I have always been an avid reader, and personally the heroes of the stories themselves have fascinated me. However, ive noticed that no matter how powerful or godlike these characters become, their only use is to sacrifice themselves to destroys anything else fantastic. Beowulf for example was nearly a hero incarnate, but in the end his death and defeat of Grendal, his mother, and the dragon left the world in a status quo, something that really bugs me. In shakesperean stories there is no victory of good either, In hamlet the story ends with the whole ruling family dead, almost as a "washing of the sins". In Romeo and juliet the deaths of both end in peace between the montagues and capulets, again a status quo. All of the greek heroes lived and died to make "modern greece" possible. heroes have begun to seem like pawns, thrown away by society to achieve a state of normalcy, and anything fantastic dies with the hero. With this in mind what do all heroes accomplish really? Is normalcy really preferable to the exciting or fantastic?
Very interesting questions raised here Isaac. I really like seeing how your mind works! I can't wait to read more of these thoughts in your thesis paper. Don't forget to make a clear and developed societal connection in these blogs!
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