Myths et heroes anglais

Today I want to talk about the myths and the heroes, so I'm going to give you the definitions of myths and hero, a myth is a traditional or legendary story, usually concerning some being or hero or event and a hero is a person who is admired for his courage, outstanding achievements, or noble qualities. To talk about this notion, I want to talk about the heroes in general and then about William Shakespeare. So we can ask the question : what are the characteristics of the hero and how is William Shakespeare a hero and a myth ? First we will see, the characteristics of the hero in general and then, we will evoke William Shakespeare and his legend.

A hero in general is someone remarkable in one action or more simply something. There are different types of heroes, such as superheroes, Superman, Spider-man, etc.

There are also leaders for social change who are heroes for societies like Nelson Mandela who fought for the abolition of segregation, or Simone Veil who fought for women’s rights.

A hero can also bring together many qualities, such as creating, doing or saying things that will remain unforgettable even after the death of the person, or being a model, an icon… for those who follow him, this is the case, for example, of Martin Luther King, whose famous “I have a dream” remains when he fought against segregation.

We will also notice other heroes for other qualities but in reality, a hero is not something really defined.

Now, we will evoke William Shakespeare, the father of the English language, who revolutionized literature with his sometimes comic, tragic or romantic pieces … These works have touched every generation since they appeared.

He had twins, one of whom died at the age of 11. After the birth of the twins, he had 7 years of life unknown to the public. He is famous for his literary participation, we know that he wrote poems but is much more famous thanks to his plays.

William Shakespeare had a great cultural impact, with music, literature … William Shakespeare, at his time created myths like Hamlet, Romeo and Juliet, or The Merchant of Venice. Today, having himself become a myth, he is used, for example, Victor Hugo wrote in 1863 : William Shakespeare. The musical of Romeo and Juliet tells in several songs the famous history of cursed lovers. Volume 24 of Blake and Mortimer’s adventures "The Testament of William S." in 2016 presents a fiction on Shakespeare and his private relations. And to finish, “Shakespearean” has become a derivative expression often used to describe a tragic, dramatic or romantic play, book or film.

To conclude, William  Shakespeare had a life where the taste for literature was present and where he succeeded in becoming a legend that still makes people talk about him. He was and he is a hero, someone admired for his unforgettable works. At his time, he created myths, today he is used like a myth.

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