The age of the anti-hero is upon us. Historically, the stories are only told about heroes—Captain America, Superman, etc.—but the anti-hero has been gaining more traction, more light, in popular culture and social media. Anti-heroes have begun to grace the screens of primetime television or earning their own series on Netflix. When looking into anti-heroes plenty come to mind: Daredevil, Walter White, Lestat to name a few. But what if a famous literature character who came back due to popular demand—the kind who saves the day—as an anti-hero? This character is Sherlock Holmes. Steven Moffat brought the famous detective back from the dead for a modern twist. Sherlock became the sociopath, the drug addict, the man with no morals, the man without …show more content…
This is the addiction and vice of Sherlock Holmes in the modern era—knowledge. And, despite these crippling, underlying and nearly destructive traits, Sherlock does show promising, good qualities. He cares for Mrs. Hudson, Lestrade, and John Watson and these relationships keep him tethered to humanity, to the world he’s alienated from by his addiction. However, the redemptive qualities offer no salvation for Sherlock Holmes. He sees only his harmful, anti-hero qualities, rebuking any praise he receives. “Don’t make people into heroes, John. Heroes don’t exist, and if they did I wouldn’t be one of them” (The Great Game). Sherlock is eternally locked in limbo, damnation, recognizing himself as playing “on the side of angels” but denied a place amongst their ranks—“Don’t think for a second that I am one of them” (Reichenbach Fall). Sherlock, even in the face of absolving traits and actions that would guarantee even the worst of sinners a place even heaven, sees himself for what he truly is; not an angel with immense wings but one whose wings were torn from him by his sins as he was cast down,
Everybody has their own version of what a hero is supposed to look like and what they must do to act as a hero, but heroes come in all shapes and sizes. Heroes are defined by how they are able to help under certain circumstances. For instance, Martin Luther King Jr. fought for racial equality in the 60’s, Susan Brownell Anthony fought for the women's right to vote in the 1800’s, Christianity’s Jesus Christ fought to protect humanity for all their sins over 2000 years ago, Luke Skywalker fought the Galactic Empire to restore order for the entire universe a long time ago in a galaxy far far away, and Iron man who fought numerous villains to keep the public safe in popular media. The story of “Harrison Bergeron” by Kurt Vonnegut Jr. shows how an anti-hero may be the best type of hero in a dystopian setting. This anti-hero is better known as
The colonists had been self-ruling for many years and as such had a strong foundation to form or build a government. Even though they had their own governing bodies, when the monarchy started neglecting them by enforcing stringent rules they felt that it was unfair. They believed that a government could be legitimate if it must require the consent of the governed people and if it must as well respect human liberty because it was given by Creator and it existed prior to any government. Having felt such ethics, the colonists wrote down these principles and immediately put into
Many view Hamlet, the main character, in Shakespeare’s tragedy Hamlet as a hero. He portrays characteristics that prove to the reader that he does possess heroic qualities. Although, it is a struggle for him throughout the play, but as he goes through life and learns new ways of coping things, he develops new characteristics that he didn’t have in the beginning. Hamlet learns to overcome his anxiety, depression, and anger. In the end, he learns how to be calm and collected. The way Hamlet learns how to handle internal conflicts throughout the play, shows the readers a realistic view of the difficult encounters one may have when learning to cope with different issues.
In the reading, “Why We Love TV’s Anti-heroes” by Stephen Garrett, he points out that anti-heroes are becoming more popular than the traditional hero. Garrett states, “the word hero is abused in the news, the sports reports, and even in conversation” (318). For example tabloids recognize someone who battles a drug addiction and overcomes it or a substitute kicker for the football game kick the winning field goal (318). You see he argues that traditional heroes are “boring” and that there are no longer any more real heroes (318-321). Anti-heroes are characters or people who are just evil but still get the viewers to like
Sir Arthur Conan Doyle utilizes literary elements such as dialogue, tone, vocabulary, a different format of narration and perspective, along with chronology to construct the adventures of the eminent fictional detective Sherlock Holmes and his partner, Dr. John Watson. The creative use of dialogue assists in telling the story fluently and vividly, while a suspenseful and occasionally humorous tone maintains interest from case to case. Long winded descriptions and complex vocabulary are infused into Doyle’s writing to fit his knowledgeable characters as well as fuse them into the setting of traditional Britain. Lastly, these features are accompanied by both Holmes and Watson’s different perspectives alongside each other. the tales of
Anti-heroes do not solely exist in the fictional world. There are people in the real world, everyday who fit the anti-hero description. They are… the Mob. In ancient times loyalty was purest form of respect. It was a way of life. One was loyal to his or her family, govern, king, and God. Hand in hand with loyalty, comes the right to revenge. The Mob is one of the few “societies” that has reserved that tradition. For example: when a family member is assassinated, it is not only the right, but also the duty of the surviving family to avenge that death. This loyalty to one’s own, coupled with the fierce determination to protect them, are incredibly heroic qualities. Organized crime families are oohed and ahhed by the press and pop culture, and have their own fans. While these people are not ideal role models, they possess heroic qualities worthy of aspiration.
Arthur Conan Doyle’s legacy rests heavily on one Victorian creation: the character of Sherlock Holmes. Holmes's attitude of intelligence and originality continues to keep fans inclined and fascinated ever since the Victorian era. Holmes persists as remakes and reincarnations of the Sherlock character keep the mastermind relevant. While the modernization of Sherlock creates a personal connection between the reader and Sherlock in “A Scandal in Belgravia,” the BBC adaptation dilutes Sherlock’s character from a distinguished genius to a mere detective.
What happened to Sherlock Holmes in the first chapter of the book called The Sign of the four? The story took place at Sherlock’s home. It started when Sherlock injects himself with the cocaine into his bloodstream. “Cocaine has a very powerful stimulating effect on the nervous system. It raises levels of dopamine, a neurotransmitter linked to pleasure, movement, and the brain's reward circuit.” (Nordqvist). John Watson’s point of view was that he saw Sherlock look depressed. He would say that Sherlock isn’t himself. In other words, Sherlock wasn’t the same detective that John once knew. Most people have heard Sherlock is the greatest detective who solves the case. On the other hand, John’s expertise wasn’t equal to Sherlock’s level. Also, John was Sherlock’s assistant who helps Sherlock on his cases. Each of them has the different talent to succeed in their future Sherlock thinks that all of the cases are elementary. However, he underestimated how the case works. An antagonist cannot be the same villain as always because the antagonist will find a way to improve themselves and beat the protagonist. The story does explain why Sherlock is addicted to cocaine. John strongly disapproves of Sherlock’s cocaine habit because the cocaine can dull Sherlock’s skill. Although Sherlock wasn’t the greatest detective of all, Sherlock can be the one who solves the crime because he has detective specialty, prepare the next challenge to solve the crime, and is the antihero in London.
In many, a tragedy do the tragic heroes have flaws that lead themselves to their own demise. The main character always acts exactly on his or her own emotions; thus aiding their tragic flaw and leading to their own demise without giving them the time to stop the repercussions of their emotion driven actions. In the play “Antigone” by Sophocles many of the characters are simply too headstrong and passionate about their beliefs to realize that they would greatly regret the decisions they are making. All of the characters share this characteristic; it is alluded to in the play that this is caused by their blood relation to Oedipus and how they are too cursed.
garden of eve. It was the first villains by coaxing Adam and Eve into eating
In the Sherlock Holmes stories “The Red-Headed League” and “A Scandal in Bohemia” Sir Arthur Conan Doyle explores mysteries through the eyes of Dr. Watson, Sherlock Holmes’s assistant. Holmes is able to amaze the people around him with his deductive abilities and can quickly determine aspects of a person’s life by just looking at them. This allows him to solve mysteries that others cannot wrap their heads around. He uses his skill to first help the King of Bohemia recover a picture of him with a former lover. Next, he investigates the disappearance of the Red-Headed League. In both of these mysteries he experiences a unique challenge due to the intelligence of his opponents and the unusual situation surrounding the case. The cunning and cleverness of Holmes, Irene Adler and the conspirators of the Red-Headed League are shown in the stories “The Red-Headed League” and “A Scandal in Bohemia”.
Sir Arthur Conan Doyle utilizes many detail-oriented literary elements to develop the many adventures of the famous fictional British detective Sherlock Holmes and his partner, John Watson. Long winded description and complex vocabulary are infused into Doyle’s writing to accentuate Holmes’s great intelligence. By incorporating such a heavy, educated tone upon the mysteries, the tales of Sherlock Holmes are expressed as very complicated stories that challenge readers in comprehension as well as encourage curiosity through puzzling cases.
In the book and movie series Harry Potter, the famous boy wizard goes through his many years of schooling at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, making new friends like his best friends, Ron and Hermione, as well as creating enemies like Draco Malfoy. Along with his friends Ron and Hermione, Harry continuously puts an end to the many different forms of the evil Lord Voldemort that tries to attack Harry each year. It is later on in the series when the interactions with Lord Voldemort become more frequent and more deadly. This is when Albus Dumbledore, the famous Headmaster of Hogwarts, teaches, instructs, and guides Harry to his ultimate goal of defeating Lord Voldemort, finally bringing peace to their world once again. In relation to the Jungian Literary Archetypes, Harry Potter represents the Hero, Albus Dumbledore represents the Wise Old Man, and Lord Voldemort represents the Witch or Sorceress.
Sherlock Holmes, a creation of Scottish Author and Physician Sir Author Conan Doyle, is a fictional detective famous for his prowess at using logic and astute observation to solve cases. Sherlock is a very unique individual and he is so realistic that many people believe he was a real man existed in the late 19th century. In fact, Sherlock possesses a very interesting set of personality and his distinctive characteristics plays a big role in captivating the heart of the audience. So, who is Sherlock? What kind of person could draw many people’s attention?
Hamlet, the titled character of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark, William Shakespeare’s most prominent play, is arguably the most complex, relatable, and deep character created by Shakespeare. His actions and thoughts throughout the play show the audience how fully developed and unpredictable he is with his mixed personalities. What Hamlet goes through in the play defines the adventures encountered by a tragic hero. In this timeless tragedy, despite Hamlet’s great nobility and knowledge, he has a tragic flaw that ultimately leads to his ironic death.