Lotr Troy Immortality of Heroes

As time passes, great men and women establish themselves in history as heroes. The societies in which they live labeled their accomplishments heroic; heroism is in the eye of the beholder. Stereotypically, a hero is someone who fights the "bad guys", saves the girl, and impresses the world; however, that is only the beginning of it, merely what you see from the outside. It is not a question of whom he fights or who is saved as much why he fights the fight. Philoctetes, trainer of heroes, made it clear that looks and brawn were are enough, stating:

"And then there was Achilles. Now there was a guy who had it all, the build, the foot speed. He could jab. He could take a hit. He could keep on comin'. But that furshlugginer heel of his! He barely gets nicked there once and kaboom! He's history."(Disney's Hercules).

It takes much more than a six pack and a black belt for a hero to immortalize himself in the history books. It takes honor, integrity, commitment, intelligence, cunning, and adaptability.

Honor is what distinguishes a hero from the rest of his peers. When engaging in acts of heroism, a true hero does so selflessly. "With great power comes great responsibility," (Spiderman.) This claim is ridiculous. There is no obligation to fight because you have brute strength or can climb walls. A hero needs to fight with his heart assisted by his sword, not the other way around. There is a thin line which separates acts of duty from acts of valor; the hero's intentions determine whether he is acting selfishly or selflessly. No one ever becomes a hero by simply doing his job; he earns the title by going the extra mile, above and beyond the call of duty. The Medal of Honor is the highest accolade granted to members of the military: the military, a supposedly violent establishment, values honor above all else. It is issued by the Commander in Chief and is done so sparingly, only to true heroes.

A hero's actions must be driven by integrity. Doing the right thing because it is the right thing to do, even when no one is watching is what makes one truly heroic. . Integrity is the standard instilled within the heart of every true hero. Someone who fights crime by day and sells drugs by night is most certainly not a hero. Someone who lives his life with integrity is dependable, sincere, incorruptible, and pure. Persons of integrity do not just act consistently with their past actions, they stand for something: they help those in need. A hero's is never compromised; when faced with potential life or death decisions, it is vital that they stay true to themselves and those who they seek to help.

Once a hero sets off on his journey, he needs to be committed to the journey until the end. In Odysseus's case, he encounters many trials during his journey home but manages to stay focused and motivated to return home. However, commitment extends further than completing the task at hand; it is about exhibiting the highest degree of moral character while doing so. This relates back to acting selflessly; because someone who fights for others will usually conduct themselves according to society's highest moral standards. Commitment requires self-discipline and devotion to maintaining the highest standards of goodness. Along with commitment comes loyalty, allegiance, and persistence; all are defining traits of a hero.

Heroic intelligence includes reasoning ability, learning, and proficiency. A hero must be well versed, respectful of elders and superiors, and decisive. A hero knows what he needs to do and how he is going to accomplish the task. Many times, the lives of others are in the hands of the hero and it is imperative that he can lead. The hero would be unable to fulfill these responsibilities if he were incompetent. During the times of monarchies, it was important that heroes were knowledgeable of the customs and courtesies extended towards the King and Queen. Knowledge of courtly mannerisms would make or break a man.

Cunning is another important aspect that is linked with intelligence. In some situations it is necessary to deceive a foe in order to be victorious. In most cases, being smart affords the hero the luxury of being less proficient with the sword. However, it is important to have a balance of brains and brawn.

To achieve immortality, a must adapt to his surroundings. During times of war, a hero leads his men in battle; in times of peace, he acts as a diplomat. The true hero is as effective in one situation as he is in the other. Change is not widely accepted by society; however, a hero embraces it and uses it to his advantage. Good, even great, men come and go and leaders are often replaced; it takes adaptability to be remembered forever.

Along with having these heroic qualities, certain events need to occur in the hero's life to trigger the Campbell's monomyth. The hero must have had some kind of calling that causes him to drop everything important in his life to go on a quest: a family tradition of service or the death of a loved one. The antagonist is the person or symbol who most likely triggered the calling by killing a hero's parents or disrupting the hero's life in another drastic way. Most importantly, every hero has a tragic flaw, which leads to his downfall.

Warner Brothers' "Troy" portrays Hector, Prince of Troy, as my archetypal hero. He is the perfectly balanced combination of wisdom, loyalty, and valor. Even as Hector makes recommendations, he understands the importance of respecting authority and never challenges his father's word. While Achilles fights for respect, revenge for his cousin, and "immortality;" Hector fights for his country, honor, and the gods: "All of my life I have lived by a code and the code is simple: honor the gods, love your woman and defend your country. Troy is mother to us all. Fight for her!" (Troy). Hector's men respect him, his enemies fear him, and all the while he conducts himself as a gentleman. Hector is as much a diplomat as Achilles is a bloodthirsty savage. Hector's biggest struggle is mental: he realizes that he will die for his country fighting Achilles; Achilles's biggest struggle is in deciding what he will next do to impress his comrades. Hector is effective at each turn of the plot; he is as comfortable commanding his troops as he is holding his baby. Hector is a man of both reason and a man of action, using reality as his guide.

Unfortunately, the bulk of the movie "Troy" revolves around Achilles, because Brad Pitt plays the role. Achilles is considered a hero by the Greeks only because of his performance in battle and the Greek lives he saved. Many of the Greeks, including Agamemnon, disliked Achilles for his arrogant attitude.