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Hercules descriptive essay
An essay about hercules
An essay about hercules
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After discussing Greek gods in class, being intrigued by the topic and wanting to know more was all I thought about. The Greeks had many gods and heroes that represented many things like war, beauty, sea, sky, and the afterlife to just name a few. However, after doing some research I found history.com was crammed full of information, but I constantly found myself looking back on one hero that seemed very interesting and quite famous, Hercules. The history.com website breaks down his life into a few sections starting off with his early life. It is really weird to think according to the legend Hercules had a somewhat complicated family compared to other gods. Zeus, ruler of the gods, fathered Hercules with his granddaughter, Alcmene. Before Hercules could be born, Zeus’ wife Hera sought out revenge for Hercules. Hera …show more content…
A video was also used to help with all the information that was listed. The website broke down the information into section which helped narrow down the information you were looking for. In the introduction of web page it talks about Hercules’ family tree, however, it would have been helpful to visually see a family tree. I would grade this website an A- because I was hoping to find out how Hercules actually died. The website just states “when he died” instead of giving details on how they thought he died, which would have made it more interesting. For the first website search easy I used hercules as the topic because I wanted to know more about one of my favorite heroes. By doing more in-depth research, I was able to learn more about his early life and about the 12 heroic labors that Hercules had to preform. It is hard to believe that a man with such great power went through so much in life to test his strength. I like to put his power into our daily lives perspective. People are given so much power and they are tested each and every day on how well they can use their
Have you ever considered what labors Eurystheus would have assigned Hercules if he lived in the modern world? Back then the labors Eurystheus assigned to Hercules was based on feats so difficult that they seemed impossible such as defeating the Nemean lion, defeating the hydra, and more. But what labors could Eurystheus assign Hercules if he lived in the modern world? In my opinion I think that Eurystheus would give Hercules these labors if he lived in the modern world.
Hercules of 1997 got put together by one of the popular Disney directors, Ron Clements and John Musker. Their earlier works include “The Little Mermaid,” “Aladdin,” and “The Great Mouse Detective,” which were movies that were astoundingly successful Disney movies that almost everyone enjoyed watching. Hercules without a doubt is one of my top Disney favourite movies, because of its really pop and melodious songs, and its simple yet very intricate plotline.
The definition of a hero is unique for every individual; however there are several regulations that majority of individuals can agree on. A hero must exhibit traits such as humility, kindness, and courage. Once the candidate expresses hubris, displays cruelty, or retreats from a formidable challenge, he cannot be considered a hero. Lastly, a hero candidate must overcome challenges that defy the odds. He must deliver a gift to society that benefits society as a whole; such gifts can be freedom, liberty, or hope. Odysseus in The Odyssey, by Homer, fulfilled these requirements and rightfully earned the title of a hero. Odysseus is well deserving of the title hero because he has put the needs of others before his own, shown signs of courage in the face of adversity, and displays humility by ridding himself of his hubris.
For a character to be an epic hero, he must possess four characteristics. These four characteristics include the following: (1) he must be high born, (2) the hero must have human weaknesses, (3) he must be brave,and 4) he must be clever. In The Odyssey, Homer’s character Odysseus was an epic hero because he possessed all four of the characteristics.
A hero accepts who he is as an individual, but strives to change himself for the better. In the epic poem, The Odyssey, by Homer, the main character Odysseus is a valiant king who embarks on a life-changing voyage. While traveling from Troy back to his home in Ithaka, King Odysseus overcomes daunting obstacles, and in doing so discovers his place in the world. Odysseus is truly a heroic figure because he demonstrates courage, improves his character, and wins the support of the gods.
When we look at Greek Mythology we often run into the gods of that era. Sometimes they are merely backdrops to the human element of the story but in stories such as The Odyssey the gods play a prominent if not vital role to the central themes of the story.
Greek mythology tells us that Hercules’ birth was actually a result of rape. Zeus had come down to Alcmene, the mortal wife of king Amphityron, disguised as her husband, and made love with her. After Zeus left, Amphityron returned and also slept with his wife. As a result, Alcmene had twins, Iphicles and Hercules. Because Zeus knew what kind of child Alcmene would soon be having, he said that the next boy born would be the future king of Olympus. Hera, Zeus’ wife, was never content when Zeus had a child with another woman, let alone a mortal woman, and especially one with such a promising future. As a result, she postponed Hercules’ birth so that his first cousin, once removed, would be the one receiving Zeus’ prophecy. Hera did not stop there though. Once Hercules was born, she sent two serpents to kill him. Yet this didn’t go as Hera had planned. Even as a baby, Hercules had enough strength to strangle the serpents and cast them aside. After that, Hera left Hercules without disturbances for a few years. Once he was a grown man, however, with a life full of potential, a loving wife and healthy sons, Hera decided to bring her wrath upon him once again. She sent fits of madness upon him causing him to kill his wife and sons. When Hercules came to, he couldn’t live with the guilt of his sins. He went to the oracle of Delph...
The legacy of Hercules began when Zeus, the chief god, fell in love with a mortal woman named Alcmene. When Alcmene’s husband, Amphitryon, was away, Zeus made her pregnant. This made the goddess Hera so angry that she tried to prevent the baby from being born. When Alcmene gave birth to the baby, she named him Herakles (Romans pronounced it "Hercules"). The name Herakles means "glorious gift of Hera". This made Hera even angrier. When Hercules was an infant, Hera sent two serpents to destroy him in his cradle. However, Hercules strangled them, one in each hand, before they could bite him.
Heroes are those who are called to action by some circumstance, be it dramatic or not, that calls them into service to fulfill a quest, a task, or some other rite of passage that will harden them and serve as initiation into legend. Each and every hero throughout mythology’s many different tales has undergone a rite of passage, a series of tests that shape them to become the people they were meant to be, cementing their names into history in a manner that is reserved for the heroic. It is this quality that allows such tales to endure the test of time and the scrutiny given by the public, the mere fact that so many wish to either experience or view the life of a hero setting the stage for such an individual to emerge.
Picture this: a hero of great legends who travels to the underworld and back to get directions to his home from a blind prophet. It sounds like quite an impossible journey, but that is exactly what makes Odysseus all the more fascinating. The Odyssey, an epic poem orally transmitted by Homer, a Greek poet who wrote The Iliad, had to contain some variety of attributes that Greeks valued in a person. That one embodiment of what the Greeks found intriguing in a character is Odysseus. Odysseus is known as what is called an epic hero. An epic hero is a protagonist of a story that represents the most important attributes of a civilization. Odysseus, being based in ancient Greece, is the embodiment of intelligence, loyalty, and strength.
Myths and religious doctrine are generally recognized as two entirely different things. Myths are usually referred to as a fictitious story or a half-truth; often they are stories shared between groups of people that are part of a cultural society. Religion is a set of beliefs concerning the cause, and purpose of the universe, and often containing an ethical code dictating appropriate human conduct. Although they differ in certain aspects, they still hold similarities. Comparable to parables within the Bible, myths have different versions which are both motivating, as well as entertaining. There are not only parallels to the idea of the stories but specific tales hold similar morals and equivalent characters.
Mythology was very important to the men and women of ancient Greece. They worshipped the gods and goddesses, wrote poems about them, and based a great deal of art work off of them. The people of Greece looked to the gods and goddesses for help in all aspects of their lives; including health, agriculture, and war. Reading about Greek mythology can inform people about the society of Greece because the Greek gods were created by the people of Greece. Three main goddesses who were worshipped by the Greeks were Hera, Athena, and Aphrodite.
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.
Hercules the great hero and the son of the great god Zeus, was the most famous of all the Greek mythological heroes. Hercules was known for his strength, bravery, and adventuresome personality. Hercules like most heroes had a god as their father, and he had a mortal mother named Alcmene. Hercules like most heroes was not an ordinary mortal and a good example was his superhuman strength.
Everyone has his own definition of a hero. Some imagine the classic comic book character: a figure dressed in brightly colored tights and a flapping cape, always engaged in an adventure of some sort. Others think up images of big, burly men and women who save lives every day serving as firefighters, policemen, and the like. Even intellectuals and inventors, from Voltaire to Edison, are viewed as some of society’s “greats”. These descriptions may seem very different when grouped together, but in reality they have plenty in common. Each individual noted is clever, dedicated, courageous, and respected. These qualities they possess truly identify them as heroes. But where did we get this universal definition? Looking back through thousands of years of the history, it is surprisingly easy to pinpoint a documented source. Odysseus Laertiadês, one of the first protagonists in literature, has been without a doubt inspiring readers to become the best they can be ever since his story was recorded. This is why throughout Homer’s “Odyssey”, the main character’s cleverness, dedication, courage, and respect other characters have for him not only help to define him as a heroic figure in literature but also remind us of the real heroes of today, making what seems an outdated tale all the more relevant in both present and future societies.