Ancient Anti-Heroes & Renaissance Texts - ENG00139H

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Module summary

We often turn to the Greek and Roman worlds to understand the concept of heroism (our very word for the idea comes, after all, from ancient Greek). But ancient texts complicate and interrogate ideas of heroism as much as, if not more than, they offer straightforward examples of it, and ancient literature can and should challenge our assumptions about how heroes work in fictional texts. The Renaissance, a period famous for its engagement with the texts of the ancient world but also embroiled in its own religious and social upheavals, confronted and questioned the moral ambiguity of many ancient depictions of heroism, adding to a rich body of literature that often subverted rather than upheld such ideals.

This module will explore ancient ideas of literary heroism by considering ancient texts – and Renaissance responses to those texts – which feature conspicuously imperfect, unlikeable, and even villainous protagonists that anticipate the modern concept of ‘anti-hero.’ We will consider how figures often excluded from conventional definitions of heroism – women, ‘monsters,’ people over 30 – pursue, resist, and redefine an identity so often tied to normative ideas of able-bodied masculinity. Conversely, we will examine how seemingly stereotypical masculine heroes – Achilles, Hercules – routinely fail to embody the idealized principals they supposedly epitomize. Throughout the module, we will anchor our thinking in an awareness of historical difference, an attention to genre, and an exploration of the dynamics of gender and classical reception.

Elective Pre-Requisites

These pre-requisites only apply to students taking this module as an elective.

A in A Level English Literature or equivalent qualificationun

Module will run

Occurrence	Teaching period
A	Semester 1 2026-27

Module aims

The module aims to introduce students to key debates about heroic literature from the ancient and Renaissance worlds, and to encourage students to interrogate assumptions about the hero as a moral, literary, and exemplary figure in pre-modern texts. It will enable students to develop skills in close reading and argumentation in relation to a clearly defined thematic and historical focus and to develop skills in group work in relation to a clearly defined thematic and historical focus.

Module learning outcomes

On successful completion of the module, you should be able to:

1. Demonstrate an advanced understanding of and engagement with major ancient and Renaissance genres of heroic literature.

2. Demonstrate an advanced understanding of and engagement with ancient and Renaissance debates around heroism, fiction-making, and gender.

3. Evaluate key debates within the relevant critical fields dealing with heroic literature, gender studies, and Renaissance classical reception.

4. Produce independent arguments and ideas which demonstrate an advanced proficiency in critical thinking, research, and writing skills.

Indicative assessment

Task	% of module mark
Essay/coursework	100.0

Special assessment rules

None

Indicative reassessment

Task	% of module mark
Essay/coursework	100.0

Module feedback

You will receive feedback on all assessed work within the University deadline, and will often receive it more quickly. The purpose of feedback is to inform your future work; it is designed to help you to improve your work, and the Department also offers you help in learning from your feedback. If you do not understand your feedback or want to talk about your ideas further you can discuss it with your tutor or your supervisor, during their Consultation and Feedback Hours

For more information about the feedback you will receive for your work, see the department's Guide to Assessment

Indicative reading

Homer, The Iliad and Odyssey (selections)

Euripides, Medea

Theocritus, Idyll 6 and 11

Ovid, Metamorphoses and Heroides (selections)

Seneca, Hercules Furens

Josephus, Jewish Antiquities (selections)

William Shakespeare, Troilus and Cressida

Mary Sidney, Antonie

Christopher Marlowe (and Thomas Nashe), Dido, Queen of Carthage

Miguel de Cervantes (via Thomas Shelton), Don Quixote (selections)

John Milton, Samson Agonistes