by Mr. Jay L.

Created on: May 08, 2008

The definition of hero has changed over the centuries. In the dark days of yore, the hero represented the ideal of a society, and exhibited few flaws; in essence, they were a morality myth, fabricated to espouse the ideal attributes of what a society expected, even demanded, from their men.

By the Medieval period in Europe and well into the Renaissance, the hero had evolved to not only represent the ideal of a society, he became a tool of religious and government institutions for promoting policy. The characters now exhibited actual flaws where their predecessors had flaws vaguely hinted at, easily seen if one were to contrast ancient Beowulf and characters from Greek mythology to characters like Shakespeare's Hamlet or the tales of Robin Hood. In essence, the main characters were flawed heroes who, depending on the morality tale in which they appeared, expounded on acceptable and inappropriate behaviors and character traits. By overcoming these handicaps, they became and example of what a hero should be.

Of course, by the Renaissance period the hero was not solely confined to the pages of parchment few could read or given life by players on a bank-side stage. Real heroes had come to the attention of the masses, their names and deeds shouted by town criers across Europe and the Americas. People like Sir Francis Drake, Christopher Columbus, Magellan, and others were examples to the common people that individuals could rise to greatness through careful thought and personal ambition.

By the time of the American Civil War, the idea of a hero had evolved yet again. While not gone, the days where exceptional individuals rose to even higher levels of greatness had certainly diminished. The hero had become an ordinary individual who, due to extraordinary circumstances, sacrificed their own agendas and well being for the benefit of others; this would become a greater trend through World War Two, often exemplified by tales such as "The Red Badge Of Courage," "The Lord of the Rings," as well as others.

By the 1950s, with general burnout from several major wars in a little more than a century, the pendulum had swung the other way. Comic book heroes, individuals with exceptional powers, replaced the common man doing uncommon things. Sports figures became role-models, actors and actresses became idols, and rock stars became gods. Whether these individuals deserved their exalted status was immaterial.

I never really paid any of them any attention.

But when I went back to college

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