Hero

"The central character (masculine or feminine) in a work. The character who is the focus of interest" (Harmon & Holman 246).

• A hero traditionally has positive qualities such as high ethical standards, commitment to duty, perseverance, and courage. An antihero possesses negative qualities such as cowardice and dishonesty.

• "In criticism the terms carry no connotations of virtuousness or honour"(Cuddon 406).

• "An evil man or a wicked woman may be the central characters, like Macbeth and Lady Macbeth."(Cuddon 406).

Works Cited:

Harmon, William and Holman,C. Hugh. A Handbook to Literature. 7th ed. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall., 1996

Cuddon, John Anthony. A Dictionary of Literary Terms and Literary Theory. 3rd ed. Worcester, Great Britain: Billings & Sons Ltd., 1991.

Harris, Robert. Homepage. 2 January 2002 Virtual Salt