The Greek Hero : Hercules As A Hero

In the movie Hercules the protagonist, Hercules, experiences the three main stages of Joseph Campbell's, The Hero’s Journey outline. In Hercules a young god, the child of Hera and Zeus, is turned into a mortal by Hades and is then sent to earth. The child struggles with being stronger than his peers and he soon realizes that he is not normal. Hercules goes to the temple of Zeus, talks to his father, and sets out on a mission to become a true hero. Joseph Campbell wrote about the main phases of a hero’s journey, the three phases: departure, initiation, and the return, can be found in the movie Hercules.

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.

What strength and masculinity does it take to be the world's greatest hero? The idea of a true hero is varied from different men because each viewpoint has a different idea of the character that makes one true hero. However, each person’s unique thought about a hero still focuses about one central idea which is a hero must prove himself in order to earn heroic status. This is clarified in the legendary story of Hercules and his many undertakings. Hercules cared for people close to him including strangers because he valued their lives more than his own. Hercules was additionally eager to do numerous brave adventures than any typical individual would do. Hercules was a hero because he was caring, courageous, and strong. Hercules was the greatest heroes in Greek mythology because he was caring, despite the flaws in his personality. How does Hercules’ figure a symbol of demonstrating the political authority of a leader? Political

“Hercules demonstrated his strength right from birth. He choked the serpents that had been sent to him by the jealous Hera.” (classicsunveiled.com)

It’s a work of heart”. Right from the start it is stated that being a true hero is not all about physical strength but also the internal strength of the heart. Hercules knows he has no physical strength but still continues to fight the cyclops. Meg says “ What are you doing.

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.

When we hear the word 'hero,' more than one idea comes to mind. Not only do we think of people that we look up to in our world, but we also think of heroes in the fictional world. To be a hero can mean a variety of different things. Leaders, singers, and even parents can be a hero that someone looks up too. But in the fictional world, a hero is someone who has learned from his or hers journey to come out a changed person. Some characters complete the journey, while others do not quite make it to the end. In The Odyssey, Odysseus takes more than one leap of faith on his journey to become a hero by learning from his mistakes, making personal sacrifices, and becoming a better man.

While completing tests the Hero learns qualities about themselves and learns the skills to complete the tasks at hand. Hercules finds hidden qualities deep inside himself that help him figure out how to beat the task at hand. He finds that there is more to himself than just strength and power. He is also cunning and intelligent. Hercules completes the tasks at hand in this stage and the tasks help shape his character. Hercules learns a little from each task which helps his character build. A key example of this is how Hercules handled cleaning the Augean stables. He decided it was not possible to clean the stables himself because the mares dung kept coming so he decided to wash out the feces with the rivers Alpheus and Peneus. Hercules finds his great character flaw in the 5th labor. This flaw is his wild temper. Augeas was furious that Hercules completed the task and he had to give one-tenth of his cattle to Hercules. Augeas decided to dishonor their previous agreement so Hercules killed him and stole all the cattle for himself. This was an action of rage not logic and hurt his chances of getting credit for the task. He learned from this because his cousin, King Eurystheus, made Hercules do another task because he did not manually remove the waste from the stables and he killed Augeas. Hercules discovered his character traits and flaws in the initiation phase which prepared him for the return phase of a Hero's

What defines a hero? Many will say qualities such as strength, loyalty, and tremendous courage. From slaying the great monster to rescuing the innocent from certain death, heroes by definition perform heroic feats and demonstrate abilities far beyond those of the average person. However, despite their record of accomplishments, all heroes have flaws. Interestingly, western literature uses the Biblical concept that all men have sinned and fall short in some way. Homer’s epic The Odyssey illustrates this point in a very direct and precise manner. Odysseus, the main protagonist has the strength of a hero, yet at times his pride consumes him and leads him to make dubious decisions. We should admire Odysseus for his strength and cunning, but at the same time take note of his pride and poor judgment.

Some people think of a hero as someone with courage, determination, or someone that have risked their lives for others. Others think of a hero as someone who has outstanding strength and is clever. A hero, not only has physical strength, but also has mental strength as well. Odysseus, ruler of Ithaca, proves he is a hero by having all of these traits. Odysseus fights through hard times and overcomes obstacles, he kept his men together for most of the story, and he avenges himself when returning to his home, Ithaca. All of those are very heroic.

What is a hero? What do you think is the definition, to everyone it is different. The dictionary definition is “a person who is admired or idealized for courage, outstanding achievements, or noble qualities.” In the movie Hercules a child named Hercules was born to two immortal gods, Zeus and Athena. The child Hercules was snatched by Hades’s two minions, the minions gave the child a potion to turn him mortal. Hercules didn’t drink the whole potion leaving him with enormous strength. The rest of the story talks about his trials as a mortal with super strength and how he becomes a hero to many. This essay will explain the three different elements of Joseph Campbell’s Hero Journey Outline and how they relate to the popular movie Hercules.

Hercules ties into what people think a hero is today because he was to, also brave. For example in the second labor of Hercules he had to kill a hydra with nine heads, and when you cut off a head two more grew back. Hercules

Throughout the history of epic literature, heroes have been an integral part of many different cultures. Some of these heroes are fierce and powerful, renowned for their skill in battle, while some others and clever and cunning, able to talk their way out of any difficult situation. These traits usually emphasize the values of the cultural from which the hero came, and depending on the culture,traits viewed as heroic may drastically differ. Although there exists a plethora of traits any one hero may have, there are three core characteristic that, in my opinion, a hero must have to be considered a hero: the courage to face hardships, the willingness to make major self-sacrifices for the benefit of others, and most importantly, the dedication to do what it takes to reach their goal.

Another greek hero that went on surreal adventures was Hercules, but unlike Perseus, he would not be appreciated in 2016’s society. Hercules was appreciated by the Greeks for his courage and his ability to make amends, but is disregarded in 2016 as a hero because of his recklessness and his tendency for revenge. When any greek thinks of Hercules, they think of the astounding story of courage of when he killed two snakes at the age of two. The snakes had snuck into his nursery room that he shared with his brother in the middle of the night, and when his parents came running in from his brother’s screams, they found Hercules playing with the two dead snakes that he had strangled. This shows courage because it demonstrates how even at the age of two, he was willing to put himself in harm's way to protect himself others.

Heroes are found in fiction from every place on earth, they differ in many aspects, but key elements transcend through stories. These elements are instrumental in differentiating between a hero and a legend. The Greeks had many legends, but few were truly considered heroes. The most famous heroes were Achilles, Odysseus, Jason, and Theseus. However, the greatest legacy has been left by Heracles, the son of Zeus, but Heracles is indeed more than a legend, he is a hero. Heracles willingly risks his life to preform heroic acts, has a destiny which is set in stone from birth, and crosses several thresholds through his heroic journeys.