and rage get in the way. In the epic, King Agamemnon has to return his maiden Khryseis in order for Apollo to remove the plague. Agamemnon will do it only if Achilles gives him his maiden Briseis.

Khryseis/ being required of me by Phoibos Apollo,/ she will be sent back in a ship

of mine,/ manned by my people. That done, I myself/ will call Briseis at your hut,

and take her,/ flower of young girls that she is, your prize,/ to show you here and

and now who is the stronger/ and make the next man sick at heart- if any/ think

of claiming equal place with me/(The Iliad Lns.212-220).

Instead of swallowing his pride, Achilles who is the greatest warrior, drops out of the battle with his men. But when Achilles hears the news that Patroclus is dead, he forgives Agamemnon and returns to fight. This is an example of the value of selflessness because Achilles swallows his pride by forgiving Agamemnon and comes back to his team. The second value that Achilles learns on his path to becoming a hero is sympathy. He exemplifies sympathy by finally returning dead Hector's body to the Trojans after remembering his father Peleus's death. Over