Greek Heroes Are as Problematic and Transgressive as They Are Capable of Extraordinary Feats of Strength and Bravery.

Adrian Senk-Hoffmann

3/5/2016

Greek heroes are as problematic and transgressive as they are capable of extraordinary feats of strength and bravery.

Discuss in relation to one or more of the following: Heracles, Theseus

Within Greek myths, Heroes and Gods often show qualities and do things seen as problematic and transgressive to the way of society. Two heroes which display extraordinary feats of strength and bravery in contrast with their problematic, transgressive ways are Theseus and Heracles alike. Both heroes complete numerous tasks, saving many people, for the good of the world. However, each show their rebellion to society in some form, breaking rules set in place to keep order. Theseus is deceptive and overeager, while Heracles is brutish and outright uncontrollable. These do not come in vein. As with the purpose of myth, a message can be sent. The message being balance in deed and life, while exemplifying the good, focussing on what is right in the world, while still showing examples of the wrong path; as a hero should.

This brings us to Theseus, whom, throughout many of the ancient Greek myths, his gallant , heroic qualities shine through. His strong belief in justice - apprehending those who have done wrong in the eyes of society. As summarised by Barry powell:  “The legends of Theseus encapsulated, symbolised, and justified Athenian policies: ascendancy at sea, suppression of marauders, and determined resistance to the barbarian.”^[1] This is done through his extraordinary strength and bravery which can be categorized under the gods doing - Son of poseidon and king Aegeas. Although, due to this, problems can arise typical to  those seen in other myths. Theseus often strays, regularly becoming problematic and transgressive, where he feels as if he can avoid those beliefs he so strongly believes in. However, his demigod status, gives somewhat of an exemption as with Dionysus, Zeus and other mischievous gods. By balancing the good deeds, Theseus is often seen “as spokesman for the Athenians’ self-image, Theseus appears in numerous tragedies as the defender of justice.” This is first represented by the Amazonomachy and the Centauromachy. These battles each displayed a transgressive form of society. Multiple Greek heroes have been told to battle and win against these factions, putting in negative connotation the ways these factions live: “Like the Amazonomachy, the Centauromachy in Greek art came to symbolize the struggle between civilisation and barbarism, between Greek and foreigner.”^[2] This symbolisation represents a perversion of all that is absolute and set within society's rules, creating a threat to the family values, with their barbaric, primal ways. Overall, tearing apart the basis of the Greek’s civilised society. However, as with all Greek gods and heroes, Theseus has his downfall, seen in his deception of princess Ariadne and piety attempt at taking Hades’ wife, Persephone. Firstly Theseus transgresses by: “stealing the daughter of Minos away with him, then cruelly abandoned his companion on that shore.”^[3] This act of abandonment may be harsh and punishable, however, Theseus has just destroyed the Minotaur who causes grief for Athens, which gives exemption and balances his deeds. The idea of wrongdoing in ancient Greece was to be bad and do bad. Theseus may transgress, but it is his godlike power, status and actions which keep him from being punished. This idea can be seen further when Theseus  steps over the boundaries when "Theseus descended into Hades in order to carry off Proserpine."^[4] This action does not go unpunished as it is the downfall of Theseus. Hades apptly punishes Theseus’ overzealous attempt at taking his wife, leaving him there with his friend, bound for eternity. Therefore, Theseus may have the strength and bravery to complete extraordinary feats, however, he is still susceptible to wrongdoing. When these transgressive actions overweigh the good deeds, Theseus shall be punished. This teaches the idea of balance. The idea that no one is perfect, including the heroes and gods. One must attempt to strive for balance in good and bad deeds.

This idea that the Greek heroes are as problematic and transgressive as they are strong and brave continues its trend with Theseus’ cousin, Heracles. This is a hero who is held in complete veneration within ancient Greek society, overlooking his ruthless, brutish actions; only to shine a light on his just, heroic deeds. Similarly to Theseus, Heracles shows balance in his actions. A more obvious take on the importance of balancing good and bad is seen when Heracles murders his family when possessed: “with single arrow slew both his wife and child.” Shortly after, Heracles is set on a  quest for twelve labours in order to atone for his sins. This balance represents Greek society and gives a hero for the common person to look up to and abide by. This is further developed through Heracles personality as he goes along the labours. Still maintaining his brute-like personality, Heracles is a fun loving hero. He offers a personality which people can enjoy, with his humorous tales, “his reputation for womanizing and gluttony made him a figure of fun.”^[5] However, Papadimitropoulos disagrees, stating: “His famous twelve labor established him as the civilizer par excellence and as the great benefactor of humanity. And yet his behaviour repeatedly transgressed from the bounds of human moderation, as his overwhelming vitality led him to actions that violated the norms of civic, familial, and religious institutions”^[6] This repeated transgression by Heracles may be seen as unexplained, due to his reward of immortality and god status in his afterlife. In this, Heracles actions can be justified, as gods are typically exempt from wrongdoings when staying within the boundaries of justice. Heracles was given immortality for a reason. If his bad deeds had outweighed the good, there would have been no thought into giving him godly status. To a modern mind, heroes are thought of as people that only do good by society’s standards. Today's heroes are perfect and never commit bad deeds. However, ancient Greek myths show Heracles has shortcomings compared to heroes of today. He is often selfish and does not always choose to do good. In order to see how Heracles was regarded as one of the mightiest of heroes, we must consider our modern day beliefs, compared to those of the ancient myths. An example of characters still idolised today, are seen in the Bible’s Old testament. Many people often commit serious sins. However, instead of focussing on the bad deeds, their good deeds are emphasised - in end, downplaying bad deeds and portraying the person as a hero. This is how Heracles is able to commit his random acts of destruction and still be seen as a justice representative. Therefore, explaining the reason to why he may be seen as transgressive and problematic, when his good deeds outweigh the bad.

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