Hercules His 12 Quests Essay Example For Students

Hercules: His 12 Quests Essay Like Perseus, Hercules was required to perform the miracu-lous. But instead of having to bring only one mission to a successful close, Hercules was ordered to complete twelve great tasks, which are often referred to in literature as the labors of Hercules. This is how the challenge came about. Hercules was the son of Jupiter and Alcmene, daughter of the king of Mycenae. When Hercules was born, Juno in a jealous anger sent two serpents to destroy him in his cradle. But Hercules, even then showing the strength for which he later became famous, strangled them. Junos hatred, however, was not easily appeased. She waited until Hercules reached manhood and had achieved some fame; then she placed a spell on him that made him insane. In his fit of madness he slew his wife and children. But he was cured by Minerva and saved by her from shedding more blood. In payment for his crime, for which he had really not been responsible, he was made the servant of his cousin, King Eurystheus of Argos, whose commands he was compelled to obey. Junos hand was in this, too. Eurystheus thought up twelve tasks that seemed clearly impossible of fu~llment. The Nemean Lion. Eurystheus first ordered Hercules to kill the Nemean lion, a terrible beast that had defied all would-be captors. The combat between Hercules and the lion was brutal and cruel. .Seeing that his club and arrows were of no avail in the battle, Hercules grasped the lion in his hands and strangled it to death. He returned to Eurystheus, wearing the skin of the lion as a cloak and the head as a helmet. The Hydra, or Water SerpenL Hercules was ordered next to slay the Hydra, a many-headed water serpent that had taken a heavy toll in the country of Argos. The middle head of the Hydra was immortal, indestructible. Hercules attacked the monster valiantly, but as he struck off one head, two others grew in its place. Hercules realized that he must change his plan of attack. With the assistance of his faithful nephew, he built a huge fire and burnt away the many heads before they could multiply further. The middle head, which was immortal, he buried under a rock. The Arcadian Stag. Eurystheus commanded Hercules to capture the Arcadian stag, a magnificent beast with antlers of gold and hoofs of brass. Its speed was far beyond that of the swiftest beast known. Hercules pursued it in vain for a year before he succeeded in inflicting a slight wound. Thus handicapped, the stag was captured by Hercules, who carried it, on his shoulders, to his tyrant cousin. The Boar of Eiymanthus. Like the Hydra and the Nemean lion, a huge boar had been laying waste the peaceful countryside. Eurystheus commanded Hercules to capture the beast. He pursued the boar relentlessly, finally captured it in a huge net, and carried it to his cousin. The Augean Stables. For thirty years the stables of Augeas, king of Elis, had been neglected. Hercules was commanded to clean these stables, which housed three thousand oxen. He succeeded in doing s~in a single day. How? He simply diverted two rivers so that they them. Junos hatred, however, was not easily appeased. She waited until Hercules reached manhood and had achieved some fame; then she placed a spell on him that made him insane. In his fit of madness he slew his wife and children. But he was cured by Minerva and saved by her from shedding more blood. In payment for his crime, for which he had really not been responsible, he was made the servant of his cousin, King Eurystheus of Argos, whose commands he was compelled to obey. Junos hand was in this, too. Eurystheus thought up twelve tasks that seemed clearly impossible of fulfillment. Was wasps intended as pure entertainment or was Aristophenes really serious about promoting political change? EssaySo he stepped up to Hercules and said, slyly, Ill take the apples to Eurystheus for you. But Hercules was clever, too. Pretending to accept the proposal, he requested Atlas to resume the burden of the sky just for a moment, so that he, Hercules, could adjust his lion skin as a pad. Atlas agreed, dropped the apples, and groaned as he once again bent over to receivethe weight of the heavens. When the load was safely shifted, Hercules politely thanked Atlas, picked up the apples, and went on his way. Cerberus, the Guardian of Hades. Eurystheus was desperate, for there was just one more task to be assigned to Hercules. Therefore he devised one that he was sure Hercules would not be able to perform. He commanded Hercules to descend to Hades and to capture Cerberus, the three-headed watchdog of the land of the dead. Un-daunted, Hercules set out. Assisted by Minerva and Mercury, he reached the throne of Pluto. Pluto agreed to permit him to take Cerberus to the upper world, but only on condition that Hercules use no weapons against the monster. Hercules consented; after a terrible battle, he subdued the beast. He carried Cerberus, snarling and frothing, to Eurystheus, who was so terrified when he saw Cerberus that he begged Hercules to restore the monster to Hades. Other Exploits. Thus Hercules finished his twelve labors and was allowed to roam the earth at will, once again a free man. But he did not return to a life of ease and quiet. Before his death, he had many more thrilling adventures, among them participation in the quest of the Golden Fleece After his death Hercules was made immortal. The constellation of Hercules forever circles through the sky. Among other constellations associated with the legends of Hercules are Hydra the water serpent, Leo the Nemean Lion, and Taurus the Bull for the oxen of Geryon. Indeed one explanation associates the twelve constellations of the zodiac with the twelve labors. There is an interesting postscript to the Hercules story. One of the most persistent themes in folktales is the theme of the fatal gift. Someone sends a gift to a supposed friend, but the gift is actually deadly. Sleeping Beauty falls into a long sleep after pricking her finger with a spindle. Snow White eats a poisoned apple and falls down as if dead. Jasons wife dies after putting on a poisoned wed-ding robe. Hercules, too, suffered from a fatal gift. Heres how it came about. Hercules and his wife Deianira were crossing a stream. Nessus was a centaur, half man and half horse. He offered to carry Deianira across, but he tried to kidnap her. Hercules shot the centaur and retrieved his bride. Before his death, however, Nessus told Deianira his blood would forever preserve Hercules love. Later, when Hercules fell in love with another, Deianira gave Hercules a shirt that had been steeped in Nessus blood. Hercules died in agony but was carried off to be with the immortals.