Heracles - The Man of the Hour

A hero can be described as someone who goes through various obstacles and is able to overcome them. Both the Bible and The Odyssey depict heroism through two similar characters, David and Odysseus. In the Bible, David rises above all others through his heroic qualities and by ending the war between the Israelites and the Philistines with the aid of God. On a related note, in The Odyssey, heroism is demonstrated by Odysseus in the way that he conquers multiple enemies, also with the assistance of the gods. However, heroes are not always perfect and they often make mistakes throughout their journey. David and Odysseus are successful as heroes because of the positive and negative characteristics that they possess, as well as their firm relationship with the divine that ultimately assists them in overcoming their challenges. This demonstrates that individual efforts were not enough to be a hero in their community and the help of the divine was crucial.

Many think being a hero is having super powers, but on the contrary it's more than that. A hero is one who is distinguished for their courage and bravery, and looked upon for their great deeds. A hero like this is not just found in modern society today, but in mythology as well. In the epic poem The Odyssey by Homer, Odysseus earns the title of a true hero by conveying many qualities such as: determination, courage and leadership.

A hero is normally described as a mythological or legendary figure often endowed with great strength or ability or as a person admired for achievements and noble qualities. There are examples of heroes everywhere, in the past, in the present, and especially in stories. In Greek mythology, there are countless examples of heroes, from the brave and powerful Hercules to the quick thinking Perseus. Cassandra, the beautiful daughter of the king and queen of Troy, was an example of a hero in Greek mythology. Her story is one of great tragedy and heartbreak. She was blessed with the gift of prophecy when she was a baby, and then later cursed by Apollo for not returning his advances. Her curse was that no one would ever believe her prophecies, despite them being true. As a result of this, everyone around her thought she was crazy (Smith). Many other horrible events happened in her life, but despite all this, she still tried to help her city and the people in it (Bell). Cassandra is a hero, because she prophesied events in the Trojan war, and kept on trying to warn everyone even though they thought she was insane.

Heroes in real life have supernatural abilities. People also find characteristics of heroes in regular people, like parents, famous people, or just who have made a big impact in their life. The main character of The Odyssey, Odysseus, is shown as a hero because him and his story fit the epic hero cycle. However, just because he is an epic hero, means that he is automatically a hero. He shows us throughout the collection of books that he lacks humility and is unfaithful, proving that he is not a hero in any sense. In Homer’s The Odyssey Odysseus’s lack of boundaries throughout his voyage back to Ithaca show that he is not a true hero.

The trait of heroism is something that has changed over thousands of years. Today’s heros have different traits than those heroes of the Trojan War. However, a few have survived the test of time. Many of modern day heroes, as well as past heroes, do hold these long enduring traits, like Nelson Mandela, Marcus Luttrell, Louis Zamperini, and the fictional Iron Man. Odysseus, the main character in The Odyssey by Homer, portrays the traits necessary to be dubbed a hero. One is a hero if he or she shows leadership, bravery, resilience, and creativity throughout their actions.

Being a legitimate hero is not all about having the extraordinary supernatural powers commonly seen on television. Heroes are people who aid others, often putting themselves at risk to do so. They made the decision to fight, not necessarily physically, for their values. Odysseus, the main character in The Odyssey, should be considered a hero. He put his own life in jeopardy to protect his men from the supernatural threats that they faced throughout their journey. Odysseus should be regarded as a hero because he is brave, clever, and cautious.

In most stories the typical hero is a person who is selfless, strong, uses their power, if any, to help others, and are usually nice and humble. Greek heroes however tend to vary in comparison. For instance, in the Iliad by Homer, the Greek hero Achilles is very strong and well loved, but he only fights in battles to gain personal glory, not to help others however, he is still a hero nonetheless. The ideal of heroism fluctuates between cultures, therefore the notions of heroism set forth can be contradicting. The heroes in the short stories Theseus retold by Robert Graves and The White Snake by the Grimm brothers show similar and dissimilar traits in both character, and the concept of heroism; but, both of the main characters are still considered heros.

Heracles twelve labors are considered heroic because of their underlying meanings. He did not originally undertake the labors just to receive immortality, but rather to atone for the sin of killing his wife, Megara, and his three children. Some greeks understood his attempt at atonement as a heroic act, and this may also be why people believed he was driven mad by Hera and did not kill his family in cold blood. His deeds and side deeds could also be considered heroic, because no one instructed him to perform them, and in some cases, he helped solve an evident problem.

This paper is to show that Heracles is the prime example of a hero’s journey through his actions and the struggles that he faced during his life until he was about to die but instead of death, his father, Zeus, saved him and he conquered the mortal realm, to become a god.

Once when he was taking music lessons he became so frustrated with the lyre that he went berserk and with one blow to the head he killed his music master. “He did not know his own strength.” He was not aware of his own strength. He would later have to learn how to hone(2) his temper and his strength but not before Hera had got to him. Hera was Heracles demented(2) stepmother who constantly obtruded(1) herself into his life. She hated Heracles because of her husband Zeus’s affair with his moral mother. “Heracles is driven by Hera to kill his wife and children in a fit of madness.” He was again devastated by his act and submitted himself to the punishment of the gods. One of the punishments that he completed was the Asian stables it was one of the 12 labors. Where he was able to amalgamate(2) his wisdom with his strength to clean the stables. This is interesting because Heracles is described as not “blessed with great intelligence but his bravery made up for any lack of cunning.” Yet, this situation says that he could be cunning. In conclusion, Heracles has a tough beginning in life. He was born in licentious(1)

A hero is something that society has formed an idea about the characteristic it should posses from history. Through the stories told from the past a hero is developed through their qualities and characteristics they value. When one views a hero from a different culture they can form an opinion on what matters to that culture. One will notice that through all these different heroes that they all share common features. In ancient Hebrew culture Moses represents a hero and for ancient Greek culture Odysseus represents heroic figures.

Heracles Classical Mythology in Contemporary Culture Heracles or Hercules, is one of the most popular mythological heroes used in popular culture such as film, television series, video games, plays and other forms of media. A hero that is often associated with brute strength and having many adventures across the Greek land. Heracles is always shown as a large man with such great strength, someone who was born to be a great hero. Though his character often changes across media, not having a true distinct personality about him, whether he is arrogant, prideful or good-hearted. Though he is often a hero not correlated with his personality unlike other Greek heroes such as Achilles, but rather Heracles is mostly well known in pop culture for his great strength and the 12 labours.

Heracles is the best representation of a hero in Greek Mythology. He is as a result of taking on the 12 labors Eurystheus assigned him. He took on the 12 labors in order for him to get forgiveness of murdering his family. His father Zeus, had a wife named Hera. Hera was angry with Zeus for having a kid with another woman.

Heroic is a description that is hard to define, and I think it changes depending on context and culture. The ancient Greeks would most likely have a very different idea of what made a character "heroic" than us today. Between Agamemnon, Achilles, and Priam, I find Achilles to be the most heroic. To me, a hero is someone who stands up for the things they believe in, fight for those they care for, and do what they believe to be right. Achilles does all of this. He refuses to fight alongside Agamemnon after his mistreatment of the priest Chryses causes plague among their army (Homer Iliad 1.397- 1.403). He even refuses when Agamemnon attempts to bribe him to come back (Homer Iliad 9.264-9.265). He only enters the fight when his closes friend is

What makes a typical hero? In Greek mythology the typical hero contains many characteristics and has had many experiences in his life that are shared in many other hero stories. These characteristics and experiences are motifs of the typical hero in ancient literature. Heracles is a very popular Greek hero and is often portrayed in popular culture. Many aspects of his story conform to motifs that make a typical hero. Such as unusual birth, marriage as a reward, impossible tasks to prove their worth, and help from gods/humans. However, there are a few aspects of his story that go against several common motifs, such as hostility from a god, assisting gods, being a universal hero, not always being rewarded for his efforts,