Monsters In Greek Mythology

Monsters In many of the current super hero movies, the hero fights the evil villain and sometimes monsters. This is a common theme in the early epics as well. Monsters could be literal monsters of fiction, or monsters can represent people who have turned evil. Another common theme is the monsters being defeated by the heroes. This helps to reinforce the idea that heroes are the slayers of evil and to a degree cannot be conquered. Monsters serve the purpose of making the heroes challenge themselves and push their own limits. They represent the evil in the lives of many. The monsters seem to appear at different milestones of the heroes to bring out the flaws of the hero. Monsters can represent evil because of their nature and the way that …show more content…
As seen in The Iliad, Achilles put Hector in his sights to avenge the death of his dear friend Patroclus; “‘O dear mother, true! All those burning desires Olympian Zeus has brought to pass for me- but what joy to me now? My dear comrade’s dead- Patroclus- the man I loved beyond all other comrades, loved as my own life- I’ve lost him- Hector’s killed him, stripped the gigantic armor off his back, a marvel to behold- my burnished gear! Radiant gifts the gods presented Peleus that day they drove you into a mortal’s marriage bed… I wish you’d lingered deep with the deathless sea- nymphs, lived at ease, and Peleus carried home a mortal bride. But now, as it is, sorrows, unending sorrows must surge within your heart as well- for your own son’s death. Never again will you embrace him striding home. My spirit rebels- I’ve lost the will to live, to take my stand in the world of men- unless, before all else Hector’s battered down by my spear and gasps away his life, the blood- price for Patroclus, Menoetius’ gallant son he’s killed and stripped!... Then let me die at once since it was not my fate to save my dearest comrade from his death!... Enough. Let bygones be bygones. Done is done. Despite my anguish I will beat it down, the fury mounting …show more content…
At first it may appear that the heroes are doing an act for the betterment of his people but underneath the surface, it is a deed that will only benefit themselves. An example of this is when Beowulf fights the dragon. At first glance his is accredited for his bravery in facing the dragon considering his men had fled out of fear., In his last dying moments, instead of focusing on trying to make it out of the cave to die, Beowulf is focused on seeing all the riches that the dragon had been hiding. He would rather die in a pile of gold and other treasures then with the ones that care about him the most, “[Wiglaf] I quickly gathered up a huge pile of priceless treasures handpicked from the hoard and carried them here where the king could see them” (Beowulf 1700). In the story of Joseph from the Old Testament, Joseph’s brothers, out of their jealousy of their brother, plot against him. They sold him as a slave in a territory that was unfamiliar to Joseph. They thought with him out of the picture, they would receive the gifts and special attention from their father like Joseph. It was because of their jealousy that they turned away from what they knew was right to get what they wanted. In the epic of Gilgamesh, the gods Ishtar and her father Au sent down the Bull of Heaven to teach Gilgamesh