Hercules The Sea Cultural Hero Of Hercules - 1708 Words

â€Å"Both brutish and resourceful, blessed and cursed by the gods, noble and insanely violent† was the Mediterranean cultural hero of Hercules (Lopez-Ruiz 257). As a character and hero, Hercules was a contradiction. Throughout the hero’s life, he constantly juxtaposed himself through his conflicting qualities and narrative. Neither moral nor immoral was the prodigious Hercules. The story of this champion’s life was full of enigmas; Hercules was not a god however not quite a mortal either. This constant combat of one or the other not only made Hercules, the famous Greco-Roman hero but also caused him suffering and joy. Despite his status as a demigod, neither human nor god saw him as a unified figure of neither divine nor earthly but a intricate unification of them both. His supposed existence is the personification of the human condition of paradox in regards to emotions, physicality, sexuality, and morality. For all of Hercules’ heroic battles that protect the world, he committed various acts of immoral wrongs. This heroic man was both noble, yet amoral. He â€Å"was praised and admired...but his violence and the transgressive nature of his heroism were also an issue† that regularly caused pain for those around him (Papadopoulou 258). Occasionally through the fault of his own, however, repeatedly through the unwelcome influence of his hated enemy, Hera, Hercules committed crimes that killed people dear to him and dear to others. As a child, while being taught in the musical arts,Show MoreRelatedHercules in Popular Culture1719 Words   |  7 PagesHercules For my research paper I chose to explore and analyze instances of the great Greek/Roman hero, Heracles (Hercules), appearing in popular culture and the effect his myths had on early civilizations. Considered by most to be the greatest of the Greek folk heroes, Hercules was the embodiment of masculinity and physical power. The word â€Å"herculean† literally translates into â€Å"having enormous strength, courage, or size† (dictionary.com.) Since their inception, the myths and legends of HerculesRead MoreAthena: The Goddess of War and Skill907 Words   |  4 Pagesstatue of bearded Hercules† †¢ Artifact type: Sculpture †¢ Material: Marble †¢ Date: Roman Flavian Period: 68-98 A.D. †¢ Artist: Unknown †¢ Provenance: Unknown Hercules is famous for having great strength and persistence as a mortal. Here we see a very muscular sculpture of a man, which is not rare for most Greek Gods, but it is a small hint as to who it may be. He is often illustrated wearing the pelt of a lion or a lion’s head helmet and this sculpture does in fact show Hercules wearing a lion’sRead MoreGreek Mythology And The Mythology1154 Words   |  5 Pagesof punishment. Tale of love often involve incest, or the seduction or rape of a mortal women by a male god, resulting in a heroic offspring. The second type in the tales of punishment which involves the appropriation or invention of some important cultural artifact. The stories both generally suggest that relationships between gods and mortals are something to avoid; even consenting relationships rarely have happy endings. GREEK GODS Apollo Apollo was the son of Leto and Zeus. He was born on theRead MoreGreek Mythology8088 Words   |  33 Pages  Stories   about  the  gods  varied  by  geographic  location:  A  god  might  have  one  set  of  characteristics  in  one  city   or  region  and  quite  different  characteristics  elsewhere.   II   PRINCIPAL  FIGURES  IN  GREEK  MYTHOLOGY Poseidon,  Ruler  of  the  Sea   Ruler  of  the  sea  and  brother  of  Zeus,  Poseidon  was  one  of  the  Olympian  gods  of  Greek  mythology.  He  is  usually   represented  in  Greek  art  wielding  a  fishing  spear  known  as  a  trident.  In  this  large  bronze  statue  from  about  460  bc,   Poseidon  seems  poised  to  strike  with  his  tridentRead MoreAnalysis Of Homer s The Odyssey 2311 Words   |  10 Pages Odysseus plan worked; however, he later discovers a prophecy indicating that Troy s walls would never fall without the help of Philoctetes s magical bow – a weapon that once belonged to Hercules. As the play opens, Odysseus has therefore returned to the island – along with Neoptolemus – in order to retrieve the bow. This plan would allow Odysseus to leave Philoctetes in his exile while still getting what he wanted. However, Neoptolemus views Odysseus plan as simple treachery and revealsRead MoreEssay on Antony and Cleopatra1655 Words   |  7 Pagesonetime outpost of Rome, England was greatly influenced by Roman genealogy-ancestors that were god-like (Mars), superhuman (Hercules), fearless warriors (Pompey) who flourished in a patriarchal society (ancient 4). I would like to discuss how Shakespeare uses these characteristics in his Roman tragedy Antony and Cleopatra, as a means to express sixteenth century Englands cultural upheavals, one of which was the transformation of masculinity defined in terms of power to masculinity rooted in humanismRead MoreParallel Greek Myths Essay examples1896 Words   |  8 PagesHe told her that her future would be full of hardships but she must go to Egypt where Zeus would restore her to her original form. Io finally swam across the sea, later named the Ionian Sea after her, and reached Egypt. The was changed back into a woman and bore Zeus son, Eaphus, who was the ancestor of the Greek hero Hercules. Hercules later ended up freeing Prometheus from his rock. Sigmund Freud developed psychoanalytical theories on the unconscious mind, which is where he believed mythRead MoreThe Representation Of Idealism : The Greco Romans1843 Words   |  8 PagesThe Representation of Idealism The Greco-Romans originated in circa 2000 BCE and lasted until 476 CE, a culture that thrived for over two millenia. It began and flourished in and around the Mediterranean Sea for many years. As the population continued to grow, the civilization gradually grew to India, Israel and even North Africa with military conquests and imperial forces. The Greco Roman civilization remained the hub of culture during the classical era and its influence can be seen even today inRead MoreEssay on Life, Death, and the Heroic Archetype2880 Words   |  12 Pageschaotic world in which he lives. In the popular culture of America we can find many reflections of the heroic figure; in writing, in the graphic art of comic books, and most certainly in the aftermath of September 11th, heroes are ever present. Our cultural champions speak to our collective need to make sense of the nonsensical and to establish order in both our external and internal worlds. Indeed it is through the internal world of the p syche and the lens of psychological thought that we may gainRead MoreAlexander the Great Essay13163 Words   |  53 Pagesvery protective of Alexander. The Temple of Artemis at Ephesus, one of the largest temples ever built by the Greeks, circa 550 B.C. According to tradition, Olympias ancestor was the mythical hero of the Iliad - Achilles, while his father, Philip II of Macedon, was said to descend from the Zeus son - Hercules. The legend of Alexander of Macedon begins even before his birth. Alexanders parents, King Philip II of Macedon and Myrtali - the Princess of Epirus, later known as Olympias - were in their