Great men

I've been reading and watching a lot lately that centers around great men and their illusions. Some of these heroes are genuinely inspiring, others just meat-headed, megalomaniacal mirages, but the idea of the great man with its many manifestations is intriguing to me. Here are some examples.

Ancient epics

    Achilles is the greatest hero of the greatest western epic. However, from the first sentence to the climax, he is expressly motivated by rage: against Agamemnon, then against Hector. The rage of Achilles is how Homer invokes his muse first and foremost. Beyond this, Achilles is mostly characterized as a runner and fighter. He's the perfect fighter; he's a demigod; he is not necessarily noble in character; in fact he may just be pretty petty. Now, it seems just about everyone in Homer's world including the gods was petty, but you can pick out dignified qualities in other characters I'm about to mention, so I'm calling Achilles a blessed fighter with a divine advantage, who is not characterized by character.

    Hector is his counterpart: the greatest warrior of Troy, who stands up to Achilles. Hector is a family man, defending his city and his people; a tremendous fighter, without divine advantage, other than the golden favor of Apollo. I like Hector quite a bit, but I can't elevate him to the upper pantheon of heroes when he's ultimately humiliated. He turns and runs from Achilles, and only stays ahead by Apollo's favor, until Athena evens the field and Achilles catches him, dragging his body behind his chariot for days.

    Aeneas is a great character. Very strong, in will and physique; smart; leaderly. I'm borrowing from both The Iliad and The Aeneid, though I realize they're separated by centuries and motives. Aeneas is the perfect commander to turn Troy into Rome. But he's defining quality is piety, which just doesn't interest me as much as other heroic qualities. Actually, I should remember Aeneas when I get around to Lancelot. Those are two world-class warriors with some tragic history and some queenly affairs who ultimately turn to piety above all else. Lancelot's son achieves the Grail, Aeneas' founds Alba Longa which is the basis for Rome.

    Ajax is too much of a basic hothead mega-warrior.

    Nestor I can't quite remember well from The Odyssey, but in general he's superb: wise, strong, a total stud when he was younger, now a leader and elder. I admire Nestor. He always knows what's right. He's just less relatable at my age.

    Zeus is the mightiest being extant, and he knows it, and he shows it. He's too godly to really admire; you have to just respect him instead.

    That brings me to the last contender for my favorite hero of the old epics, and I may have saved the best for last. Odysseus is referred to as a great soldier and mariner, always cunning and resourceful, of many stratagems. In The Odyssey he shows himself as a formidable fighter in his advanced age, and as a natural leader. I don't think "resourceful" is how I'd describe my ideal hero, but if you consider that he's brainy beside brawny, a true leader, with family values as well as classic heroic virtues, pious yet grounded, adventurous, kingly without actually being the king of all Greeks... and you wrap all of that up in Sean Bean... Odysseus is top tier for me. Sean Bean gives it a huge bias, though I haven't even seen that movie in a while... but he's hovering tentatively near the top. I don't think he'll win this whole competition, but he wins the ancient epics category.

Matter of Britain

    Gawain is easiest to start with; he's strong and fierce, but a bit of a brute, at least in the renditions I read. He's from such an unlikable family in TH White. He's too clan-centric. Lancelot easily outfights him (except when he has the benefit of that spell).

    Lancelot is wonderful: so elegant and noble, effortlessly outfighting everyone on Earth. Unfortunately, he's constantly cuckholding his king, and he gets too guilt-ridden and religious. I love how he fights for England, quests for the Grail, delivers the queen so many times, decimates every opposing force, works miracles, has the magic touch. I don't love his affair and his piety.

    Arthur doesn't have much personality in my skimming of Malory, but he's lovable in White. Lancelot is a more interesting character, but Arthur is endlessly lovable. Lancelot sins continuously with Guenever, but Arthur basically never sins. He's selfless, he's the height of nobility without losing his true heart. Arthur is a top-tier hero in White.

Rome

    Julius Caesar commanded respect; he was brilliant and ferocious; but he was too self-aggrandizing, acting more and more like a god.

    Augustus was cunning, and well-rounded enough in his savviness to, unlike Julius, survive and reign for a long time. But he was too devious.

    Antony I liked a lot in my readings and viewings of the material, but I don't know his true character. I'm sure he was egotistic, nowhere near the Caesars in this list but egotistic nonetheless. I liked him because he was charismatic and somewhat loyal (the standard for loyalty in Roman politics was on the floor). But ultimately he was embarrassed by Augustus.

Middle-earth

    Boromir is high and mighty, but suffers too much from the pride and greed of Men. He redeems himself in the end, and gives a great boost to the Quest, but only after a terrible trial.

    Faramir transcends his brother's flaws, but his city and his line are dwindling, so he's only ever a secondary character. I would not mind a Boromir/Faramir spinoff, as I love them both.

    Theoden is a good king, but he's too simple. Rohan itself is simple: horses and huts. The roots don't go very deep, the tree doesn't grow very high. Just picture Edoras vs Minas Tirith, and understand the cultures in the same way. Theoden is a bit proud and simple.

    Aragorn is one of the best on this whole list. He's an expert warrior, an expert tracker and traveler, pure-hearted, beautiful, a born leader. I like that he's indecisive at the breaking of the fellowship; it annoys me when manly characters are too decisive, as though they don't actually have brains. Aragorn is a full human, though his lineage is blessed almost to the point of demi-divinity. He serves the Quest with all he has, becoming an invaluable friend to Gandalf and Frodo (two of the worthiest characters I can think of, in any medium -- worthier than Aragorn himself, though they don't fit the "great man" mold so well).

    Gandalf is sort of a great male hero, though he's hardly male. He's probably my favorite character in Tolkien, and therefore one of my favorite characters period. He isn't a classic hero though... he's somewhere between Merlin, who assists Arthur, and Arthur or Lancelot. He does great deeds, his purpose isn't just to set up another... but he really is a servant at the end of the day.

Wizarding world

    Dumbledore

Westeros

    

James Bond