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

She died saving him and he's the only one who can save her. In Hercules, he goes from zero to hero. He goes from a dorky kid that everyone avoids to a hero, a son of a God. He finally finds where he belongs and feels like he has a purpose.

The next difference between has to deal with true love. Hercules has one true love in the movie. That love is

Disney’s Hercules depicts the classic mythical tale of the infamous demi god. Evil Hades, Hercules grows up on Earth but has godly strength from which he doesn't know originates. When he discovers his immortal heritage, Zeus calls him to return to Mount Olympus to become the champion he is destined to be. Eventually, Hercules evolves to be a famous hero with the help of Pegasus and Phil the satyr. Through his journey he takes on mythical monsters, Titans, and Hades. In the end it is his sacrifice that make him a true hero.

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.

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

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.

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.

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

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

Take a minute to look at the world around you. Notice how different people are. Notice how lucky some people are. Notice how unlucky some people are. Notice the amount of people who are so famous or popular. Then notice those who are nobodies. Disney’s Hercules is a film about a young hero, Hercules, who was born a God, but was forcefully taken of everything but his strength. He was taken of this by Hades, the God of the underworld, who is out to destroy the other Gods of the world and destroy Olympus forever. Throughout the movie Hades is faced with the fact that Hercules may return to stop him from pursuing his evil plan. Hades goal is then to defeat Hercules and finish his scheme . In the film Hercules, the writers use the evil genius to reveal, that humanity will use many resources in order to make themselves seem better than others because they fear that since they may be less fortunate than them, they may be overlooked by the society around them.

Throughout the movie and book Hercules I could spot many differences and similarities. The movie Hercules has the antagonist by the name of Hades, what proves he’s the antagonist is the fact that he is trying to rule Mount Olympus and goes after Hercules and Zeus to get his spot in the Family line. Hercules the movie has the plot structure of Man vs. Society because Hercules is defeating evil and tries to prove the people he is a god. The theme of the movie is, it doesn’t matter whether you're strong or famous what matters is that you stay true to your heart. In this movie there are many characters such as Phil (trainer), Hades (Villain), Megara (His Love). Hercules in the movie was adopted and found by his “mother” in the beginning her name

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.