Hero and the Saint, Essay Example

Hero and Saint are two consistent symbols in the intellectual history of Europe. Both can be considered positive to the extent that they represent something desirable in society: they denote a model of an existential example that should be followed. At the same time, this is not to suggest that the Hero and the Saint are somehow identical. Rather, they take almost diametrically opposite views about what an ideal life constitutes and therefore serve as two different types of archetype. For example, the hero in European thought tends to represent a figure who takes a direct and unmediated action in the world, vanquishing his enemies and his challenges. One of the classical examples of this heroic archetype can be found in Greek myth in the form of Achilles in Homer’s Illiad, whose exemplary existential qualities are demonstrated in his earthly deeds. In contrast, the saint can be understood as a figure whose importance lies in the extent to which he or she withdraws from the very turmoils of human and worldly existence. Saints are well-renowned because they withdraw from our conventional normativities and indicate a form of existence that is not understandable in terms of the social structures of our world. At the same time, however, a close continuity can be detected between hero and saint precisely because they remain archetypes of an ideal existence in European thought, despite their differences.

In order to develop this thesis we can look at various examples from European art and thought. In Dante’s Divine Comedy, there is a sense in which the saintly life is viewed as a crucial archetype. The main character of the Comedy does not take the form of a traditional hero with his direct actions in the world. Although Dante’s Divine Comedy is not based on the figure of the saint, and can almost be read as a critique of religion, it is important to underscore that the main character of the work is a poet: here the poet resembles the saint precisely because his importance lies in his passivity in relation to the world. In other words, he describes the world as opposed to directly intervening into its narrative of events. A further resemblance between Dante’s protagonist and the saint is that The Divine Comedy entirely is dedicated to depicting the after-life, thus resembling the saint’s non-concern with the physical world of everyday existence. Nevertheless, in so doing the poet as saint in Dante assumes an almost heroic quality despite his lack of action in the world: it is enough to remain true to the events that one witnesses and describe them as thoroughly as possible. This is a sign of a value European culture places on close observation of one’s surroundings, a value that will letter manifest itself in science.

A further development of the heroic quality of saintliness, which blends the two archetypes despite their difference is found in Michelangelo. In many of Michelangelo’s works there is a radical combination of the saint and the hero. Some of his works, such as his depiction of St. Proculus, are syntheses of the saint and the hero idea: religious men dedicated to their cause can also become militarized because of this cause. In essence, for Michelangelo to believe in God is also to be militant and active in the world, so as to defend the tenets of the other-world on this world.

With romanticism this picture becomes more complex. This is because romanticism can be construed as a certain rejection of the traditional importance of the saint. Insofar as romanticism represents the importance of the natural world, this is a clear denial of the virtues that are traditionally conferred to the saint. The saint becomes a crucial figure because he rejects the values of the world. Romanticism, however, attempts to stress the importance of the natural world and our existence within it. This shift in conceptions that emerge with Romanticism can be said to favor the hero. To the extent that romanticism emphasizes the natural world, it follows that it also emphasizes those who directly participate in this natural world, such as the hero. In this sense, the other-worldly concentration of the saint can be seen as a transgression of the basic principles of a romanticism that continually underscores the importance of our existence with nature. This can be considered a splitting of the hero from the saint, to the extent that the saint lives for another world.

Showing the dynamics of European thought, yet a further development is shown in the work of Kierkegaard. In his account of the story of Abraham, the latter represents a “knight of faith”, which can be considered as a re-installing of the importance of the saint. This is because Abraham, for Kierkegaard, represents a commitment to another world as opposed to this world, for example, in the decision to sacrifice his own son for his belief in God.

Such an account of the saint and the hero demonstrates that their relationship remains a complex one in European thought. At moments in this history they appear incompatible, such as in the work of the Romantics. At other times, such as in Kierkegaard, the saint is venerated as more heroic than the hero him or herself, precisely because the saint is committed to faith. Despite these changing relationships, what remains constant is that such archetypes of hero and saint have been crucial to forming the cultural imaginary of European thought.