Have just watched Gladiator - got it for my birthday - and was thinking: why do we tell stories? Humanity has always told stories, back as far as we can remember. The same themes, the same heroes, over and over again. I probably see a new film every year, at least, that tells essentially the same story with new actors. But I don't tire of them, and I think other people rarely do.
Have actually theorised that there's only a limited number of basic 'Hero Figures', but I don't think I've yet tried to write them down - here goes:
Firstly (for a very good reason) the True Hero: the only kind that has ever truly existed in fact, rather than fiction, I think. Am talking about Christ. He triumphs over his enemies, but not in the way the other heroes do: he will, in fact seem to lose to his apparent enemies. This is because he alone has recognised that his true enemies are not physical, they are the darkness within, the temptation without. He has the courage to lay down his pride, to go against the herd, to fight on alone and unappreciated. We do not see him lift a finger to defend himself, because he is fighting on a different plane altogether. In defeat he achieves victory. In the case of Christ, his victory is shown in the physical world by the resurrection, God's stamp of approval on his life and death, and a sign that all who follow him need have no fear of apparent death or apparent dishonour, because neither will have any hold on them. This is the ultimate, the factual hero, and the one we should all aspire to be.
Next, the Dark Knight. This character also suffers, but in mind rather than body. Usually tormented by his past, or some psychological condition, he strives to overcome his malady to do good in a world that he takes no joy or interest in. Perhaps the closest thing to the real 'natural' hero, because he has limitations and failures - in a sense, he represents us all in our 'natural' state, and offers hope that real, fallible human beings can still achieve victory.
The Sleeping Giant: the true Deus Ex Machina of the modern era, this hero has more than enough power to sort out whatever he faces. Only problem - he's out of action. Perhaps in an alcoholic haze, perhaps depressed, maybe something went wrong last time he fought evil and he's lost his confidence - in every case, something needs to happen to wake him up. Usually another person does the job - the message being, perhaps, that however strong you are, you need other people, and however weak you are, you can still achieve something - maybe you can wake the giant! Also has a bearing on real life - each of us is potentially a giant in our spirits, but most of that potential is sleeping!
The Weakling: this guy has no chance - he's failed before he starts, he shouldn't even be trying. But he does. Maybe he has principles that force him to try regardless of his chances, maybe all the more qualified people have turned cowardly and he's furious at them - in any case, somehow he wins through. In real life this is often because his stronger but less brave companions are shamed into action! This one's all about courage and conviction, and the message is: 'Never give in ... never yield to the apparently overwhelming might of the enemy.' (Handy quote from Winston Churchill)
The King: Unusual in modern fiction, the King is simply strong - he has power, respect, he has few (if any) faults. His main claim to heroism is his resistance to temptation - having so much power, his ability to abuse it is equally great, but he does not do so. Instead he lives the exemplary life of a role model. May well be a bit too proud, though!
Joe Ordinary: Is this a true category? Perhaps just a less extreme form of the weakling, he is an 'ordinary' guy, usually married with kids, who wants nothing more than a peaceful, 'ordinary' life. Then he's suddenly thrust into a situation: good versus evil. Will he cope? Can an ordinary person turn into a fighter? Well, yes - also has traits in common with the True Hero, in that he recognises that 'normal', 'boring' things are more real and worth fighting for than stuff like power and riches. Is also a kind of Sleeping Giant too - he has the talents to deal with the situation, but nobody knew until it happened. Only, unlike the Sleeping Giant, his powers are usually only just enough. Bit of a mixed bag, but recognisable, I think, as a separate category. Maybe.
Getting tired now! Incidentally, these types of hero are also types of heroine - have just encountered more of them in fictional men than women, so is easier to think that way! Not sure if there are others - might refer back to this later.
So why tell stories? I wonder if perhaps we're trying to tell ourselves something... in a sense, a story is a dream, a vision, a fantasy. We know how we should be, we see that we're not what we should be, and we invent heroes who exemplify our unrealised ideals. In the hope, perhaps, that we'll imitate them, or that our children will. Note that in God's plan to save humanity, he too made use of a story, and a hero - the True Hero, the best kind, and a True Story, one that he lived out right in front of our disbelieving eyes. I think perhaps we should tell ourselves that story more often.