Tuesday, June 10, 2014

What Makes a Great Romantic Hero?

Posted by: Unknown

Everyone has their own fantasy heroes, and I’m no different. Who doesn’t love the handsome man with the bulging muscles who has great integrity and works to save the day against all odds? Characters that come to mind are Indiana Jones (Indiana Jones), Aragorn (Lord of the Rings), Jim Lovell (Apollo 13) and Ethan Hunt (Mission Impossible). However, it takes more than just a pretty face for a hero to become unforgettable.

First off, they can’t be perfect. A true hero needs to be human, needs to have flaws that get in his way of being a hero, but they can’t be deal breaking flaws. The flaws have to be forgivable so that we can still love him, but they also have to be something he has to work through. Consider Han Solo (Star Wars). Here was a guy with some serious ethical issues. At the beginning of the story, we see that he’s a smuggler, just in this for the money and is disdained by the princess. He’s rude and overbearing, but we see him change. Over time, he becomes emotionally invested, which makes that last scene where he comes charging in to save the day with the Millennium Falcon that much more dramatic. Rocky Balboa (Rocky) had a severe lack of self-esteem because of his lack of education. He’s clunky and a bit slow, but he’s pure heart, which is why we all cheered him on. Turner and Hooch was just such a cute movie where Tom Hanks plays this obsessive compulsive character whose life is completely ordered. He knows just where everything is because everything is in its place until… he’s put in charge of a large, messy, drooly, destructive Mastiff that he just falls in love with. He ends up having to live with some animal-induced chaos and a cute veterinarian besides. It’s the evolution of the character that makes them memorable and endearing.

A great hero needs to have ethics. They need to stand up for the good guys, the underdogs, those who can’t take care of themselves, even when it feels like there’s no hope. Did it seem possible to destroy the Death Star? They were a small band of rebels in Star Wars. They’d had their butts handed to them up to that point. Can anyone forget Avatar? The marine is sent to do his duty and ends up having to go against all of his training to support the blue people on Pandora because he has a strong sense of integrity. In a complete turnaround, he ends up leading an army of the blue people against the U.S. military in what seems to be an impossible battle considering the resources they’re up against. However, a hero does what needs doing.

“You’re all clear kid. Now let’s blow this thing and go home.” – Han Solo (Star Wars, Episode IV)

Who are some of your most memorable heroes? There are so many out there. I wanted to choose characters that we most likely could all be familiar with, but please tell me who I missed and why they were so wonderful.

Thanks so much for spending time with me today. You can find me at: www.facebook.com/Writer.D.Adele, www.twitter.com/DanubeAdele, www.google.com/+DanubeAdele, www.danubeadele.wordpress.com, www.goodreads.com/author/show/7340150.Danube_Adele
JUST RELEASED JUNE 9TH, Book two of Dreamwalkers
I freed him from imprisonment, only to become his pawn.
I, Shandria Langston, last remaining daughter of the leader of the Sunan, was charged with an impossible task. I had to rescue Kraggon Dragmor—sworn enemy of my people—from the death chamber. If I refused, our world as we know it would be destroyed.
Oh, but was he happy with my sacrifice? No. Instead of being properly appreciative of this selfless act, of being grateful that I tended to him through a deathly illness, the bastard’s kidnapped me. I’m “a symbol of retribution for his people.” The man has no heart.
I have only one advantage in captivity: I can read Kraggon’s thoughts. I know that he can’t afford to admit that I empathize with his people. He can’t afford to admit that I am more beautiful than any woman he’s ever seen, or allow me to fire his blood with every look…and he can’t afford to admit that he’ll do anything to save me, that I’ve become his heart.

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