What is an anti-hero?

Question

Does anyone have a classical or well known example of an anti-hero?

Answer 1

In literature and film, an anti-hero has widely come to mean a fictional character who has some characteristics that are antithetical to those of the traditional hero. An anti-hero in today's books and films will perform acts generally deemed "heroic," but will do so with methods, manners, or intentions that may not be heroic. The actual use of the word, however, is fairly recent, and its primary meaning has somewhat changed. As recently as 1940, the 600,000-word Merriam-Webster New International Dictionary, Second Edition, listed it but without a definition. By 1992 the American Heritage Dictionary of the American Language defined an anti-hero only as "a main character in a dramatic or narrative work who is characterized by a lack of traditional heroic qualities, such as idealism or courage," not as a person who nevertheless performs heroic acts. Even the more recent Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary, 11th Edition, of 2004, says: "(1714): a protagonist or notable figure who is conspicuously lacking in heroic qualities." The original meaning, therefore, is that of a protagonist who is ineffectual and hapless, rather than resolute and determined, whether his motives are good or bad. In some instances, anti-hero has come to refer to a protagonist of a work whose actions and motives are villainous or questionable.

Thus, anti-heroes can be awkward, antisocial, alienated, cruel, obnoxious, passive, pitiful, obtuse, or just ordinary. When the anti-hero is a central character in a work of fiction the work will frequently deal with the effect their flawed character has on them and those they meet along the narrative. In other words, an anti-hero is a protagonist that lives by the guidance of their own moral compass, striving to define and construe their own values as opposed to those recognized by the society in which they live. Additionally, the work may depict how their character alters over time, either leading to punishment, un-heroic success, or redemption.



Think villain when u think anti hero its easire

the three little pigs and the wolf as anti hero

Answer 2

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anti-hero

An anti-hero in today's books and films will perform acts generally deemed "heroic," but will do so with methods, manners, or intentions that may not be heroic.

The apparent selfish nature of an anti-hero is often revealed to be a farce used to survive in a harsh universe, from which the anti-hero is sometimes redeemed through an act of love or friendship, such as with Star Wars' Han Solo.

Answer 3

Mad Max was a good Anti-Hero. It's someone who is not necessarily intentionally heroic. A Mercenary who just happens to end up doing some good within the story.
You may remember a Movie awhile back called The Pro fessional. It was the story of a hired assassin who kills His hit then ends up protecting the hits young daughter from other criminals.
Or the Transporter. The guy who will transport anything legal or otherwise and ends up protecting the young son of one of His Clients.

Answer 4

Odysseus

we are studying that now

he is mean, he is sometimes cruel, hell in the beginning he is oftentimes cruel

he does a lot of selfish things, that come out for the best interest of him instead of his crew (heroes always sacrifice themselves in some way)

he is, in these ways, an anti-hero

a lot of Odysseus's heroism just isn't there, and the things he has to learn, to basically become a human being, are things that you and me have to learn on a daily basis.

he's not necessarily a villain, but he sure isn't a saint.

Answer 5

Anti-heroes and heroines can be in movies, TV shows, books, and even games. There's a lot of them out there so I'll lift a few of them for you.
Number 1 is Kratos from the God of War franchise. The reason Kratos is an anti-hero is because of his quest for revenge for his father's betrayal and those who followed him. Because of this, Kratos will not hesitate to strike down anyone who gets in his way, whether they are innocent or guilty. However, he had a pretty messed up beginning, for his own brother was taken from him even before and after he died, his own father betrayed him, he was horribly mistreated by the other Olympian gods, and he unknowingly killed his own wife and daughter, the only people who weren't afraid of him. Because of this, Kratos is also searching for forgiveness.
Number 2 is Severes Snape from Harry Potter. Severes is predicted as a villain because of when he betrayed Dumbledore. However, what Harry and the others don't know is that Dumbledore ordered Severes to kill him and Severes was still the good guy even if his actions were corrupt. Severes was a victim of bullying and his only friend was Lily Potter (nee Evans) who he was in love with. However she didn't return his feelings for her and married James Potter, Harry's father. Because of this, Severes was determined to protect Lily's son from Voldemort, even if it meant betraying the former and joining the latter. So he serves as a double agent and was killed because of it, his final thought being on Lily.
Number 3 is Jennifer from I Spit on Your Grave. Jennifer was an author who unlike the other two above doesn't have a dark history, however she was a victim of mass rape. Afterwards, Jennifer becomes vengeful, and sets out to get revenge on the men who corrupted her against her will, not caring about the consequences. She kills them one by one, making sure they suffered in the process. This should give people more than enough reason to be disgusted with her, but if you think about it, you can't really blame Jennifer. After all, rape is a very touchy subject for anyone, and instead of becoming a victim, Jennifer chooses to fight back. Yes her actions are corrupt but her motives are pure. She is similar to Kratos, except she didn't almost destroy the world during her quest.
Number 4 is Alice Liddell from American McGee's Alice and Alice: Madness Returns. This Alice unlike the other Alice in Wonderland's title characters is a mentally unstable character who is suffering from self-blame. The reason? Her family perished in a house fire, a tragedy of which only she survived. Because of how unstable she became, her Wonderland became a nightmarish version of itself, with the Red Queen seizing control in the first game. Alice doesn't defeat the Red Queen in order to save everyone, but to help herself as if she falls into deeper madness, Wonderland will die with her. In the second game, Alice only wants to find out the real truth of what happened the night her family died, and finds out that her older sister's rapist had started it. She then kills him at the end of the game to avenge her family.
You see, anti-heroes are people who are almost the opposites of heroes, however they can be heroic in some parts. They have to have corrupt actions but pure motives, like a drug lord who only sells drugs so they can save their family from a financial crisis.

Answer 6

superman is a hero, lex luther could be concidered as an anti-hero
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anti-hero

Answer 7

bad guy, lex luther

Answer 8

the bad guy