Amir is definitely heroic in the way that he chooses to go back to Afghanistan at a time when the Taliban are in control and it is incredibly dangerous to visit it. What shows how much Amir has changed is his conversation with Rahim Khan, when he tells Amir the truth about his relationship with Hassan and what has happened to him since. Note the following quote that comes just after Amir begins to argue that he shouldn't return to his homeland:

"You know," Rahim Khan said, "one time, when you weren't around, your father and I were talking. And you know how he always worried about you in those days. I remember he said to me, 'Rahim, a boy who won't stand up for himself becomes a man who can't stand up to anything.' I wonder, is that what you've become?"

Amir, seeing the truth of this statement therefore finally finds the courage to become the hero he has put off being all of his life as he decides to visit Afghanistan and confront his personal demons and his former failure to be a hero.

I actually think it is much harder to pinpoint a specific example of Hamlet's heroism, as his actions are always characterised by procrastination and philosophical reflection rather than heroic battles against the odds. Even the action he does engage in, such as killing Polonius, seems more problematic and rather cruel rather than heroic. If I had to pick a specific section, it would be Act V scene 2, where Hamlet, facing the probability of being killed through some trick of Claudius and Laertes in the duel, shows that he has finally reached a point where he is able to trust in destiny and meet death with equanimity:

Not a whit, we defy augury: there's a special

Providence in the fall of a sparrow. If it be now,

'tis not to come; if it be not to come, it will be

Now; if it be not now, yet it will come: the

Readiness is all: since no man has aught of what he

Leaves, what is't to leave betimes?

There is a kind of heroic dignity in the way that Hamlet is finally able to accept fate and the way it controls his life, and to see a controlling hand in even the death of a sparrow. Hamlet is presented as a man who is finally at peace with himself, and this is heroic given his earlier prevarications.

To what extent are Amir from *The Kite Runner* and Hamlet considered heroes?

This is an interesting question to consider, because both characters in various ways seem to do what they can to prove themselves not to be heroes for significant sections of their respective texts. Hamlet, for example, seems to be characterised by procrastination as he does anything he can to avoid actually confronting his uncle concerning the death of his father, and spends more time in deep philosophical introspection than he does actualy doing anything constructive. Likewise, Amir's character is shaped by his failure to act during Assef's assault of Hassan. It is this failure that seems to form his early life and adolescence, and his father's heroic deeds seem only to drive home how much of a hero Amir is not.

However, we can begin to see a shift in this story towards the end of both texts. Amir, for example, does go back to face his demons thanks to Rahim Khan and as a result is given another chance to be a hero in a situation that is eerily similar to the first where he failed to show his heroic qualities. He therefore confronts Assef over Hassan's son, and is badly beaten as a result, which seems to symbolise his redemption. He is heroic in the way that he goes back to Afghanistan and faces danger and possible death in order to try and save Hassan's son. In the same way, Hamlet eventually does face up to his responsibilities, returning to avenge his father. If we look at Hamlet in Act V, for example, he seems to have reached a point where he is ready to die and accept the consequences of his actions, and so he has gained a measure of inner peace. This takes a certain amount of heroism, although personally I think Amir is more of a hero.