Heroism in Greek, Roman and Western Culture

Introduction

The Aeneid, was composed by Virgil around 29 BC and 19 BC. This was around the same time that Octavian had risen to power as the heir to Caesar’s throne, who eventually become Augustus soon after. Many had questioned the reign of Augustus, especially Marc Antony, once he had found out about the son of Caesar, Caesarean, to Cleopatra who was Queen of Egypt at that current moment in time. The Aeneid’s purpose was to legitimize the reign of Augustus as well as become an origin story for the foundation of the Romans. The Aeneid had to support the fact that Rome was fated to exist from the beginning and in order for this to happen, Virgil had twisted and altered many mythologies known to the Roman race at that current time in space. When looked at closely, The Aeneid reflects a point in time where the Romans barely survived a period of instability.

The Illiad was composed by Homer around 800-725BC but written down sometime between 725-675BC. The Illiad follows Achilles, son of the sea-nymph Thetis and Peleus, King of the Myrmidons, during the ten year siege of the city of Troy and throughout the duration of a quarrel between King Agamemnon and Achilles himself. Achilles, the protagonist of the epic was thought to be the greatest warrior as well as the warrior with the most wrath. Achilles always seemed to be angry yet he was somewhat heroic throughout it all. Achilles eventually helped the Archaeans succeed in destroying the city of Troy by slaying their beloved hero Hector.

Captain America is a fictional superhero who first appeared in comic books published by Time Comics. He was created by Joe Simon and Jack Kirby as a patriotic super-soldier who fought against the Axis powers in World War 2. He was considered the most famous superhero at the time during the war because of his influence on the Americans at that specific time. Captain America has no superhuman powers, but through the Vita-Ray treatment, his strength, endurance, agility, speed, reflexes and healing were enhanced. It is said that the serum just made the outside appearance of Steve Rogers match the inside.

Films, fictions, books and especially superheroes, are generally created to represent an era or a time in which there are changes within the society. For example when has Superman ever killed anyone? In the recent Superman movie, Man of Steel (2011), we witness Superman snapping Zod’s neck killing him instantly. This is only but one example of the changes within our society where killing the bad guy has become okay, and the news of war is normal. These changes are represented through our media, and in turn, they become a part of our everyday life. Our world is ever changing and we can just tell by the content of the movies that we watch, or the books that we read.

This report will cover what heroism means and how is was shown in the Ancient days, as well as how Ancient