Hercules (or Heracles as he was known to the Greeks) was
regarded as the mightiest of the Greek heroes. He became famous for the twelve labors
that he performed for King Eurystheus. One of the stipulations placed upon Hercules
while performing his labors was that he carry them out without any
assistance.
Although Hercules was something of a "lone
ranger" during his famous labors, these labors helped provide salvation for a number of
larger groups. This is brought out especially in Euripides' Heracles,
in which the tragedian calls attention to a variety of groups for whom
Hercules can be regarded as a savior. On one level, Hercules became regarded as the
saviour of the people of Thebes by defeating Erginus and the Minyans. His capturing or
killing of various dangerous creatures led to him being considered the savior of Greece.
According to Euripides, Hercules even managed to save the gods themselves by helping
restore the honor that human beings owed them. Thus, in his play, Euripides has even the
goddess Madness show respect for Hercules:
This man, against whose house you are sending
me, has made himself a name alike in heaven and earth; for, after taming pathless wilds
and raging sea, he by his single might raised up again the honors of the
gods when sinking before man's impiety" (E.P. Coleridge
translation).
Thus, Heracles,
as an individual, is able to save his city, his country, and even the gods
themselves.
No comments:
Post a Comment