The+Martyr



When someone is considered a Martyr, they must have believed in something so great, that they were willing to die for their cause or for someone else. The word Martyr is defined as, a person who sacrifices something of great value and especially life itself for the sake of principle. This is one archetype, of many, that can reveal the character’s true self. This type of hero can be found in many types of literature, mythology, and religion around the world. Ironically, in the social and political world, the martyr is often highly respected for having the courage to represent a cause, even if it requires dying for that cause for the sake of others. Suffering so that others might be redeemed, whether that redemption take a spiritual or political form, is among the most sacred of human acts. Two perfectly good examples are the legends of Jesus Christ and the Tale of Damon and Pythias. These two heroes were both willing to sacrifice their lives in order to show something unique like their beliefs and friendship.

 The story of Jesus Christ has been retold a million times over, possibly more. But what most people fail to notice is his archetype as the martyr. As the story is told, Jesus Christ believed to be the son of God. He was also one of the greatest prophets and teachers. He preached the ways of Christianity and prophesized the future. But most of all, He was a savior to most people. For without him, people would have never been able to clear their sins and ask god for forgiveness. Jesus Christ was born into the roman empire. He was born into the Jewish religion. As he matured, he preached the new religion of Christianity, the main religion of the Roman empire being their own religion which was a mixture of roman and Greek mythologies, and of how he is the messiah of his people who believed in God. The Roman empire did not like Jesus going around preaching about this new religion and predicting himself being the savior. So by the order of Roman Prefect of Judaea, Pontius Pilate, he was sentenced to crucifixion in Jerusalem on charges of Sedition ( Sedition is a term of law which refers to overt conduct, such as speech and organization  ) against the Roman Empire. His followers tried to help him escape, but he believed, being the flesh of god, that he must die in order for god to forgive everyone’s sins. And their he died in Jerusalem on the cross and everyone’s sins forgiven.  Damon and Pythias is a legend from Greek Mythology. This legend symbolizes trust and loyalty in a true friendship. These two fellows were both followers of the philosopher Pythagoras, who one day traveled to  Syracuse  , for whatever reason. And not too long after their arrival, Pythias is accused for plotting against the tyrant of Syracuse, Dionysius. And so he was sentenced to death. Accepting his fate with no argument, but asked if he may return home to visit his family one last time to say his farewells. But the tyrant did not trust Pythias and claimed he was no fool. Pythias asked Damon to take his place while he was gone. Damon insisted and promised to instead take Pythias’s place if he should not return in time, to be executed. The tyrant agreed and freed Pythias for the time being to say goodbye to his family. On Pythias’s return, he ran into some difficulties witch put him off schedule a bit. On the Day Pithias was to be executed, he did not return, and so the tyrant prepared the execution for Damon. At that moment as the executioner was raising his axe, Pithias returned in time. Pithias began to explain to Dionysius about how he was delayed. The tyrant was so baffled by the trust and loyalty the two had for each other, that he freed both Damon and Pithias and welcomed them to join his counsil. Though Damon never died, it’s the fact that he was so willing to die to prove that Pithias would keep his word, to show how honest he was. 

When looking into modern film, you will notice the countless archetypes in characters. Two characters that represent the archetype, Martyr, are Robert Neville from I am Legend, and Boromir from Lord of the Rings. These two characters originally from novels, are now made more famous due to modern film. Robert Neville, in charge for finding the cure to a disease that supposedly wiped the human race, now must protect his specimen that holds the cure. But the Infected did not take the idea of Robert kidnapping their own to conduct experiments lightly. As the infected cornered him in his lab, he gave the cure to Anna so that she may be able to find a colony of people and reproduce the cure. He shoved her and her son into a safe compartment, took a grenade, and took his own life, along with the rest of the infected. Boromir from Lord of the Rings, does something similar, he sacrifices his life to save the two hobbits, so that they may continue on their quest. These two characters were both fighting for cause, a cause that could wipe humanity if not completed. Therefore, they were both prepared to die if needed, even if they knew their quest would never be accomplished after their death.

No matter what quest or cause your fighting for, there will, at one point, require a sacrafice, not always but sometimes, your life. I think the act of sacrificing oneself to save another or to redeem, is not only found in human nature, but in other animals as well. These thoughts of sacrifice can be driven by love, determination, and willingness. These certain types of characters deserve their right in society, for all the sacrifice they put into, to accomplish whatever it was that they believed in.

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