Hercules Hero's Journey Essay

He is welcomed with open arms by his father and mother to stay and be with the Gods but denies to stay on Earth with Meg, the woman he loves. Hercules is a true hero and now must return home back to the ordinary world of Thebes, a changed man. The journey he faced not only changed him but gained him so much knowledge, faced Hades terrible dangers and even death on more than one occasion. Hercules looks forward to living his new life with Meg as a mortal man. He has a new hope and understanding of who he is as a person.

Also there is a Disney film Hercules which tells the story of Hercules. The movie shows all his achievements and how he came to be. Chapter 9: It’s More Than Just Rain or

An epic hero is an ordinary individual who finds strength to endure overwhelming obstacles. In Edith Hamilton’s Mythology, three heros named Perseus, Theseus, and Hercules exhibit different traits that affect their journey in a positive or negative way. Perseus receives supernatural help, Theseus displays incredible strength, and Hercules has a fatal flaw that will end tragically, these qualities are what classify each as an epic hero.

In the movie Hercules tries to do good deeds to be a god like his family and to be with them on Mount Olympus and in the myth Hercules tries to do 10 tasks to appease Hera, so she can leave him alone. Even though both the movie and the myth is about Hercules; he is a different type of hero archetype for different scenarios. For the movie and the myth I am going to write about what kind of hero archetype Hercules is for each of them. For the myth Hercules Archetype is a Seeker.

Since the beginning of time, people have looked to a figure of power that would help them in their time of need. In Edith Hamilton’s Mythology: Edith Hamilton, there are stories upon stories that tell about righteous and wicked gods, goddesses, and epic heroes. When discussing epic heroes, it’s usually the same two figures that come up, Perseus and Theseus. Arguably, between the two, Theseus is the better epic hero because he is ethical and morally upright and because his life ends tragically. Now when it comes to what an epic hero is, there are many traits and characteristics, some of those being: having significance and glory, going on a quest to establish greatness, and facing enormous tasks of adversity.

Mythology is a collection of myths and stories belonging to a particular belief system or cultural tradition. Even though there are a variety of different myths taught around the world, Greek mythologies are more famously known for their fruitful stories and complex relationships. Greek mythologies mostly concern their gods and heroes such as; Hercules, Achilles, Theseus, and Perseus. Of the many Greek heroes, Jason is the most heroic due to the fact that although he is abandoned at a very young age, he is still able to survive, also he proves to Hera the goddess who hated heroes that he is worthy to be favoured by her, and he completes the impossible quest of the Golden Fleece. Jason is born in a very superior family, having a father who is the lawful king of Iolcus.

It was the 1990’s, and Disney was going through another Golden age of films. When deciding what money making machine Disney should create next they decided to make a film of the iconic story of Hercules. Disney did a somewhat accurate job with recreating the myth, however they did add some Disney charm. The plot still follows Hercules and his goal to become a hero so that he could be at Mt. Olympus with the rest of the Gods. Although the goals are similar the journey is drastically different with the major difference being, Hercules fight with the Hydra, Hercules relationship with Hera, and the way Hercules finally becomes a hero.

The hero's life has considerably changed and they must face the consequences. The return in the hero's journey follows the aftermath of the hero's adventure and the events that follow. After slaying the Kraken, Perseus’s father, Zeus, offers him a place among the gods in Olympus. However, Perseus in a sense was already home. His home was among other mortals and humans, not with the gods.

The first stage of the Hero’s Journey is the Ordinary World. In the Ordinary World, the hero has a normal life where the character is either not satisfied with his or her life or has a vivid contrast to the journey that the hero is going to take. This is similar to how the main character in the novel The Sword in the Stone by T.H.White

In this analysis my main focus would be: why Hercules was famous in Greek Myth? , how did he impact the world and its society? and what lessons can be learnt from him? Hercules, the son of Zeus, was very famous in Greek mythology because he slayed the unbeatable nine headed hydra and the famous Nemean lion. When he was a kid he strangled and killed two venomous snakes with his bare hands and also he was the only warrior in Greek myth who was half god and half human.

Hercules and Theseus, two great heroes from mythology, seem to be similar in many ways. Both extremely brave and noble; with a love of danger and adventure mixed with compassion, creates the perfect heroes. Their stories intertwine with one another’s when Hercules has to save Theseus from the chair of forgetfulness in Hades. Theseus saved Hercules when he was distraught with intent to kill himself. In a similar way, they both stood by their friends no matter the cost.

Danielle Okuly Professor Dann Online Mythology 1222 12 December 2015 Hercules Comparison Paper Hercules is a classic Disney movie that tells a story of Zeus and Hera’s son but turned mortal due to Hades’ evil plan to take over Olympus. When Hercules finds out the truth of his family background he goes on a journey to pray to his real father Zeus. Although there are many similarities, there are quite a few differences as well.

Firstly, Hercules has consistently been seen and interpreted as “the greatest hero of Greece... He was what all Greece except Athens most admired” (Hamilton, 225). This interpretation asserts that the main ideals of Hercules are also the main ideals of

Hercules is in the way of the great evil plan Hades has made. This fits in with the Christian belief of the ruler of the underworld being evil. The western world paint Hades as the ultimate evil of the movie, and they do not question this. The makers of the movie felt like we needed a villain, and they chose Hades. He fit in the box they put all the villains in, so they chose

The movie is about a single mission completed by Hercules rather than a whole life story even though it includes background and a meaningful lesson. Perhaps the greatest difference between the Hollywood remake and the actual book is the murder of Hercules’ wife Megara and their kids. Since movies take a lot of dedication and money the screenwriters had to take the original and make it as interesting as they could. Because of this the movie’s version of their death is due to three savage wolves made to resemble the mythological character, Cerberus, Hades guard dog of the underworld while Hercules’ was drugged. In both pieces Hercules is unaware of his actions but, for different reasons.