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What is an anti-hero?
A central character in a story, movie, or drama who lacks conventional heroic attributes.
slowly sinking with civilization into more and more flawed, weakened versions of themselves.
Take Captain Jack ...
see how despicable and flawed this modern hero is -- obviously an anti-hero!
Ah, can we say ... Sinbad the Sailor?
Gilgamesh's flaw is fear.
When Enkidu dies, Gilgamesh grieves deeply and is horrified by the prospect of his own death.
"Enkidu has died. Must I die too? Must Gilgamesh be like that?" "Gilgamesh felt the fear of it in his belly."
His tragic flaw reminded me of Achilles, the valiant hero from the Iliad.
Although Achilles possesses superhuman strength, his tragic flaw was his heel,
which decided his fate and his death.
Gilgamesh is only strong because of Enkidu's faithfulness,
and he would have never succeeded in his quest on destroying Huwawa
or the Bull of Heaven without the help of Enkidu.
Think Sam and Frodo.
WHAT MAKES A HERO?
Not flaws, not vices ...
It is the Journey of Transformation
from one state to another where the character sees the world in a new light
and strives to live up to that light.
WHAT DO YOU THINK?
A hero becomes one despite who he is.
ReplyDeleteTo me, a true antihero is one who doesn't transform in some way. The hero in Bio of a Space Tyrant was vile from start to finish.
Like Macbeth, right?
DeleteI've always thought of an anti-hero as someone who acts somewhat differently than those we see as more traditional types. Those who kill their enemies "unfairly", perhaps, like Indiana Jones, when he shot his scimitar-wielding opponent in Raiders of the Lost Ark. It's a tough call to make.
ReplyDeleteThat scimitar-wielding assassin was helping in the kidnapping of a woman. You attack a defenseless woman, you cannot complain about the other guy not playing fair! :-)
DeleteMy anti-hero is someone who acts nobly, but in a completely unconventional and unacceptable way. I mean, since when is killing people okay?
ReplyDeleteIf I am the People trying to be killed, killing before I am killed seems logical! :-)
DeleteI like you definitely see transformation as the key element - becoming something better than you were. You could have been an "anti-hero" but through crucial experience you become a "hero," a better person than you were before.
ReplyDeleteWe are kindred spirits!
DeleteI think anti-hero is when we're focusing on the villain. But even the villain is a hero in his own story.
ReplyDeleteEach of us is the star of our own movie. Yet there is good and bad in all of us ... except for the sociopaths who seem to be increasing in our population!
DeleteTransformation is the key word. We are transformed by God's love and Christ's sacrifice. Anti-hero...is there is no change or transformation, he will remain as he is.
ReplyDeleteSadly, I think few people believe in God or that transformation can happen. :-(
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