Hercules Concept Of Heroism Essay

Improved Essays
The idea of a hero embodies the admirable values of a culture. Like many other cultures, the ‎Greek heroes are intricate of their society, which explains why heroes as Hercules, Theseus, and ‎Perseus are created as models of their times and are given both physical and mental abilities of ‎detachment from their fears in order to fulfill fated responsibilities.‎

The prime concept of heroism is usually linked to the courageousness of the hero for the ancient ‎Greeks. Hercules is one of the best- known heroes in the Greek mythology, but before the ancient ‎Greeks started worshipping him as a Greek God, he had to prove his courage. This required him ‎to serve king Eurystheus and do whatever he demands, “The tasks Eurystheus [gives] him to do ‎are
…show more content…
Hercules is more ‎than a hero for the ancient Greeks that is all due to his physical strength, which he proves when ‎‎“All was silent in the house two great snakes came crawling in the nursery…Hercules sat up and ‎grasped the deadly creature by the throat” (227). Hercules is surely known for traits other than ‎his strength like his courageousness or selflessness in some cases but not all those other heroic ‎traits he possesses distinguish him from all the other heroes. However, the only thing that ‎highlighted Hercules is his strength, which is the only thing our hero is good at doing. Perseus ‎has all the qualities of a traditional hero, such as intelligence and courteousness, in addition to his ‎physical strength, which made people recognize him as a hero. Perseus proved "he stood up before ‎them all and did exactly what the king had hoped he would do, declared that he would …go off ‎and kill the medusa and bring her back” (204). Perseus is certainly a hero with many heroic ‎qualities other than his strength. However, Perseus’s body strength is the first quality people ‎recognized in him when he came back with a Medusa’s head, and it is indeed the quality that ‎made him the perfect warrior figure of his time. All those Greek heroes show common traits in ‎their strength and knowledge with weapons, the emphasis all those different myths show on ‎being a great warrior reflect how valuable this

Related Documents

  • Superior Essays

    Odysseus ' journey required him to have determination and he was motivated by regaining his kingdom and his family, and while on his quest he relied on his strength. Perseus also showed determination, but he was pushed by his pride and leaned on Hermes and Athena. While both heroes are determined, they still have many things that separate them. So, in Greek mythology and epic hero writing, though epic heroes are bound to have many similarities, they are all their own character with their own story that the author has…

    • 1300 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Odysseus Hero Quotes

    • 502 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Odysseus What is a hero? A hero is a person who combats adversity through impressive feats of ingenuity, strength or bravery. In The Odyssey written by Homer, the protagonist Odysseus has traits of a hero such as loyalty, courage, and cunningness. The king of Ithaca shows these traits multiple times throughout his twenty year journey home.…

    • 502 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Hercules Hero's Journey

    • 487 Words
    • 2 Pages

    A true hero isn’t measured by the size of his strength, but the strength of his heart. Hercules, a son of gods, was snatched as a baby by Hades and forced to live among mortals as a half-man, half-god. Now he is a teenager and needs to perform a rite of passage on Earth to prove himself worthy of living with the gods on Mount Olympus. With his sidekick, Philoctetes along for the ride, Hercules must learn how to use his strength to defeat a series of evil creatures. There are 3 phases in this hero's journey the departure, the initiation, and the last phase is the return.…

    • 487 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Strength In The Odyssey

    • 981 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Traditionally, we think a hero to be someone who is physically strong but over time evolves into someone who is mentally strong. In both The Odyssey by Homer, a story about a great Greek hero and his journey back home to his wife and son, and The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon, a story about a boy who has autism and runs away from home and faces many mental roadblocks along the way, heroic traits are displayed. Both of these books show heroes who emerged and gained strength. Odysseus illustrates incredible physical strength but lacks mental strength.…

    • 981 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Hercules: A Greek Hero

    • 1036 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Lastly, he was a hero from the very beginning of his life, being the son of Zeus and being raised by a king and queen. He killed a lion with his bare hands, brought a boar alive back to King Eurystheus, and brought justice to a cruel barbaric king who fed human beings to his horses. These accomplishments and much more undeniably made Hercules and exceptional Greek…

    • 1036 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Hero In The Odyssey

    • 801 Words
    • 4 Pages

    The idea of a hero is based upon one’s point of view. A hero is admired and idolized for their courage. Odysseus is a cunning king, a loyal crew captain, and he is dedicated to go back to Ithaca. In the epic poem The Odyssey by Homer. Odysseus is the king of Ithaca, who spent 10 years helping his close friend Menelaus in the Trojan war.…

    • 801 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Throughout history, no matter what story or film, there’s always archetypes which applies to characters. Archetypes are repeated personas used in works of film and literature , they help create and maintain the story so that it is interesting and helps define the characters. The movie O Brother, Where Art-Thou is one work of fiction that depicts archetypes well. There are just a few of the existing archetypes portrayed in the movie, but it shows just how diverse the community of archetypes is.…

    • 884 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Many people have told me what makes an epic hero. Strength, courage, and achieving immortality. When I heard about all of these traits one person came to mind when they said them, Odysseus. Odysseus is a Greek soldier that fought in the war against the Trojans, and because of him, the Diomedes were victorious in the war. Yet, that wasn't the end for Odysseus, he and his men faced many challenges on their way back home.…

    • 469 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Outline Is Odysseus a hero According to Maya Angelou a “Hero is any person really intent on making a better place for all people.” In other words, a hero is someone that makes sacrifices, and contributes to others. In the Odyssey by Homer, Odysseus must defeat supernatural obstacles such as gods, and cyclops to return home to his son and wife after 20 years. Although Odysseys is quickly perceived as a hero through its narrative perspective, He is ultimately an antihero which is explained through Odysseus’s selfish personality, and lack of compassion.…

    • 1075 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    A hero is someone who, in the opinion of others, has special abilities or personal qualities and is regarded as a role model or idea. In Marjane Satrapi's graphic novel, Persepolis, Marji’s view of heroism changes when faced with loss and death. Her view of a hero shifts from an insurgent to a prisoner to a fighter and finally to someone who just stands up for himself without vengeance. At first, Marji based her view of heroism on rebellion and mostly because of her lack of experiences with death. As a child, Marjane did not know much about death or loss, nevertheless, she became aware of the loss of justice in her country and the violence.…

    • 835 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    What is a hero? When someone hears the word “hero”, they think of a person in a leotard and cape with unnatural super powers flying through a city. The hero is looking to aid helpless citizens from an evil villain. In reality there are many other characteristics to being a hero. During The Odyssey by Homer,Odysseus went to go sail to fight in the Trojan war with his men.…

    • 992 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Decent Essays

    is because he had a plan to harm the cyclops, and when he did get the chance to harm the cyclops the cyclops says that nobody was hurting him so the other cyclops think that nobody is actually hurting him. Odysseus did all of that to get him and his crew back to safety. Being a hero is a huge responsibility, there are things you have to keep away from like being harsh or even shameful. In “The Odyssey” Odysseus was being really harsh to the cyclops in order to escape from the cyclops’ cruel ways. But in the end saw that he let his ego get in the way of things and lost more men but him and the rest of his men were safe.…

    • 567 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Decent Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Historically heroes and their tales have been around for centuries and revolved around certain cultures all around the world. The surroundings around these heroes change throughout each story, but the heroes themselves are all the same. The hero usually doesn’t decide to be a hero; he is usually chosen to become one by a great force. They usually all have a same basic plot story as well, they have to go on a journey and make great sacrifices along the way and along they plot of these stories he has to overcome these obstacles. Examples of these great heroes are Odysseus traveling back home after the Trojan War and Joseph ruling the people from Egypt out of a famine.…

    • 834 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Being a hero is not shown by who they are but what they do. Hercules and Heraclês showed he was a hero. He also showed that he had to progress to become the hero he wanted to be. Along the way of becoming a hero, he met people that he may have loved. There are many similarities and differences between the cultural values of love, progression, and being a hero in the movie Hercules and the myth, “Heraclês.”…

    • 751 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    The tale of a hero is one of the most classic of stories, told in various forms throughout the ages. Every hero, classical and modern, has different strengths, weaknesses, and challenges that they demonstrate and face along the way, exhibiting traits that prove them a hero. While there is no doubt that the central figures of the Greek myths of Perseus, Hercules, and Atalanta are all heroes, Hercules, strong both in will and physically, stands as the best example of a classic hero. Heroes are not made without challenges, some of which they face early on in their journey. Hercules and Atalanta meet their first struggle as children, with the goddess Hera sending the former “two great snakes [that] came crawling into the nursery” (Hamilton 228), which Hercules promptly kills, and the latter being “left on a wild mountainside to die of cold and hunger” (Hamilton 246) by her father.…

    • 712 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays