From Homer’s Odyssey to Star Wars - The Unchanging Path of the Hero

“ The force will be with you, always.” This is advice given to Luke Skywalker by his mentor Obi Wan Kenobi. In the archetypal hero’s journey a wise and experienced mentor such as Obi Wan will often help guide or offer advice to the youthful and budding hero. Throughout time and across different cultures there are certain symbols, events and characters which can be found in literature and Star Wars IV: A New Hope follows this trend step by step. During the film Star Wars IV: A New Hope, the main protagonist Luke undergoes a stereotypical, or in literary terms an archetypal hero’s journey. Luke starts from humble beginnings and when he is called upon to save the galaxy; he then faces various tests which help him hone skills that he will need for the final life or death battle.

After solving the Sphinx’s riddle, he becomes the king and marries Jocasta, his mother. Again, we note that his action was unintentional. This was one of the reasons he should not have deserved what he got.

Heroes, as shown in literature, often undertake the most difficult tasks and place themselves in mortal danger in order to bring back, for themselves and their societies, both knowledge and treasure. Their stories follow “Hero Journey.” The Odyssey, as the epic story of the hero Odysseus, follows closely the complete cycle of a Hero Journey, both as a physical and as a psychological undertaking. The Hero Journey, used as a framework for both Odysseus’ physical and mental journeys, serves to bind the two together. Each of Odysseus’s physical difficulties can be viewed as a metaphor for a psychological hardship that he must overcome, and by overcoming these hardships, Odysseus matures—achieving a more complete understanding of himself and

The stories of heroes have been at the axis of nearly all cultures throughout history. Each different type of religion or culture has their own heroes or legends, each one of them having their differences to go along with the beliefs at hand. On the other hand, each and every hero also has their similarities, which therefore makes them the hero. The setting, events, and characters in each and every story may change, but the characteristics of the hero remain basically the same. Each person is usually made into a hero in a somewhat similar fashion. For example, many heroes begin as imperfect characters, and then begin some sort of quest which leads to them becoming a leader of what they are doing, and then the character goes through a

Today in society there are many individuals who can be described as heroic because of their courageous actions towards helping others. People who do not believe in heroes today do not see the change happening around the world for the benefits of future generations. However, in reality many individuals are risking their own lives to fight for what they believe in and for the change they wish to see in this world. Alfred de Vigny asserts that there are no heroes in this world, but even ancient stories like Beowulf provide examples of heroes who risk their lives to save others while we do still have heroes during modern-day times.

Heroes are viewed differently today as the average person who is admired for courage or outstanding achievements such as firemen and police officers. The ancient Greeks viewed heroes as those that acquire more than just courage, they must be strong and inspiring as well. Although Achilles proved to be several of these entities, the Iliad begins with

The hero cycle follows a character's stages of renewal and repeats every time a challenge materializes. The phases of the hero cycle enhance the morals of Edmond Dantès, Odysseus and Thor. They all kickoff their story in good hands, only to be shoved into an unexpected adventure. They travel and gain friends whose purpose is to steer them toward their goals. They all have major setbacks that they have to learn to shift and control to resume their thrones and authorities.

The Hero's Journey is never an easy one. This particular journey, as detailed in Homer's The Odyssey, is one of struggle, loss, heartache, pain, growth and triumph. It is comprised of many steps that Odysseus has to overcome and battle through in order to achieve his final goal of reaching his home and his loved ones. From the Call to Adventure to the Freedom or Gift of living, Odysseus conquered them all. The story begins in the middle of the story, as many of the oral Greek traditions did, with the Journey of Telemachus to find his father. Although Telemachus has not yet met his father, it is almost as if they are journeying together, where the end of both of their journeys results in being

A hero is described as a figure who is recognized for their extraordinary accomplishments. Joseph Campbell says all hero’s follow a certain path. First, they go through a separation, then an initiation. They go through an initiation to show their worth as a hero, then they return and are reintegrated with society after learning a lesson. Hero’s should also be relatable, which is why they often go through crisis and failures. Even though they contrast each other, Rama from the Ramayana and Gilgamesh from the Epic of Gilgamesh have similar archetypes of the hero.

Star Wars. Just the name itself holds an astonishing weight in the world of film, literature, and even video games and music. With so many works of varying fame and acclaim, almost no other piece of the Star Wars universe is more easily recognised than the 1980 film (the second in the original trilogy), “Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back!” George Lucas, the mastermind behind the film itself, knew from the beginning that this film needed to drive his vision to the satisfying end that it deserved. This included using massive, beautiful set pieces such as Hoth, Cloud City, and Dagobah among others. With these basic introductory statements finished, a thesis is to be stated: How much was the story of Luke Skywalker, as well as the entire Star Wars universe, inspired by the Hero’s Journey formula?

A hero is something that society has formed an idea about the characteristic it should posses from history. Through the stories told from the past a hero is developed through their qualities and characteristics they value. When one views a hero from a different culture they can form an opinion on what matters to that culture. One will notice that through all these different heroes that they all share common features. In ancient Hebrew culture Moses represents a hero and for ancient Greek culture Odysseus represents heroic figures.

Heroes are those who have gone above what the average person would do to ensure the welfare of others. Natural disasters, terrorism, poverty, and war are some of the many things that destroy and end people’s lives. Throughout history, many people have made a difference. However, as history progresses, what we consider to be socially normal changes along with our definition of a hero. In Ancient Greece, Theseus, Hercules, and Perseus were considered heroes, but today only Theseus and Perseus would be considered heroes because Hercules would be shunned by society.

According to Gerard Way ¨ Heroes are ordinary people who make themselves extraordinary¨. There can be many people who are considered heroes in today's time. Such as people who rescue people from life threatening situations. There are true heroes today because need help from others so that is when heroes show what they are made of. Role models could also be considered a hero to some people but not to everyone. Heroes are definitely needed in today's society because not everyone has what it takes to defend themselves or get themselves out of life threatening situations.

Modern day life the word hero doesn’t truly exist according to some sources. “The natural goodness of hero-worship has been twisted” (Scheske) The author believes that they’re no true heroes anymore but instead we have pseudo heroes who do what is good but for the wrong reasons. Everything is just an act, however I intend to disagree with this summary as we do have heroes who help people not for the fame but because it’s their job and their sense of duty. As exampled we have heroes from Greek mythology who go on quest to kill a monster save a god(dess) or bring down what could be the ultimate demise.

The definition of a hero has changed several times over the course of history, most commonly in relation to the specific characteristics that society uses to classify what qualifies an individual as a hero. In specific reference to the times of Ancient Greece, the main subject of Homers epic poem Iliad, Achilles, embodies most, if not all, of the qualities that were then deemed heroic.