The Ultimate Hero An explosion occurs in Boston and everyone is distraught but one. Could it perhaps be a hero, or the fool himself whom set the trap? The common question asked in the modern world today, “What is a hero?” One that has superhuman powers and saves the world or one who is camouflaged with the people of society? Norman Schwarzkopf rightly said, “It doesn’t take a hero to order men into battle. It takes a hero to be one of those men who goes into the battle.” This quote means that anyone can order people to take action, but to have the courage without being decisive takes a true hero.
There can be many personalities, powers, and strengths that shape a hero. A modern day hero likes to go above and beyond of what would be expected of someone. Such are characteristics of a hero in modern society, someone who believes in actions rather than words, and not only someone who acts in movies and wears costumes, or saves his lady from the enemy, but one who stands for strength, bravery, endurance, and humbleness. A true hero always strives to do the right thing. A hero can be an ordinary individual who finds the strength to persevere and promises to be honorable and loyal in their actions taken. We often ignore the real life heroes whom we confront every day and still show lack of emotion for their brave actions. Firefighters, policemen, lifeguards, soldiers, doctors, or simply a man who risks his life for others is a true hero. As children, we think a hero is about being able to fly or having superhuman strength, someone every little kid dreams of being. There is much more to a hero than just being able to fly, it is the ability to put your own life on hold for another’s life. Comic books very frequently reflect the attitude and feelings of the society.
On the other hand, Shakespeare incorporates many heroic traits into his protagonist. However, pride, dignity, and protection are the three most important. In Shakespeare’s play, The tragedy of Macbeth, Macbeth notices he is doomed. Even though Macbeth is the underdog and is expected to gain a loss, he still promises to try his best. Macbeth was fooled by the witch’s prophecy, but he still showed pride and fought Macduff to honor himself. Hamlet, a book written by Shakespeare, shows how protection plays a key characteristic in his heroes. After Hamlet’s father dies he pretends to be crazy to keep everyone away so he can full fill his promise to his father and get revenge on his uncle. These tragic heroes are shaped by renaissance today because they provide comic relief. Shakespeare transcends the conventions of renaissance tragedy in his plays. Hamlet is considered a tragic hero because he produces a tragic flaw and doesn’t live to see the full outcome of his actions. Shakespeare’s heroes are