Throughout the ages, people have come and gone. Some are lucky enough to be thought of as heroes. As a hero, one should have certain qualities. Though different characteristics are used to describe heroes, they all require an admiration from someone. Compassion, courage, and loyalty are three traits that are among the most important a hero should have. King David, Antigone, and Robin Hood all possessed these qualities. King David is a historical figure that comes from the Bible. He lived around one thousand B. C. and was born as a shepherd (Doss 10-143).
While David was still young, God sent a man named Samuel to anoint him as the next king. Traveling as a young boy, David killed a giant with only a sling and a stone, and then cut the giants head off with his sword. King Saul, the first king of Israel, heard of this and summoned David to be a warrior for his army and play the harp for him. Saul became jealous of David and his favor with the people. After numerous attempts to kill him, David fled. David remained a warrior even after he had. After Sauls death, David was appointed to be the second king of Israel.
To keep his people happy he conquered Jerusalem and made it the capitol. David wrote many chapters in the book of Psalms (Bible 301-371). Antigone comes from the play Antigone by Sophocles. The play was written and performed around four hundred B. C. She was born as a princess and had two brothers and a sister. The two brothers had been at war and after their deaths Antigone tried to give her one brother the burial he was entitled to. The king ordered that no one would bury him and Antigone was arrested for doing so. During her punishment, Antigones fianc went to the king and begged for her release.
He eventually had to go to her rescue. When he arrived, she had already killed herself and he did the same (Sophocles 744-792). Robin Hood hails from around eleven hundred to fourteen hundred A. D. He is a legendary hero who leads an outlaw band called the Merry Men. He and his men steal from the rich and give to the poor and generally offered assistance to anyone of honor. Robin Hood lived in Sherwood Forest and mainly fought against the Sheriff of Nottingham. The main members of the Merry Men were Little John, Friar Tuck, and Will Scarlet.
He respected the authority of the ruling king, who is thought to be Richard I (Encarta). A trait that any hero needs is compassion, meaning to have deep sympathy or pity for others. Most would not look up to someone and consider him a hero if he did not care for others. King David had compassion for many. He was king of a country and did what he could to keep them happy and safe by leading armies himself and by showing no favoritism to any group. David was compassionate to his king when he was young. King Saul repeatedly tried to kill him and still David remained the army commander for a long period of time (Doss 10 143).
Antigone shows exceptional amounts of compassion. She wants for her brother to get the burial he deserves and goes through many obstacles and suffers the consequences for helping him. Antigone stated, It is my nature to join in love, not hate(Sophocles 766). This shows how Antigone was loving of others. Because of her actions she gives the ultimate sacrifice, her life. When Antigone is about to be persecuted, her sister steps up and tries to take the blame, but Antigone will not let her and faces the punishment alone (Knox 72 82). Robin is also a great example of being compassionate.
His whole life was dedicated to giving and helping the poor and those in need. He saw to it that people were treated fairly and fought those who mistreated the poor (Larrick 201). Another trait that any hero needs is courage, which is being brave and bold. Having the ability to face fears and do what has to be done to accomplish aspirations is important and is a quality of many heroes. King David is very courageous. As a boy, he went against a giant warrior that everyone else feared without armor, instead with a stone and a sling. He made the giant fall, then took the giants sword and killed him with it.
King Saul repeatedly attempted to kill him and David stayed with him for years until fleeing. David led many armies fighting along with the soldiers and defeated many. The king and his men marched to Jerusalem to attack the Jebusites, who live there. The Jebusites said to David, You will not get in here; even the blind and the lame can ward you off. They thought, David cannot get in here. Nevertheless, David captured the fortress of Zion, the City of David (Bible 357). He showed how he was courageous through he was threatened. David also showed courage by leading a country.
Many rulers ruin their kingdom, but David had the ability to keep his kingdom under control and had the courage to do what needed to be done with it (King David 10 143). Antigone was fearless of the consequences that would follow her actions. She only saw the good in what she was doing. She does the correct burial for her brother, even though she knew that the king would persecute her. She is not afraid of what will happen to her in the afterlife; she knows that she has done the right thing and kills herself (Pomeroy, Knox 83-93). Ismene: So fiery! You should be cold with fear.
Antigone: Perhaps. But I am doing only what I must (Sophocles 752). Robin Hood risked everything to help others. He came close to getting arrested many times and with the number of offenses he had, he could easily have faced death. But, Robin Hood kept fighting his enemies and stealing from the rich to give to the poor even though he faced severe consequences (Larrick 201). Finally, a hero should have loyalty. Loyalty is faithfulness to something or someone. Loyalty is needed because behind every action there is a loyalty to something, whether it is himself or herself or a greater cause.
King David was loyal to many by trying to keep the majority of his people content. He was loyal to his kingdom and fought in the army alongside his people. Before David was king, he was loyal to King Saul by staying with him and commanding his army even though Saul tried to kill him. Above all, David was loyal to God. David said to the Philistine, You come against me with sword and spear and javelin, but I come against you in the name of the Lord Almighty, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. This day the Lord will hand you over to me, and I will strike you down and cut off your head.
Today I will give the carcass of the Philistine army to the birds of the air and the beasts of the earth and the whole world will know that there is a God in Israel. All those gathered here will know that it is not by sword or spear that the Lord saves; for the battle is the Lords and he will give all of you into our hands(Bible 323). David shows that what he does and can do is all through God, proving his loyalty. He fought for the Ark of the Covenant to honor God and did what he thought God wanted him to (Bible 301 371). Antigones greatest quality may be loyalty.
She tries to remain loyal to her beliefs, her brother, and sister. She will not let her brother be disrespected by not being buried correctly and she tries to rectify that. She tries to keep her sister from harm by not letting her take any blame for Antigones own actions. She then stays loyal to her beliefs by not lying to the king and by keeping her conviction of what she thought was right (Sophocles 744 792). Robin Hood was loyal to the poor and remained steadfast in helping them throughout his life even though he was faced with diversity.
He was loyal to his followers, the Merry Men, and kept them as safe as possible. Robin Hood didnt let anything get in the way of his goal of helping the poor (Encarta). Most of the heroes today encompass at least these three qualities. Many movie characters will have one or two of these characteristics but may not have all three. If the character does have the three, they are usually not simultaneous. These qualities are hard to embrace in the world today. Anyone that can integrate compassion, courage, and loyalty in one personality is a true hero.
