HUMA 1105 Lecture Notes - Lecture 10: Taphians, Labours Of Hercules, Iphicles
10 Mar 2019
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Hellenic: heracles had a remarkable birth wince he had two fathers; zeus and amphitryon (a king of. Thebes): alcmene (heracles" mother) was tricked into a sexual relation with the metamorphosed zeus, who pretended to be her husband. Alcmene did not want to sleep with amphitryon, although she was married to him, until he avenged the deaths of her brothers, as her father electryon had planned. Electryon"s eight sons had been killed in a battle against the taphians. Alcmene"s beauty took on amphyitryon"s likeness in in order to engage with her into intimacy. The next morning amphyitryon appeared and wanted the consummation of marriage. Alcmene was impregnated with both mortal and divine seeds. Heracles" prize would be immortality (as the oracle claimed). Heracles fits the traditional hero archetype by background, appearance, labors, and deeds. His glory was achieved through incredible strength and willingness to help the others: as a hero, heracles represents the epitome of mankind: nobility, craftiness, and strength.
