The essay is about the evolution of the "hero" figure over the millennia, from the ancient Ulysses to the modern Spider-Man, from the Byronic-Hero to the heroes of today society.
Heroes then and now
From the Odysseus of ancient times to the romantic Byronic Hero, from Virgil's
Aeneas to Stan Lee's Spider-Man, the character of the hero has been a
well-established figure in the mythological and literary imagination for
thousands of years.
The creation of this subject seems to respond to the need to materialize,
within a single being, ideal and semi-divine characteristics that go beyond the
stringent limits of man, alleviating the perpetual sense of human
dissatisfaction with one's condition and bringing onto the scene characters
that the public can only admire. Over the millennia, due to socio-cultural
evolutions, the story of this figure has undergone countless upheavals. We
start from the Greek kalokagathia of the beautiful and virtuous hero, to then
move on to the conception of the Augustian age of the hero as a
spokesperson for the values, central to Roman ethics, of warrior virtus and
fortitude. In the sixteenth century Ariosto outlines in Orlando furioso the image
of a hero inspired by classicism but enriched by a series of innovative
components: the madness of love and the fantastic and ironic atmosphere in
which it is inserted. Finally, in romanticism the vision of a highly individualistic
hero matures, uprooted from society and fiercely rebellious. however the most
significant revolution surprisingly comes from this century. The legendary
American cartoonist Stan Lee, with the character of Peter Parker, was able to
represent for the first time in history a teenage superhero with countless
personal problems. An idea so revolutionary that it was initially rejected by the
manufacturer and even defined by Stan's boss as "the worst idea I've ever
heard".
However, do such heroic personalities exist in today's reality?
First of all, a common definition of the term "hero" must be established.
A hero is whoever performs an extraordinary and generous act of courage,
which may involve the conscious sacrifice of oneself, in order to protect the
good of others or the common good.
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