Reference no: EM13374410 , Length: 993 words

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This passage encloses what is probably the key topic about Herackles and his epic struggles, namely, the fact I will explore how the struggles shape the narrative plot and transform Herackles, who is just a typical and family man with superhuman strength with heroic dilemma, who takes on 12 impossible challenges to purify his soul after killing his own family, which I will be discussing in this essay. I will explore how the struggles shape the narrative plot and transform Herackles and how he copes with that fate. After that, I will be comparing his life with Jesus Christ.
In my opinion, Herakles is the most popular super-hero in Greek mythology, brave and fierce. However, heroes cannot run away from the pain of human struggles; like, a stepmother who hates him, a father who does not protect him, and a feeling of not belonging in his community. He is a tragic hero who suffers from birth to death and dies in the end and sometimes he causes others to suffer too but most of the time unintentionally. Despite Herackles being an ideal and strongest action hero ever lived in Greek mythology, Herackles is still a typical man and lives a normal life. He is a womanizer, hard drinker, athletic, and has high sex drive. Heroes, like human beings, could not run away from committing crime; and terrible sins like when he kills his music teacher for self-defense, which causes him excluded from the community. Besides that, he finds it hard to blend in his community. He is married and has two kids so he is a family man. He becomes a prisoner of his own guilt when he kills his own family unconsciously causes by Hera's jealousy, even though he is not sure if he is the one who did it, showing that he has emotions just like other human beings. With that, he is doing goods to get rid of his guilt and to purify his soul so it shows that he represents and understands people. Finally, he is a mortal hero, which means that he can die, which makes him more of a human being.
Herackles' struggles shape the narrative plot and transform him when he takes on the famous 12 impossible challenges in quest for redemption and to purify his soul after killing his own family when Hera uses King Eurystheus to kill Hercules, which shows that heroes have no control over the power of Gods. With Pythia's instructions, he goes to Tiryns and serve for King Eurystheus who is the great grandson of Perseus, for 12 years. In the 12 labors, he has to fight against animals like killing the Nemean Lion and the Stymphalian Birds, capturing the Golden Hind of Artemis, the Erymanthian Boar, and the Cretan Bull. He has to fight against a monster when he kills the nine-headed Lernaean Hydra. He faces a different type of challenge for his 5th labor, as he has to do actual labor, which is cleaning the Augean stables in a single day. For this labor, he is not only challenged physically but he has to use his mental ability to uncover a plan and also his strength to actually do work. Other challenges that require courage and strength are the stealing the Mares of Diomedes, receiving the girdle of Hippolyta, Queen of the Amazons and the cattle of the monster Geryon, stealing the apples of the Hesperides, and capturing and bringing back Cerberus. Each time, the challenges get harder, as he has to travel to unknown lands and to the underworld but he never gives up and manages to overcome every obstacle. 
I will compare his life and death with Jesus, from birth to when he self-sacrifices his mortal self and comes back to life as God because he has many similarities with Jesus and since the story of Jesus happened after Herackles, I think that it is quite a coincidence that Jesus has many similarities with the mythical Herackles. Firstly, Herackles father is Zeus who is the King of the Gods, just like Jesus' father so both of them have a father who is a God. Secondly, Herackles mother is Alcheme, wife of Amphitryon. This is because Zeus disguises himself as Amphitryon and has sexual act with Alcheme when her husband is away. On the other hand, Jesus mother is the Virgin Mary but does not have a sexual act with God so both of their mothers are mortal. However, Herackles has a twin brother, Iphicles but Jesus does not. With that, according to Christianity, if it is to base on Herackles' story, we are Zeus and Alcheme's, the granddaughter of Perseus at Thebes, mortal children. Thirdly, another man, a stepfather, raises both of them. Amphitryon raises Herackles, while Jesus was raised by Saint Joseph. Thirdly, Herackles is from Thebes, Greece and Jesus is from Bethlehem, Judea, near Jerusalem so both of them live in the Mediterranean region. Fourthly, according to theoi.com, "Herackles is worshipped as the divine protector of mankind" and Jesus is the Messiah of Christianity so both of them are respected by their belief or religion. Fifthly, Jesus died around the age of 33 and according to wikianswers, Herackles died at the age of 37 so both of them died at a young age. Finally, Both had somewhat similar death. Herackles self-sacrifices himself to burn his mortality by setting himself on a funerary pyre and is carried to heaven with a thunder, Zeus and becomes God. He is the only demigod who becomes God. Jesus dies for human's sins and his death is one of the most important events in Christianity. 
Herackles performing the famous 12 labors definitely shows that he is brave and strong and his intentions of doing the labors show that he is an ordinary man. This assignment has taught me that heroes do not live an easy but a hard life and made me realize that his life and death is somewhat similar to another famous figure, Jesus Christ.