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Hercules
Hercules was a semi-divine figure of great antiquity with equivalent gods or heroic
figures throughout the ancient Mediterranean cultures; there were many stories about
Hercules in multiple versions associated with his mythical life. In Greek mythology, he
was the son of Zeus and Alcmene and soon demonstrated his superhuman strength
when, as a baby, he strangled two snakes sent by Hera to kill him. There are a number
of travel stories about Hercules, including „crossing the Alps,‟ his twelve labours, as
well as „death and resurrection‟ stories which usually involve a visit to the underworld
and returning unharmed. Other stories include the „Choice of Hercules‟ by which he was
required to choose between two paths in life, one of Pleasure or one of Virtue; he chose
the path of Virtue and consequently represents the strength, courage and ingenuity of
man overcoming seemingly impossible circumstances for the betterment of everyone. 146
In this guise, Hercules had much to offer powerful individuals who wanted a more
complex form of aggrandizement than purely military success. 147
Alongside Hercules‟ superhuman feats and cares for mankind were his many human
frailties; he frequently succumbed to the effects of alcohol and his libido. These diverse
attributes have endeared him to artists and to stage performers for generations. There are
representations of Hercules 148 in paintings, reliefs, sculptures and bronzes, usually with
attributes alluding to one or more of his labours for ease of identification.
Texts, fragments and titles of dramatic productions from the ancient world featuring
Hercules span a period of at least 700 years. There are stories of him in the underworld
in Aristophanes‟ Frogs; he has a major role in Euripides‟ Alcestis, c 438, where his
characterization is described as a disconcerting mix of comic and superhuman. 149 In the
extant Roman tradition, Hercules appears in Plautus‟ Amphitruo; he features in Senecan
and pseudo-Senecan plays, and, in the second century AD in North Africa, Tertullian
implies that „death and resurrection‟ plays about Hercules were performed on-stage in
their gruesome entirety (Tertullian, Apologeticum, 10.5; Ad Nationes, 1.10.47). 150
146
Choice of Hercules by Prodicus, preserved in Xenophon‟s Memorabilia, 2.1.21-34. Cicero, de Officiis,
1.32. See Anderson, 1928, 7-58.
147
See Rawlings and Bowden, 2005, 185-239 for discussions about the appeal of Hercules to later Roman
emperors from Nero to Constantine.
148
Two well-known examples: Relief sculpture, Hercules‟ labours: Temple of Zeus, Olympia. Bronze
sculpture of drunk Hercules: Villa dei Papyri, Herculaneum
149
Grant, 1960, 266.
150
Bonnet, 1988, 172-9 argues that Tertullian confirms the Hellenisation of Melqart to Hercules which
neglects the point that North Africa had been under Roman rule for centuries.
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