Hercules Research Paper

Greek mythology has been passed on and retold over generations. Literature and movies have been created to entertain as well as provide specific themes based off of myths. There are many heroes that mythology talks about and each one has lived an epic life, but there is one famous hero that has been immortalized throughout history. Hercules is the son of Zeus and a mortal named Alcmene. Zeus impregnated her while her husband was away and this is where his story began. Zeus' wife, Hera, found out about the affair and was outrageous about his careless actions. She tried to prevent Hercules' birth; however, when that didn't work she sent snakes to kill the baby. Hercules was too mighty for the snakes and strangled them before they could even hurt him. As stated in this source, "Hera remained angry. How could she get even? Hera knew that she would lose in a fight, and that she wasn't powerful enough to prevent Zeus from having his way. Hera decided to pay Zeus back for his infidelity by making the rest of Hercules' life as miserable as she could" (Crane WEB). Hercules grew up to be a great young warrior and was all around. With this god-like strength, also came an uncontrollable temper that made him react at times without thinking, but later made him realize the wrongdoings of his violence. He later then married a woman named Megara and had two beautiful children. But one day, Hera instilled a fit of rage into Hercules and made him slaughter his family with his very own hands. He was shocked by his actions and asked Apollo for assistance since he was drowning in guilt. Apollo later then gave him specific tasks to help Hercules redeem himself for the bloodshed he caused. The hero was sent to Eurystheus, and under his strict hand, he was to accomplish twelve labors over the next twelve years.

When Hercules was a young adult, his stepmother Hera cast a kind of spell on him that drove him temporarily insane and caused him to murder his beloved wife and their two children. Guilty and heartbroken,

Hercules, or better known as Heracles, was a Greek demigod that is the Son of Zeus and a mortal woman that was named Alcmene. When he was an infant, Zeus's wife Hera was really jealous of Heracles, so she sent two snakes to kill him. She was unsuccessful however, as he enjoyed strangling the snakes to death with one in each arm. He grew to become proficient in the bow and arrow, became a great wrestler, and possess superhuman strength. He later married and had five children. But, Hera tried to strike Heracles with madness and was successful. While Heracles was full with madness, he killed his five children all at once, in one day. When he recovered from his madness, he ventured to Delphi to consult the Oracle. He ordered Heracles to serve

Hercules one of the most well known demigods in Greek mythology. He was born to Zeus, the head god in Greek mythology, and a mortal mother, Alcmene. His incredible superhuman strength and the fact that he is part human sets him apart from the rest. His strength and power exceeds that of a 100 percent pure blood god.

Despite Hercules’ mistakes, he maintains his heroic stature because of his unusual character. Unlike many Greek mythology personalities, Hercules holds himself accountable, has many unbelievable achievements, and is loyal to those around him. Due to his birth, Hera is constantly throwing obstacles in Hercules way. These obstacles and Hercules’ impulsiveness contribute to many of his mistakes, but he heavily atones for it. His overall character is one of the many reasons why the gods had mercy on him regardless of his crimes.

Hercules is known for his substantial strength and god-like actions as a mortal, earning him the status of a God. Even before his birth, Hercules was hated by Zeus’ wife Hera as he is a result of one of Zeus’ many affairs. Hera did not want Hercules to assert a position of power in his life. So she delayed his birth in order for his cousin, Eurystheus to be born first. This was not enough for the jealous Goddess to be satisfied. Hera sent two serpents to kill the young Hercules in his crib. With ease and great strength, the baby Hercules killed the snakes, proving his god-like abilities.

Hercules life may have been the hardest of any epic hero, from his birth he was the target of Hades, the brother of Hercules father Zeus. Hades knew that now with Hercules in the picture he would never be able to take Olympus from his brother, knowing this Hades sent his servants to capture Hercules and make him into a mortal so he can’t interfere with his plans. Once Hercules is thought to be mortal, Hades servants try to kill him until they are stopped by an old man and his wife who take in Hercules and raise them as their own child. As Hercules grows up he realizes that he isn’t like the other people in his village and is constantly outcasted by the townspeople, seeing Hercules so defeated his “parents” decide he should know the truth of his origins. Hercules sets off for the temple of Zeus where he finds out that Zeus is his father and that he was taken from them when he was a baby, after Zeus explains where Hercules comes from he then begs his father to let him come back home. Zeus knows that Hercules will never be able to join him in Olympus because his son is not a god, knowing this he sends Hercules to find Phil to become a true hero and earn a place amongst the gods.

The Disney movie Hercules illustrates a man’s journey from a mortal to a god. The movie commences with Hercules as a baby being stolen from his parents and given a potion to make him mortal. Consequently, he is discovered by a mortal couple who raise him in their village where, as he grows, he is ostracized because of his strength. After receiving a medallion from his father Hercules discovers his real identity and sets off with his companion Pegasus and his trainer Phil to become a true hero in order to become a god. Furthermore, Hercules has to contend with Meg, his love interest who is under the control of the antagonist Hades. After undergoing numerous trials and challenges set forth by Hades, he eventually succeeds in becoming a true hero

Christopher Reeves once said, "A hero is an ordinary individual who finds the strength to persevere and endure in spite of overwhelming obstacles. " This quote basically sums up Hercules' life. Granted that he was not necessarily an ordinary hero considering that he was the offspring of Zeus, God of the Sky. Regardless of the fact that he was the son of Zeus and considered to be the strongest man, Hercules still had to overcome many speed bumps in his life. Hercules overcame these obstacles by being courageous, acting upon his anger, and using his cleverness.

Hera, wife of Zeus, decided to get revenge on Zeus because he knocked up Alceme with a kid and poisoned Hercules with madness. One day the madness overcame Hercules and he butchered his entire family. After coming into sanity he realized what he has done and rushes to kill himself but is stopped by his good friend Theseus who convinces him that this

Hercules is the son of Zeus and Alcmene, a mortal. This makes Hercules a demi-god and the strongest man ever. Hercules marries a princess, Megara, after defeating the Minyans. Hera, one of Zeus’ wives, is jeleous of Alcmene for having an affair with Zeus. So, to take her anger out, Hera used her powers to make Hercules kill his wife and children. Upset with himself for killing his family, Hercules goes to kill himself. But before Hercules does, Theseus comes to stop him from committing suicide and takes him back with him to Athens. Hercules wants some way to be reconciled for his act. So, he receives his penance from Eurystheus, king of Mycenae. Hercules is given twelve tasks named “the Labors of Hercules.” These adventures are difficult but the worst of all was the twelfth labor. It was to bring up the three-headed dog from Hades. After all of his labors are completed he falls in love with a princess names Deianira, who becomes his wife. In the story when Hercules is on his mission for one of the twelve labors, his friend Admetus’ wife had just died. The story of her death goes back to when Apollo was sent to serve on earth as a slave to Admetus. When Apollo learned that Admetus’ thread of life was at the point of being cut, he proved his friendship by telling him quickly. Apollo said that the only way he could live is if he found a

As a young man, Hercules was sent off to fight against the Minyans, a group of people who forced Thebes to pay tribute to them. Hercules defeated the Minyans and made his way back to Thebes, where the king gave him Princess Megara’s hand in marriage. Soon after their marriage, Hercules and Megara had three boys. Hera, on the other hand, still hated Hercules. As a result of this hatred, she put him in a state of uncontrollable madness.

Hercules, or known in Latin as Heracles, was the greatest of the Greek heroes, a paragon of masculinity. In art, Hercules was portrayed as a powerful, muscular man wearing lion's skin and armed with a huge club. He was also described as being a macho man buffoon, who was very impulsive. Hercules’ home and birthing place is in Thebes, Greece. Thebes is a city in central Greece. It plays as an important setting in many Greek myths, such as the stories of Cadmus, Oedipus, Dionysus and many other important roles in Greek Mythology. The demigod, Hercules has an interesting origin, he is most famous for his 12 labors, and leaves a legacy in words and expressions.

Hercules (the last mortal son of zeus) is one of the greatest heroes of Greece and the most admired. He is best known as the most robust of all mortals and stronger than many of the gods. Although he is highly based off of emotions and having a noticeable lack of intelligence, I am still drawn to his many admirable qualities. Hercules has extraordinary strength and courage. When Hera drove him mad making him kill his wife and three sons in spite of being a son of her unfaithful husband, he sought purification not his own death. He is a hero not only for his strength but he helped save towns from evil monsters like the hydra. Hercules also had a strong sense of self-confidence and bravery. For these traits I praise him greatly.

Hercules was favored by the gods from few quest and even a labor. For the sixth labor the goddess Athena helped Hercules by scaring off the Stymphalian bird he had to do this because the birds were causing a plague with their numbers. Hercules shot arrows at the birds when Athena scared them. Hercules had many terrible experiences with love because of Hera. ”He was helped by Athena to drive them out of their converts. ”(Hamilton 172) Hercules was considered the greatest hero of gods because he had the most strength out of all and great emotion. When he was a baby Hera sent two snakes to kill him but Hercules held them both up and killed them. Even though he is called the greatest this didn't mean he was necessarily good most of the times when he did bad things it was hera controlling his mind. He killed his wife and three children when he was being controlled. “When Megara had borne three sons he went mad.” Later he killed his wife and children.