Hercules
As an adult Hercules was the strongest man of his time. He is depicted as a large, muscular man, usually bearded, and wearing his lion-skin garment. He was the mortal son of Zeus. The most famous part of the Hercules' career was his series of great undertakings known as the Twelve Labors. These tasks were actually a punishment for a tragic event in his life; he had a fit of insanity and lost control of his strength, killing his wife, Megara, and their children. But he was informed that by completing these tasks, he will not only have atoned for the murders, but also will have earned immortality at the end of his life, thus the story of the Twelve labors is also one of the conquest of death itself. After the conclusion of the final labor, Hercules was on his own again, now having been guaranteed immortality at the end of his human lifespan. However, Hercules was involved in more disputes and was punished by the oracle and stripped of his immortality. He soon died after a dispute on a river with Nessus.
Theme:
Perseverance. Hercules was gifted with amazing strength and it caused problems that he had to deal with. He had to overcome the obstacles and the chance that he may hurt someone and be punished because he couldn't control his strength.
Allusions to Hercules:
Citations-
"Dante's Inferno - Circle 5 - Cantos 7-9." Dante's Inferno - Circle 5 - Cantos 7-9. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 Feb. 2013. <http://danteworlds.laits.utexas.edu/circle5.html>.
"Herakles (Hercules) and Theseus."Herakles (Hercules) and Theseus. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 Feb. 2013.
"Hercules in Hamlet."Mythology in Hamlet. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 Feb. 2013. <http://mythologyinhamlet.wikia.com/wiki/Hercules_in_Hamlet>.
"Fahrenheit 451: Part 2 (The Sieve and the Sand)." LitCharts.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 Feb. 2013. <http://www.litcharts.com/lit/fahrenheit451/part2>.
Theme:
Perseverance. Hercules was gifted with amazing strength and it caused problems that he had to deal with. He had to overcome the obstacles and the chance that he may hurt someone and be punished because he couldn't control his strength.
Allusions to Hercules:
- In Shakespeare's Hamlet, Prince Hamelt compares himself to Hercules. When he is talking to Claudius he says, “My uncle, my father's brother, but no more like my father than I to Hercules.” There are similarities between Hamlet and Hercules. Hercules went mad and murdered his family and Hamlet went mad and murdered his almost father-in-law, which caused the suicide of his almost wife, Ophelia.
- In Dante's Inferno there is an illusion of Hercules. The example is Theseus and Hercules, two classical heroes each with a divine parent, previously entered the underworld and returned alive. Hercules, in fact, descended into Hades to rescue Theseus, who had been imprisoned following his unsuccessful attempt to abduct Persephone, Queen of Hades. While the Furies express regret at not having killed Theseus when they had the chance, the heavenly messenger recalls that Cerbus bore the brunt of Hercules' fury as he was dragged by his chain along the hard floor of the underworld.
- Hercules is alluded to in Fahrenheit 451. Faber says, “Do you know the legend of Hercules and Antaeus, the giant wrestler, whose strength was incredible so long as he stood firmly on the earth? But when he was held, rootless, in midair, by Hercules, he perished easily. If there isn't something in that legend for us today, in this city, in our time, then I am completely insane.”
Citations-
"Dante's Inferno - Circle 5 - Cantos 7-9." Dante's Inferno - Circle 5 - Cantos 7-9. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 Feb. 2013. <http://danteworlds.laits.utexas.edu/circle5.html>.
"Herakles (Hercules) and Theseus."Herakles (Hercules) and Theseus. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 Feb. 2013.
"Hercules in Hamlet."Mythology in Hamlet. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 Feb. 2013. <http://mythologyinhamlet.wikia.com/wiki/Hercules_in_Hamlet>.
"Fahrenheit 451: Part 2 (The Sieve and the Sand)." LitCharts.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 Feb. 2013. <http://www.litcharts.com/lit/fahrenheit451/part2>.