What makes a Character Heroic?

“…I swear by the stars,
the gods above, and any trust
that may be in this underearth, I was
unwilling when I had to leave your shores.
But those same orders of the gods that now
urge on my journey through the shadows, through
abandoned, thorny lands and deepest night
drove me by their decrees.” (Bk VI, pg. 148, ll. 603-610)

A common thread that almost every literary work throughout time has is the designation of a heroic figure. What sets each of those works apart though, are the qualities that makes the character of the story heroic. In Virigil’s Aeneid, many can argue that Aeneas should not be considered heroic because to his inconsistent nature. Aeneas’ indecision between his duty and personal desires is a flaw that is greatly exploited in the play and the consequences of such flaw came at a great cost. Heroism can be defined as a form of sacrifice, but to what ends? Is it heroic to abandon a loved one (Creusa), instigate the death of an innocent victim, and to destroy a city for the sake of the hero’s personal gain? Or is heroism a form of sacrifice in which the individual must learn not to compromise his convictions, despite his initial doubts, and carry out the duties he has been prophesized or empowered to fulfill.

Aeneas’ obstacles are his own creations, his own subconscious inability to embrace his destiny because of his former loyalties. How he overcomes those obstacles are not due to his physical abilities or mental prowess like other epic heroes, but through the urgings and influence of other characters. Aeneas was unwilling to not just leave Dido (Bk IV), but also leave the security of having a home and simple role in life. When he does meet Dido again in the underworld, Aeneas laments to Dido how he regrets abandoning her and his emotional fears over his lack of free will. He claims he had to abandon the luxury of her presence through the demands of the gods and his father’s ghost. “He was unwilling to leave [her] shores” and his journey to the Underworld was not his own choice but once again through the will of the gods. At this point it seems as if Aeneas has no control or influence over his own life, it is constantly being driven through the commands of a higher power, making him incapable of independent thinking and an inability to even properly defend for his actions. Aeneas’ lack of agency seemingly projects him as an incompetent hero. However, that is what makes him heroic. It is not Aeneas’ mission to establish a new home for city that is his greatest task; it is his personal conflict to decide between his desires and duty that embody his most difficult obstacle. Aeneas’ greatest enemy is himself and when he eventually realizes the importance of his role and embrace his destiny he will become the paragon of Rome’s most cherished virtues: reason and pietas. To Virgil’s audience, Aeneas is not just a Roman hero, but also the ideal Roman citizen.

Sophocles’ play Antigone, on the other hand, defines the characteristics of heroism in a different perspective. Antigone is considered a tragic heroine because her unyielding principles will not be compromised even under the threat of isolation and death. Similar to Aeneas, it was Antigone's personal principles that can be considered her most fatal enemy, as it was not solely Creon's tyrannical nature that led to her death, but her driven need to fulfill her own personal code of conduct . However, in contrast to Aeneas, Antigone’s staunch resistance to state authority and devotion to divine will casts her as a heroine, but also an insubordinate citizen of Thebes. Although Antigone and Aeneas are considered heroic, the two characters possess a set of qualities that are the antithesis of each other.