Immortalized in History: Defining a Hero Throughout eras, tales of accomplishment and triumph emerge. From Julius Caesar, to Abraham Lincoln, to Martin Luther King Jr, pioneers that take a stand for their ideals inspire generations that define them as heroic. One may ask,”What defines a hero?” Dictionary.com defines the word hero as: “a person who, in the opinion of others, has special achievements, abilities, or personal qualities and is regarded as a role model or ideal, or noted for courageous acts and nobility of character.” The great Bard Shakespeare created two of the most controversial heroes in literature in The Tragedy of Hamlet: Prince of Denmark, and The Tragedy of Macbeth. These are controversial due to their modus operandi, as …show more content…
From prophecies, to battles, to mutiny, Macbeth experiences all. A trait heroes, such as Macbeth possess is perseverance. An example of perseverance is found toward the end of the text, when Macbeth finds out Macduff is not born of woman, and can defeat him. Instead of giving up, Macbeth replies with,”I will not yield, To kiss the ground before young Malcolm’s feet, And to be baited with the rabble’s curse. Though Birnam Wood be come to Dunsinane, And thou opposed, being of no woman born, Yet I will try the last. Before my body I throw my warlike shield. Lay on, Macduff, And damned be him that first cries, “Hold, enough!” (The Tragedy of Macbeth Act 5 Scene VIII). This is an example of perseverance due to the Witches’ prophecy for him, where he is told he will not be defeated until he fights someone not born naturally to woman. Once he finds out that Macduff will defeat him, rather than taking the cowardly way out, he decides to fight a losing battle. This is a heroic example, as the stereotype of a hero is one who backs down to nothing, which Macbeth demonstrates. Kiernan Ryan, Emeritus Professor of English at the University of London offers,”What’s so striking is that Macbeth is daunted not by the fact that his victim is his divinely ordained king, but by his dread of incurring the apocalyptic wrath of ‘pity, like a naked new-born babe,’ (British Library). This interpretation offers …show more content…
Throughout his time as a civil rights activist, he repeatedly displayed perseverance and impressive mental capabilities. An example of perseverance, according to Biography.com, would be when he was jailed for six years. Instead of reacting with retribution, he took the time to further educate himself to help his activism. One would imagine that the strengthening of your education, and sticking out the jail time without complaint is an example of perseverance, due in part to his calm reaction to the situation. An example of his mental wizardry is his rallying of the Nation of Islam from 400 members to 40,000 members. This would take a great leader, with powerful messages. These messages would be important in the time period he lived in, the Civil Rights Era, as society’s discrimination of African-Americans was under scrutiny and protest. This allowed Malcolm X to become a hero of the Civil Rights Movement. While considered extremely controversial to some, due to his teachings and beliefs, Malcolm X displayed many heroic traits that connect back to the Elizabethan Era Shakespeare