Types of hero

Types of hero

1. Anti hero

   • A protagonist of a drama or narrative who is notably lacking in heroic qualities.
   • This type of character has appeared in literature since the time of the Greek dramatists and can be found in the literary works of all nations.
   • Examples include the title characters of Miguel de Cervantes’s Don Quixote (Part I, 1605; Part II, 1615) and Henry Fielding’s Tom Jones (1749).

2. Epic hero

   • It was the Greeks who first defined the protagonist known as an epic hero.
   • An epic hero must be a man whose fortune is brought about by his own admired characteristics.
   • Many of the famous Greek Epic Poems, such as The Odyssey and The Iliad, contain these larger-than-life heroes and their deeds. King Arthur, Beowulf, Siegfried, Gilgamesh, and Rama are all examples of epic heroes.

3. Tragic hero

   • Type of character in a tragedy, and is usually the protagonist.
   • Tragic heroes typically have heroic traits that earn them the sympathy of the audience, but also have flaws or make mistakes that ultimately lead to their own downfall.
   • The idea of the tragic hero was first defined by the ancient Greek philosopher Aristotle based on his study of Greek drama.
   • Despite the term "tragic hero," it's sometimes the case that tragic heroes are not really heroes at all in the typical sense—and in a few cases, antagonists may even be described as tragic heroes.
   • In Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet, Romeo is a tragic hero.