Expression of Heroism in Statius’ Achileid and Caesar’s Gallic Wars (Essay Sample)

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Heroism as Expressed in Statius’ Achilleid and Caesar’s Gallic Wars
Heroism is an act of outstanding bravery in unfavorable situations. Heroes provide solutions to situations that would otherwise seem impossible. Different writers create their heroes differently. Statius creates a problematic hero whose life is full of mysteries in his epic poem called Achilleid. In his childhood, Achilles is raised by a centaur in the wilderness and later disguises him as a woman. In the dramatic turn of events, Achilles rapes the princes of Scyros. The anti-climax of the poem leaves readers with mixed reactions of whether the character was a hero or a villain. In 'Gallic Wars, Caesar creates a hero who overcomes difficulties, wins many wars, and becomes the most celebrated hero in the History of Rome. Caesar applies leadership skills and sometimes tricks to pacify his allies and defeat the enemies. The two authors portray heroism differently by showing the different ways in which the Achilles and Ceaser do extraordinary things in their pursuit of self-actualization and aggrandizement.
A simple analysis of these texts creates two classifications of heroism. Ceaser maintains the qualities of a traditional hero unlike Statius who sets new standards of heroism. Whereas Ceaser fights and wins actual wars, Statius creates a transgressive hero who defies the norms and sets expectations for the hero to achieve. He creates a conflicting role for Achilles through sets of actions that cultivate masculinity and transvestism (Statius, 1. 576). The hero fails to transgress as expected of him, and Statius makes the hero's behavior problematic as his ephebic appearance rather than creating two paths of