How Hercules Changed Over Time Essay

More clearly than the Bible, Greek/Roman mythology helps outline the life cycle that almost always applies to the traditional archetypal hero. With basic knowledge of the Bible we can determine right from wrong and its influence in real life when reading mythology. As the reader we experience this when seeing the actions the hero takes, as explained by Frye when he states, "... the central myth of the hero whose mysterious birth, triumph and marriage, death and betrayal and eventual rebirth..." (Frye, 67), explaining the archetypical story outline of the tragic hero. As an example of the archetype, the story of Hercules starts with the mysterious birth of a being that is half god and half man, with his father famously being Zeus. Following Hercules' diverse birth we also know he triumphed over the leader of the underworld named Hades, while also

In the myth Hercules is a Warrior, but in the Disney animation he is a Seeker. Hercules seeks home. Hercules’s quest is find out where he comes from. He knows he doesn’t belong on Earth because of his super-human strength. Hercules fears not being accepted by others. He wants to belong some place where there are others like him. He doesn't feel like a normal human. Hercules's dragon is Megara because he is falling in love with her, which is distracting him from his quest. Falling in love with Megara compromises everything for both sides of the fight. Hercules's task is to fight every monster he comes up against in order to become immortal in order to go home. Hercules wants to rejoin his family in Olympus now that he has found where he actually belongs. Technically his quest is finished at this point but, he has not proven himself worthy yet. Hercules's virtue is immortality and love. Hercules loves Megara and will do anything for her. He even goes down to the Underworld to save her soul so that he can have her in his life. Hercules gives up immortality to stay on Earth with Megara because of his love for

Folklore and tales have been present throughout many centuries. Depending on the culture and location some tales get changed in order to fit in and relate to the current generation. However, often the tales remembered are used for inspiration for new stories, novels, and movies. With new stories being made mythology has eventually just become a loose reference in which the main points of classic mythology get lost. Disney’s Hercules is a great example of Greek mythology tales being used as a lesson to create an impactful story in which mythology was simply a reference. Although the Disney version of Hercules makes suitable points in describing Greek Mythology and ensuring that it’s viewers are somewhat erudite of the myths; Such as introducing heaven, the underworld, Zeus, Hera, additional gods, and incorporating various characters and creatures, it still contains discrepancy in which events actually happened in mythology.

Hercules is thought to be one of the world’s greatest hero. There are children’s movies about him, but they all have a happy ending. Hercules, originally born “Heracles” lived a short cruel, yet heroic life. “The 12 Herculean tasks he performed over a period of 12 years have been immortalized in everything from classical poetry to Garrison Keillor's A Prairie Home Companion.” (French 1). Hercules, in Greek mythology, was a hero known for his strength and courage and for his legendary adventures. Hercules is the Roman name for the Greek hero Heracles. He was the son of the god Zeus and a human mother Alcmene, wife of the Theban general Amphitryon. Hera, Zeus' jealous wife, was determined to kill Hercules, and after Hercules was born, she

Hercules is not the hero that greek mythology glorifies him to be. His ruthless acts to “purify” himself from killing his family, are nothing but him following commands of robbery, whether it be of a life or possession. He is less of a hero and more of a modern day hired ‘hitman’. Hercules agreed to completing the twelve tedious labours, however bad they might be. If he was ordered to steal something, he would. If he was told to kill something, he would do it. His actions are more alike the ones of an assassin or hitman rather than a selfless hero.

In the film, “Hercules”, there were many comedic characters incorporated. The creators of this movie wanted and needed to incorporate things to make it popular to the masses, therefore they added things like love and comedy. In this case they added characters like Pegasus, Phil, Pain, and Panic. However in the myths there is no need to incorporate any comedic relief because these were written to give us an accurate dictation of the Greek Gods and Goddesses and all of their tales. Therefore they needed to be gorey, painful, and difficult. While the Disney version needed to appeal to the masses and capture their attention right

Authors, poets, and film directors have all used ancient stories to create new pieces of literature and film works for modern times. The animated Disney film Hercules (1997) and the myth of Hercules share the background of audience-driven narratives; however, Disney's aspiration to fill the theaters and earn money results in an unblemished narrative, while the original myth portrays an imperfect model to a flawed humanity.

The Disney Hercules is born of the Olympian gods, Zeus and Hera, after which he is kidnapped by Hades, the ruler of the underworld, who wishes to overthrow Zeus and usurp this throne. However, he needs Hercules out of the way first. Although Hades' plan to kill Hercules in infancy fails, Hercules is turned into a mortal on earth, where he is left feeling like an outcast. After Hercules leaves his (unbeknownst to him) adoptive parents to find his destiny, he discovers his true origins and strives to return to Olympus by becoming a true hero. But to do this, he must first learn what it means to be a "true hero" while overcoming the obstacles that Hades throws his way. Although this plot is entertaining to younger audiences, it deviates from the original myth, according to which Heracles was the son of Zeus and a mortal woman (a demi-god). In addition, neither was Heracles kidnapped by Hades, nor did Hades want to overthrow Zeus; he submitted to Zeus and sought pleasure in ruling the Underworld. Accordingly, Disney chose to represent Hades as the antagonist in this movie due to his role as leading the Underworld. Although the Underworld was not correlated to Hell in any way, the stereotypical idea of the Underworld being a symbol of evil was still present. Therefore, Disney's choice of casting Hades as the evil character in this movie is justified as a Hercules has to defeat some kind of evil before emerging as a

Another change in these two stories, is the personality traits that Hercules portrays. Both stories have the same basic personality concepts of Hercules being immensely strong, but dangerously clumsy, having genuine simplicity, and having anger issues. In the Disney version, he is humble, kind, an outcast, and feared by many because of his great strength. His main goal is to fit in and feel welcomed into society. However, in the original version of this story, “Hercules was the strongest man on earth and he had the supreme self-confidence magnificent physical strength gives” (Hamilton). On top of his conceit, he was well loved by many. Disney made these changes to his personality to show kids that everyone can fit in. This promotes a self-confidence in children at a young age, so no matter what they’re struggling with, they feel like they can still fit in and overcome it. American society today loves to see the underdog succeed. In many modern American stories, an outcast with a comeback is a popular plot, and the Disney version of Hercules is no different. In Ancient Greek society, a hero with an outstanding personality, that

Hercules was a character portrayed in classic Roman Mythology. He was known to be the son of Zeus, and went on many great adventures throughout the lands; saving lives, defeating villains, and slaying treacherous monsters. Throughout his many trials, he gained fame, fortune, and a place amongst the Gods of Olympia. By looking at the mythological stories of Hercules, we can see that many of Joseph Campbell’s “Stages of the Hero’s Journey” can be applied to the stories about him.

Greek mythology is very fascinating at times, but it can also be very confusing. The Greeks have a lot of different gods and goddesses with different names, parents, and skills to remember. Greek mythology can become ridiculously complicated. Disney created a movie that focuses on just one character, Hercules, to help children further understand mythology. The movie is called Hercules, and it is based on “Heraclês”, a Greek hero. Although Hercules, the movie, is based on the myth, they actually have two very different meanings. In the movie some of the major differences are that there is heroism, family values, and simplification.

In 1949, Joseph Campbell, a writer and mythologist, published a book titled The Hero with a Thousand Faces. In it, Campbell proposed his theory that hundreds of hero stories can be summed up in a twelve-step pattern. Half of the cycle takes place in the hero’s regular world. The other half takes place in a special, unknown world. The cycle doesn’t only apply to ancient heroes; many modern heroes, such as Katniss Everdeen from the Hunger Games series, and Harry Potter of the Harry Potter series, fit in this sequence. Evidently, modern hero characters can be traced back to this simple pattern. One such hero that has been introduced in recent decades is Hercules, from the 1997 Disney movie Hercules. Hercules, like countless other heroes, fits

Along with giving purpose, the myth of Hercules gave the Greeks a sense of self identity. Hercules went on a journey and grew mentally and physically in the process. It shows that by obeying and trusting the gods leads to happiness and the reverse as contrast. Hercules had to prove himself a hero and a son of Zeus just like the Greeks had to prove themselves a citizen and a part of their

Hercules is the demigod son of Zeus and Alcmene. Zeus’s wife Hera was angry because he had a child with a mortal woman. His father was one the greatest gods so he gave Hercules the strength of a god. So while he was laying in his cradle Hera send two serpents to kill Hercules but Hercules strangled the serpents. Hercules’s supposed to father had the best tutors in the land.

The 1997 Disney classic Hercules takes place in Greece. It is an animated, American spin on the Greek mythological story. Hercules, who is the son of Zeus, becomes mortal and must grow up on earth. In the original story, Hercules accidentally kills his wife and ends up committing suicide before being saved by Zeus and brought to Mt. Olympus. The family-friendly Disney version has Hercules falling in love and saving the day. Our group watched the movie, attempting to analyze it from a sociological point of view; these are our thoughts on Hercules.