Throughout history there have always been heroes. Those courageous and strong-willed individuals who perform courageous acts for fame and glory are prevalent in most cultures. Societies have these heroes as standards of the moral codes of their cultures. Each society has its own definition of these codes, so a unifying definition of hero can be difficult to achieve. However, Philip Zimbardo states: "Simply put, then, the key to heroism is a concern for other people in need: a concern for championing a moral cause, knowing that there is a personal risk, done without expectation of reward." With this basic definition, I will examine the characteristics of the various epic heroes I have studied over the course of my senior year. From the abundant amount of scholarship, I have deduced that Achilles, Odysseus, Aeneas, Socrates, Gilgamesh, Beowulf, and Arthur all have characteristics that make them heroic. First of all, Achilles has some heroic characteristics. I don't want to compare him to any other hero I've studied because I don't like him, but I would say Odysseus, because they fought for the same goal in the Trojan War. But personally, I think he's a sissy for not fighting through the whole Trojan War until things got personal because Hector killed his friend. But hey, killing Hector in his blind rage helped the cause, and therefore his people. So it's not that bad. So, as NS Gill will write, Achilles does this. "Enraged Achilles kills Hector and then dishonors the body by dragging it tied to the back of a chariot for 9 days." So yeah, Achilles is kind of an asshole. But then again, Achilles reflects the moral codes of the culture that birthed him, so, in a strange way, he is the embodiment of a hero. At least to them. Sounds to me like he has a good... middle of the paper... how things are going. Works Cited Garcia, Christopher. "The Anglo-Saxon Hero". The Anglo-Saxon hero. Np, nd Web. 11 November 2013. Gill, N.S. "Achilles - Greek Hero at Troy." About.com Ancient/classical history. Np, nd Web. 11 November 2013. Green, art. "Header Menu." Blog critics. Np, nd Web. November 11, 2013. Cacciatore, James. "Aeneas." Aeneas. Np, nd Web. November 11, 2013. Kohen, Ari. "Plato's Heroic Vision: The Difficult Choices of Socratic Life." Digital municipalities. Np, nd Web. November 11, 2013. Piccolo, Steve. "The king of the past and the future." The king of the past and the future. Np, nd Web. November 11, 2013.Olley, John. "Gilgamesh was a true hero." Yahoo contributor network. Np, nd Web. November 11, 2013. Wilson, Emily. "Contact us." The good thief Odysseus. Np, nd Web. 11 November 2013.Zimbardo, Filippo. “Greater Good.” What makes a hero? Np, nd Web. November 11. 2013.