When reading this play for the first time I believed strongly that the deaths were to be solely blamed on Hera. The Goddess who out of jealousy had Heracles go through the twelve labors and then sent the Goddess of Madness, Lyssa, to put Heracles in a rage so deep that he killed his wife and children. “Heracles: Who would pray to such a goddess? One who because of a woman, in jealousy over Zeus’ union, destroyed Greece’s benefactor, who was not at all blameworthy”. (Heracles, lines 1308-1310). This quote was powerful to me because like Heracles said, who would pray to Hera after she brought such misery to his life by making him go through labors and the murder of his family. Everyone who is not a God strives to be much like them, to mirror
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When the labors were put forth to him, he did not say no to performing them. Then once accepting it, I feel like he got even more involved with the Gods and everything there is to do with them, and it is a connection that was formed which cannot be broken. And I feel like there will always be more obstacles, or tests that he will be put through just because he is a demi God. When he awakes from his sleep he is over come with grief from what he did to his wife and children and considers suicide. “Heracles: Why do I spare my life, since I’ve become the murderer of my dearest children?” (Heracles, lines 1146-1147). Overcome with sadness, Heracles wants to take his own life, that and his concern over the funeral rites shows that he does take responsibility over his actions. But on the other side of Heracles blame is that he is a murderer. Even if he was put into madness, I think that he could have stopped himself. He should have felt love or some other higher power to halt him from committing the horrendous murders of his own family. And after his talk about suicide, may have been just that, ‘talk’, to show that he is feeling remorse. His attention to detail for the funeral rites is a lot, and yet he does not stay to bury his family. The irresponsibility shown from not attending the funeral proves to me that he did not truly care for his family, and ultimately shows that he is a
When the labors were put forth to him, he did not say no to performing them. Then once accepting it, I feel like he got even more involved with the Gods and everything there is to do with them, and it is a connection that was formed which cannot be broken. And I feel like there will always be more obstacles, or tests that he will be put through just because he is a demi God. When he awakes from his sleep he is over come with grief from what he did to his wife and children and considers suicide. “Heracles: Why do I spare my life, since I’ve become the murderer of my dearest children?” (Heracles, lines 1146-1147). Overcome with sadness, Heracles wants to take his own life, that and his concern over the funeral rites shows that he does take responsibility over his actions. But on the other side of Heracles blame is that he is a murderer. Even if he was put into madness, I think that he could have stopped himself. He should have felt love or some other higher power to halt him from committing the horrendous murders of his own family. And after his talk about suicide, may have been just that, ‘talk’, to show that he is feeling remorse. His attention to detail for the funeral rites is a lot, and yet he does not stay to bury his family. The irresponsibility shown from not attending the funeral proves to me that he did not truly care for his family, and ultimately shows that he is a