Heroes and Heroism in Renaissance Literature
Heroes and heroism in Renaissance literature Marie van Caster
01309942
Master Vergelijkende Moderne Letterkunde
Faculteit Letteren & Wijsbegeerte
Academiejaar 2013-2014
0
Heroes and heroism in Renaissance literature
Marie van Caster
Heroes and heroism in Renaissance literature
What makes a good hero? How do we define heroism and how is it linked to the period and social climate we live in? These questions shed an interesting light on the history of literature and how we identify heroes depending on the social, political and religious contexts. The social climate of a time and the associated values and norms will determine how characters are presented as a hero and how others are not. This paper will analyse how heroes are portrayed and how heroism is defined in Renaissance literature. To do so, we will have to look back at two literary periods which influenced the Renaissance significantly, namely the classical epics and poems, and medieval literature. This is necessary as it is impossible to analyse a literary movement without acknowledging its predecessors because art movements are often a reaction to its forerunners.
The classical epics, poems, narratives and plays were essential in Ancient Greece and Rome.
They were the main source of entertainment and were used to educate the people in these polytheistic societies. The hero in these texts were typically from noble and wealthy descend and they were sometimes portrayed as god-like characters. During these times, people valued ideals such as courage, honour, the warrior code and the importance of preserving the family’s
“good name”. For example, epic heroes will not take on a fight with a weaker foe and he will respect the honourable heroic code. The characterization and portrayal of the heroes were done in a stereotypical way. A possible reason for this could be the fact that these stories were part of the oral tradition of telling stories which means that events,
01309942
Master Vergelijkende Moderne Letterkunde
Faculteit Letteren & Wijsbegeerte
Academiejaar 2013-2014
0
Heroes and heroism in Renaissance literature
Marie van Caster
Heroes and heroism in Renaissance literature
What makes a good hero? How do we define heroism and how is it linked to the period and social climate we live in? These questions shed an interesting light on the history of literature and how we identify heroes depending on the social, political and religious contexts. The social climate of a time and the associated values and norms will determine how characters are presented as a hero and how others are not. This paper will analyse how heroes are portrayed and how heroism is defined in Renaissance literature. To do so, we will have to look back at two literary periods which influenced the Renaissance significantly, namely the classical epics and poems, and medieval literature. This is necessary as it is impossible to analyse a literary movement without acknowledging its predecessors because art movements are often a reaction to its forerunners.
The classical epics, poems, narratives and plays were essential in Ancient Greece and Rome.
They were the main source of entertainment and were used to educate the people in these polytheistic societies. The hero in these texts were typically from noble and wealthy descend and they were sometimes portrayed as god-like characters. During these times, people valued ideals such as courage, honour, the warrior code and the importance of preserving the family’s
“good name”. For example, epic heroes will not take on a fight with a weaker foe and he will respect the honourable heroic code. The characterization and portrayal of the heroes were done in a stereotypical way. A possible reason for this could be the fact that these stories were part of the oral tradition of telling stories which means that events,