Heroes and anti-heroes

The antinomy 'Heroes and anti-heroes' contains a range of behaviours related to ethical values of a cultural tradition. Each era imprinted on it a new sensitivity in consonance with the flow of time and historical context. From the archaic hero configured by warlike values, the epithet became 'political', and later got a personalised mark. No literary expression has escaped this line of evolution. Epic and lyric poetry, theatre (tragic and comic), novel, historical narrative or philosophical reflexion offer examples of heroes and anti-heroes. The evaluation of these testimonies, in Greek and Roman culture, and the concepts involved in these designations are the aim of this book.