First Discussion: The Hero

In Human history, and myth there have always been heroes. Whether they realize their, and embrace it, or if they do not come to terms and in the end they come to terms and embrace their legacy. In Campbell’s’ interview he says that the Hero is never just “born”, but instead the hero is MADE by their own trials, and acts that they perform through their life.

The story of Spartacus, or rather…the LEGEND of him. Spartacus is said to have lived (109-71 BCE) born into the Thracian tribe Maedi, it was said that he MAY have received military training as his life transitioned from being a nomadic warrior, to a Roman warrior. Soon though accounts say he was betrayed, or went mad, and he and his wife were taken as slaves and sold off; Spartacus becoming a Gladiator, his wife…a slave, accounts point that he may have witnessed the murder of his wife, or that he even murdered her. However he wanted to die…but instead he overcame his loathsome self and fought back for freedom from his captors. As they fled they found solace near Pompeii and started a war using guerilla tactics and unconventional means to slow down and stop their pursuers. Though in the end they were betrayed by the people they put their trust in to escape Rome and its grasp. It is not known how many survived if any, but Spartacus has come to the light as a legendary warrior, mythological entity that defied the gods. Historians do not have an ending other than he died by a rouge arrow, or in some cases, a lucky soldier, but nonetheless he rose up to a challenge, accepted his calling, and made a legacy that has stood the test of time.

Spartacus may be in more ways than one, an anti-hero, or as most accounts state even a villain. Though I believe his pursuit was noble and he sought out revenge…as well as justice for himself and his followers. He followed his feelings and they eventually led him down a path of darkness, but was the darkness necessary to his journey to find solace. Or in fact did he believe he was in his right mind by committing his dee

Rosalyn J wrote:

Wescli Wardest wrote: I thought about that quite a bit before adding it. And I figure that by the time the Hero actually becomes the Hero they would have shaken most of those thoughts. All the people I have known throughout my life that would be considered to be a hero by others do not have such thoughts. And I realy can’t imagine that anyone once getting to that level of dedication to others or the higher cause would regard themselves or their own contributions to be of such high importance.

And that being said… it could be a reason for the protagonist in a story. The one that could have been the hero but because they were not able to dedicate them self to a higher cause it drove them to the point of megalomania.

I think you are right about a hero not thinking themselves to be a hero. Think about the progression, the journey one must go through. At the trials mark Fate has designed any number of tests to deal with ethical,physical, mental etc. weaknesses. Once the trials are over, the hero has overcome these weaknesses in some degree or has become acutely aware of them so as to not act upon them. If the hero at some point was dealing with arrogance, fate would've designed a trial meant to expose and confront this.
I particularly like the last part of your post here. It brings to mind some of the villans in stories. I always find it interesting that these villans have a strong "fan base" for lack of a better word. It makes me wonder if the goals that they aspired to were not "good" to some people in some regard at some time. For this reason only a few remain with the villan once he goes off the deep end.

I think that most villains wouldn't consider themselves villains. They probably consider themselves heroes. It's these types of people that are the most dangerous...and the most complex/interesting. For example, we can look at Light Yagami from 'Death Note', he was a intelligent, normal high-schooler, until he finds the 'death note', which is a notebook that takes the life of the person who's name is written in it. He killed all of the terrorists in the world, all of the high-profile criminals to make the world a better place. Later though, he begins killing innocent people to meet his own ends, and that's what makes him the antagonist, but I'm sure he didn't believe himself to be a villain, he thought he was hero, a God. That's what makes them so horrible, they don't think they're doing wrong, they justify their actions somehow, and in their point of view, it's the hero that is the villain, and that's why villains, when done right, are endlessly fascinating.