How far do you agree that the Patriot and the Pied Piper are heroes?
It's possible to argue that both of these characters are heroes because both perform seemingly heroic acts. The Pied Piper rids the town of the pestilent rats and the Patriot is conveyed as a war hero. However, by the conclusion of their respective poems they're shown to commit immoral acts, some would say this cancels out their previous goodness as their actions are selfish.
On a surface level, it's easy to perceive these characters as heroes, at the beginning of their stories. They both act in a way to save and help other people, a typical character trait of a hero. In the Pied Piper's case, he approaches the infested town like a saviour and promises to "chiefly use [his] charm On creatures that do people harm". This implies that his only aim is to prevent the townsfolk from being hurt or harassed by the rats, which in turn suggests a heroic nature as he's seemingly willing to risk his own safety to do this. The Pied Piper also lists people he's helped in the past - the "Cham" and the "Nizam". This gives us a kind of assurance that he is capable and brave enough to stop the invasion. However, this also adds an air of mystery as we aren't given proof of these heroic deeds.
The Patriot can also be perceived as a hero due to his implied actions during a war. His actions are elevated, to make him seem saint-like, by the people who sent him to war in the first place. They throw "roses, roses" in his path, signifying his heroic status as they're blessing him with the beauty of flora, but also link him to being a patriotic symbol, as roses relate to England. This means he is admired all across the country and is worshipped as the "church-spires flamed". This signifies God's acceptance of him too, which is a major factor as, even in the end, he doesn't believe he will be truly sinful until God says so. Praise for the Patriot is a pivotal theme as it indicates how the public were obsessed with making him a hero.
However, both the Patriot and the Pied Piper exhibit characteristics relating to an anti-hero, or even a villain. The Pied Piper is portrayed as cunning and mischievous who will go to great lengths to get what he wants. One of the main reasons he helped the townspeople was to receive a sum of money, indicating his selfish and greedy nature. He asks for "a thousand guilders", to which the Mayor offers him "fifty thousand". When this promise is broken and he doesn't receive the money, the Pied Piper descends into a villainy. His enchantment of the children indicates that he's a spiteful character, not what a true hero should be. Even worse, when he leads them away, he's takes on a clear antagonistic role within the poem. His claims that he's heroic are refuted as Browning now presents him as malevolent with no care for human emotion.
It's also possible to interpret the Patriot as a character that isn't a hero. It's heavily implied that he's a war criminal who committed such atrocities that only the "palsied" come out to see him, as opposed to before when the public was lining the streets with "flags". The palsied are the disabled and deformed, which suggests that no-one of sound mind is willing to be associated with him anymore. As the narrator, he states that he's being punished for his "year's misdeeds". No true hero would behave in a way that would harm others, yet this is what the Patriot has done. He shows no remorse for his actions and is nonchalant when approaching his execution, which further conveys the idea that he's a representation of an anti-hero.
In conclusion, when both characters are introduced to the reader, they appear to be heroic and selfless. However, as Browning gives us more description, it becomes clear that neither is inherently "good" as they both perform bad deeds which disadvantage/harm others, something that a hero would never do.
However, both the Patriot and the Pied Piper exhibit characteristics relating to an anti-hero, or even a villain. The Pied Piper is portrayed as cunning and mischievous who will go to great lengths to get what he wants. One of the main reasons he helped the townspeople was to receive a sum of money, indicating his selfish and greedy nature. He asks for "a thousand guilders", to which the Mayor offers him "fifty thousand". When this promise is broken and he doesn't receive the money, the Pied Piper descends into a villainy. His enchantment of the children indicates that he's a spiteful character, not what a true hero should be. Even worse, when he leads them away, he's takes on a clear antagonistic role within the poem. His claims that he's heroic are refuted as Browning now presents him as malevolent with no care for human emotion.
It's also possible to interpret the Patriot as a character that isn't a hero. It's heavily implied that he's a war criminal who committed such atrocities that only the "palsied" come out to see him, as opposed to before when the public was lining the streets with "flags". The palsied are the disabled and deformed, which suggests that no-one of sound mind is willing to be associated with him anymore. As the narrator, he states that he's being punished for his "year's misdeeds". No true hero would behave in a way that would harm others, yet this is what the Patriot has done. He shows no remorse for his actions and is nonchalant when approaching his execution, which further conveys the idea that he's a representation of an anti-hero.
In conclusion, when both characters are introduced to the reader, they appear to be heroic and selfless. However, as Browning gives us more description, it becomes clear that neither is inherently "good" as they both perform bad deeds which disadvantage/harm others, something that a hero would never do.
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