Twelve+Labors+of+Hercules

The Labours of Hercules-Tina Evans:

Aim-

Hercules’ twelve labours had the original intent of wiping his slate after he murdered his children. However what started out as ten labours, ended with a total of twelve crazy labours that were made even more and more difficult by the Gods and Goddesses becoming involved. “He prayed to the god Apollo for guidance, and the god's oracle told him he would have to serve Eurystheus, the king of Tiryns and Mycenae, for twelve years, in punishment for the murders” (“The Labors of…”). Although at times he was given aid by the Gods and Goddesses, there were many times, especially with Hera, that they intervened in a way that was meant to make him mad, rather than give help. In this hero’s tale, the Gods and Goddesses became quite a bit more involved than the common Greek mythology. “This notion of madness--often associated with destructive anger of rage and resulting from the influence of gods, goddesses or daimones--raised for the Greeks the crucial question in such cases of personal responsibility” (Diamond). The stories themselves meant the teach readers about personal responsibility, regardless of how absurd or crazy parts might seem to the average person. Ultimately, Hercules was an amazin hero that was tested greatly through these trials, and who gave morals to the common people who the retold stories of the trials.

Audience-

The story itself is within Greek mythology, however this story has been meant for more than only the Greeks. Although the Greeks, and other Hellenic religion followers, are directly addressed within the myths, the morals surpass to all kind of people. “His struggles made Hercules the perfect embodiment of an idea the Greeks called pathos” (“The Labors of…”). With the use of pathos, the myth builds sympathy from its readers and intrigues them to start thinking more about the myth itself. “His courage, strength, skill and cunning are literally legendary, and were revered in ancient Greek culture” (Diamond). How Hercules handled the trials might seem absurdly heroic, however the qualities that he possesses would often be wanted by many people. The myth is meant to be given to people who will be impacted by it and critically think about how the story works and why it occurred in the way that it did. Regardless of how exaggerated the story may be, with pathos it is meant to remain timeless and to relate to anyone who reads it.

Cultural-

Unlike many Greek myths, this story greatly impacted culture with the difference of how many Gods and Goddesses gave aid to Hercules. Although Hera was quite determined to force Hercules to fail, many of the others; including Apollo, Athena, and Hermes; attempted to help Hercules, some even multiple times. “Fortunately, Hercules had the help of Hermes and Athena, sympathetic deities who showed up when he really needed help” (“The Labors of…”). This story told the Greeks that the Gods and Goddesses often knew when they did or did not need to get involved in the lives of mortals, and helped develop even more of a respect for that boundary. For a modern culture, Hercules’ trials bring to light the issue of consequence and whether mental illness effect crimes done. “In courtrooms across the country, forensic psychologists and psychiatrists, judges and juries are confronted...this...question...: How responsible is the angry, mad, mentally disordered or psychotic violent offender for his or her destructive actions?” (Diamond). Although nowaday people often get away with crimes due to “insanity” or “mental illness/incapacitation”, this myth puts forth the idea that people still need to complete the consequence associated with the offense regardless of what they had prior to the event. Hercules mentally off and insane, due to Hera’s doing, when he murdered his children, however he still needed to accomplish the tasks in order to overcome the horrible actions he had done.

Historical-

Hercules’ labours have a direct correlation to the Hellenic religions. With that fact in mind and also the setting of the stories in mind, Greece itself was heavily affected by this myth. “By the end of these Labors, Hercules was, without a doubt, Greece's greatest hero” (“The Labors of…”). The story is meant to be a slightly unrealistic story of a hero that exemplifies qualities that the regular human population should want or strive for. “Human existence and the individuation process itself demand such heroic strength, stamina and courage from each of us in various ways” (Diamond). Greeks often used stories such as the story of the Twelve Labours of Hercules in order to embody how they wanted to act. By publicizing these stories those qualities and morals would reach and wider audience. Ultimately, the timelessness of these stories also made them be able to be read and understood throughout the centuries and continue to have these morals and envied qualities be passed on.

Works Cited:

Diamond, Stephen. “Why Myths Still Matter: Hercules and His Twelve Healing Labors.” // Psychology Today //. Sussex Publishers, 2009. Web. 1 April 2015. “The Labors of Hercules.” // Perseus Project //. Perseus Project, n.d. Web. 1 April 2015.