Classics 10: Chapter 15 Heracles (Hercules): Part 1: Early Life and LaborsSecond Exam: ThursdayHeraclesHeracles: ThemesI. The Birth of HeraclesThe Birth of HeraclesSlide 7Slide 8Slide 9II. Early AdventuresHeracles Loses His VirginityHeracles Gets MarriedMarriage, Madness, and MurderIII. The Twelve LaborsFirst Labor: Nemean LionHeracles and the Nemean Lion: The single most common theme in Greek artEurystheus and CopreusSecond Labor: Lernaean HydraSlide 19Third Labor: Ceryneian DeerFourth Labor: Erymanthian BoarHeracles Shows the Erymanthian Boar to EurystheusSide-Deed: Pholus the CentaurFifth Labor: Augean StablesSixth Labor: Stymphalian BirdsThe Twelve Labors = 6 + 6The Twelve LaborsClassics 10: Chapter 15Heracles (Hercules):Part 1: Early Life and LaborsI. The Birth of HeraclesII. Early AdventuresIII. The Twelve LaborsSECOND EXAM THURSDAYSecond Exam: Thursday•Chapters 10-17 ONLY (not cumulative)–Bring UCD 2000 Scantron and #2 pencil•Even coverage: 8 or so questions per chapter, most from lecture (65-70 total questions)•Know Key Names and Terms, flow of each story as presented in lecture•Read questions carefully, as we write them carefully; same level of difficulty as Exam 1•Katie’s Office Hours: Wed 12-2pm in 915 Sproul, or email her at [email protected]•Greatest Greek hero: Hercules in Latin–Warning: I often switch between Heracles (the Greek name) and Hercules (the Roman name)•Very common subject for Greek art and literature; most popular of all heroes•A hero for all Greeks (“panhellenic”)–Adventures throughout Greek world and beyond–Early labors center about Argos and Mycenae•Enormous body of myth and tales–Complete picture must be pieced together from many sources, no one dominant accountHeracles: Themes•Used strength to overcome scary things–Force for good, civilizing force, yet barbaric with force•Nature vs. culture –Progression from one to other?–Simple weapons to improve the life of men?•Clumsy big lug or clever trickster?–Success through bodily and mental strength •Tragic or comic hero?–Great deeds, suffering, recognition–Yet great appetites, comic indignitiesI. The Birth of Heracles•Complicated but ultimately humorous story•Perseus, founder and king of Mycenae, has son Electryon, who has 9 sons and a daughter named Alcmena•Electryon’s brothers and nephews–Alcaeus, who has son Amphitryon (good)–Sthenelus, who has son Eurystheus (bad)•Electryon’s sons killed by piratesThe Birth of Heracles•Electryon entrusts Alcmena to his nephew Amphitryon in order to go fight the pirates•But Amphitryon then quarrels with Electryon and kills him•Amphitryon banished for blood guilt, flees to Thebes, where he is cleansed•Amphitryon there marries Alcmena, but she won’t have sex with him until he avenges her dead brothers•Amphitryon departs to kill the pirates, and is soon successfulThe Birth of Heracles•Amphitryon returns in triumph and takes Alcmena right to bed•Then Amphitryon returns in triumph and takes Alcmena right to bed (?)•Turns out the first Amphitryon was actually Zeus disguised to look like Amphitryon (!)•Alcmena’s night of two lovers makes her pregnant with twins–Heracles, seed of Zeus–Iphicles, seed of AmphitryonThe Birth of Heracles•When Alcmena due to deliver the babies, Zeus boasts that a child of his seed would be born who would rule all the surrounding lands•Zeus then tricked by Hera, who makes him swear that the son born that day would be king•Hera then stops Alcmena’s labor and induces the birth of Alcmena’s nephew Eurystheus (grandson of Perseus, who was a son of Zeus)•Zeus angry but acknowledges Hera’s success: Eurystheus will rule and not HeraclesThe Birth of Heracles•Story of Heracles’ birth thus comical–Alcmena’s two Amphitryons–Hera’s trick upon offspring of Zeus’ lover•Perhaps a comic downgrading of Egyptian myth?–Son of a pharaoh is divine, because the god also comes to the queen in the form of her husband–Queen thus has paired lovers–Important for Egyptian political system that rulers regarded as gods•Heracles’ name also a joke: “Glory of Hera”?–Or is it rather generic: “Glorious Hero”?II. Early Adventures•Hera sends big snakes to kill baby Heracles–Hercules strangles them in his crib–His divine parentage now realized•Zeus insists that Hera nurse baby Heracles–He bites her nipple, she pulls him off–Her milk spray = The Milky Way (!)•This is representative of the many ‘Heracles jokes’•In school, Heracles’ big fingers would break the lyre strings rather than pluck them–His teacher Linus, brother of Orpheus, criticized him so much that Heracles bashed in Linus’ head with lyre–Acquitted of murder on basis of self-defense (!)Heracles Loses His Virginity•Heracles grows to eight feet tall, wins all athletic contests: obviously virile•Hunts the lion of Thespiae for 50 days, sleeps at the house of King Thespius•Thespius sends one of his daughters to Heracles every night, gets 50 sons•Variant story: Wildly drunk, Heracles impregnated them all in a single night!•Heracles attracted all sorts of legendary stories to him, things larger than life were his specialty–Any great physical accomplishment appropriate for him, be it noble or naughtyHeracles Gets Married•Heracles soon marries Megara (daughter of Creon, the king of Thebes), has 3 sons•This is the Meg in the Disney movie Hercules (at right)•Don’t tell your kids what really happens to Meg until they are grown!Marriage, Madness, and Murder•Driven mad by Hera, he kills his wife Megara and their three sons in a violent spasm•A hero can be a danger to his own: this is perhaps the most shocking example–Gilgamesh took the virginity of the girls in his city•Athena strikes him sane again•He goes to Delphi to ask the oracle how to atone for his horrible crime•Is told he must serve Eurystheus (whom Hera had born before him, thereby tricking Zeus) and perform 12 labors for himIII. The Twelve Labors•The Greek word for the labors = “contests” (“athloi ”) < our word athletics•The great deeds of Heracles so numerous that ancient commentators grouped them:1. The 12 Labors (6 at first? or 10? when fixed at 12?)2. Side-Deeds while performing the 12 Labors3. (Other) Deeds•We will cover the Labors and Side-Deeds together, save other Deeds for next lecture–Heracles’ labors are ultimately a contest against