What does it mean to be a great hero? Does a hero have to be smart? Indestructible, perhaps? In Greek culture, heroes were highly respected, but great heroes were remembered. Their stories were passed down during this time of conflict and war to enlighten humans on moral principles that would improve posterity. Hercules, is a perfect example. Hercules thoroughly exemplifies the fundamental principles that are greatly valued in Greek culture, making his legacy as the most distinguished and honored hero by the greeks. Physical strength is an essential characteristic of a hero and is associated the most with Hercules. Unlike other heroes, Hercules used his strength in his first heroic deed to help others, rather than proving himself to gain the title of a hero. The gods needed the help of a mortal to conquer the Giants who were inflicting terror on Olympos, and they chose Hercules. Hercules shot one of the two Giants with his bow and arrow, wounding him fatally, then dragged him to a land where he could die. “Hercules… played an important part” when defeating these supernatural creatures (Hamilton 167). Hercules’ killing of one of the Giants that the gods couldn’t kill on their own shows that he possessed godly strength and gives him the characteristics of a hero. Furthermore, Hercules helped the Thebans fight the Minyans, and won Princess Megara’s hand in marriage. “The grateful citizens” depended on the strength of Hercules for winning the battle against the Minyans (Hamilton 169). The people of Greece valued Hercules immensely, to the point where they believed he was worthy of being married to Thebes’ Princess. Additionally, strength was extremely important in Greek culture considering the fact that this was a time of war, and strength is what Greece needed to protect themselves. Thus Hercules, the strongest man, is the most valued hero in Greece. To be a hero, you had to have faith in yourself. Hercules, was particularly distinguished because of his confidence. Hercules notably said he’d fight Apollo, a god, in order to receive his oracle. “Apollo … felt an admiration for for his boldness and made his priestess deliver the response” (Hamilton 167). His self confidence was so extraordinary and developed,
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.
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.
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
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.
“Hercules demonstrated his strength right from birth. He choked the serpents that had been sent to him by the jealous Hera.” (classicsunveiled.com)
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.
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.
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.
Hercules connection with other gods and goddess resulted in some bad situation thats made him stronger throughout his life. Hercules father Zeus cheated on his wife Hera with Alcmene a mortal woman. This cause Hercules to not become a god. This also cause problems between Hera and Hercules. Zeus made a promise that his next born
The movie Hercules was released in 1997 and was directed by John Musker and Ron Clements. Long story short, Zeus, and his wife Hera have a son named Hercules. Zeus' brother Hades wants to overthrow Zeus and rule Mount Olympus. Hades asks the Fates for help and learns that in eighteen years, a planetary alignment will allow Hades to conquer Olympus, but only if Hercules is not there to fight.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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