Hercules Ancient & Modern

1 Course Unit

The mythical hero Hercules, one of the most well-known figures to emerge from the ancient Mediterranean, has remained popular around the world in one form or another to the present day, from Asia to America. What explains the enduring fascination? Hercules is a figure of multiples: myriad labors, multiple wives, multiple fathers, and multiple identities. In this course, like ancient writers and artists, we will use Hercules to explore questions of mortality, divinity, masculinity, madness, and contradiction. To that end, we will read Hercules in different ancient genres--Tragedy, Comedy, and Philosophy--and also in modern poetry, comics, television, and film. How do works erase or problematize the contradictory nature of our hero? How do other American "heroes" embody Herculean contradictions? Not Offered Every Year 1 Course Unit