Herakles (Ancient Greek: Ἡρακλῆς μαινόμενος, Hēraklēs Mainomenos, also known as Hercules Furens and sometimes written as Heracles) is an Athenian tragedy by Euripides that was first performed c. 416 BC. While Heracles is in the underworld obtaining Cerberus for one of his labours, his father Amphitryon, wife Megara, and children are sentenced to death in Thebes by Lycus. Heracles arrives in time to save them, though the goddesses Iris and Madness (personified) cause him to kill his wife and children in a frenzy. It is the second of two surviving tragedies by Euripides where the family of Heracles are suppliants (the first being Children of Heracles). It was first performed at the City Dionysia festival.
Contents
Characters
Amphitryon – Husband of Heracles' mother
Megara – Wife of Heracles
Lycus – Usurper of the throne of Thebes
Iris – Messenger of the gods
Lyssa – Madness
Heracles
Messenger – Servant from the court of Heracles
Theseus – King of Athens
Chorus of old men of Thebes
Plot synopsis
In a prologue filled with genealogical detail, Amphitryon outlines the ancestral history of Heracles' and Lycus' families. Lycus is ruling Thebes unlawfully and is about to kill Amphitryon, and—because Megara is the daughter of the lawful king Creon—Herakles' wife Megara and their children. Heracles cannot help his family, for he is in Hades engaged in the last of his twelve labours: bringing back the monster Cerberus who guards the gates there. The family has taken refuge at the altar of Zeus; they are forbidden to enter their palace and are watched too closely to escape.
The Chorus sympathize with them and encourage them, but, being old men, are unable to help. Lycus comes to ask how long they are going to try to prolong their lives by clinging to the altar. He claims that Heracles has been killed in Hades and will never help them. He justifies the proposed slaughter, claiming that Heracles' children will attempt to avenge their grandfather, Creon, by killing Lycus when they grow up. He depreciates the deeds of Heracles, calling him a coward for using a bow instead of a spear. Amphitryon, point by point, argues the other side and asks permission for them to go into exile. Lycus declares that he is through with words and orders his men to bring logs, stack them around the altar, and burn the suppliants alive.
Megara refuses to be burned alive: that is a coward's death. She has given up hope for Heracles' return and gets permission from Lycus to dress the children in robes of death to face their executioners. The old men of the Chorus have stoutly defended Heracles' family, but, because of their age, can do little more than disagree with Lycus and sing in praise of Heracles' famous labours.
Megara returns with the children, dressed for death. She tells of the kingdoms Heracles had planned to give each of them and of the brides she intended them to marry. As Amphitryon laments the futility of the life he has lived, Megara catches sight of Heracles approaching. When Heracles hears the story of Creon's overthrow and Lycus' plan to kill Megara and the children, he resolves upon revenge. He tells them the reason for his long absence is that in addition to bringing Cerberus back from Hades and imprisoning him, he also brought back Theseus, who is now on his way to his home in Athens. With the children clinging to his robes, he goes into the palace with Megara.
Themes
Ambiguity: Euripides' play Heracles asks more questions than it answers. Nowhere is this more apparent than in the topic of faith. During Euripides' time, though most Greeks, like Euripides' Theseus, would have been believers, there is a strain of thinkers who questioned traditional religion and the existence of the gods, much as Heracles does in the play. The play shows the story of how Heracles suffers the ignominy of killing his family. As is typical of an ancient Greek tragedy, the gods have a large hand in it. Hera hates Heracles because he is a living reminder of her husband's infidelity. Because of this she is cruel to him. She could bring about Herakles' death but instead she wants him to suffer. She sends Madness to drive Heracles to murder his wife and progeny. Madness herself sees the irrationality and senselessness in Hera's vengeance. The story, it seems, does an odd job of explaining the faith that the mainstream culture has. Heracles does not believe but has been to Hades and has seen the dog Cerberus and the dead souls of others. Despite evidence of the divine, he chooses to believe, much as Socrates does also, that the gods, as they are commonly believed to be, do not exist. This point of view may reflect the playwright's own. Even if it does not, it does reflect a viewpoint of Euripides' own time that is asking for more from the morality of its religion.
Dichotomy: Euripides' Heracles is a tragedy full of instances of dichotomies, as seen in its characters, events, and themes. Characters in the play stand on opposite ends of one another in terms of ideology and characteristics, creating a dichotomy between them. One example is found in Megara and Amphitryon. When confronted with their deaths and the deaths of Heracles's sons, the two have very different reactions. Megara accepts the fact that she and her children are going to die. Amphitryon, however, continues to hope that his son Heracles will return to save them. Together Megara and Amphitryon form a dichotomy of hope and defeat. Another example of a dichotomy between two characters is between Heracles himself and Lykos. Heracles is known as the most courageous man in Greece; and Lykos accuses him of cowardice. Yet Lykos is attempting to execute Megara and her children out of fear of something they might do. The actions of Heracles and Lykos show that they stand on opposite sides of the spectrum, with Heracles standing with courage and Lykos with cowardice. Furthermore, a dichotomy resides within Heracles. In his returning from the Underworld with Theseus Heracles saves his friend and creates life. In his murdering of his own family after being driven insane, Heracles completes the dichotomy by bringing about death. Finally, there is the theme of the gods' existence and the dichotomy of belief in the characters in the play. After killing his family, Heracles exclaims that the gods do not exist, while others, especially Theseus, argue the opposite. All of these dichotomies come together to create a play that is used more to ask and generate questions and all reflect the current concerns about the belief systems in play during our playwright's time.
Translations
Robert Potter, 1781 - verse: full text
Edward P. Coleridge, 1891 - prose: full text
Arthur S. Way, 1912 - verse
Hugh Owen Meredith, 1937 - verse
William Arrowsmith, 1956 - verse
Philip Vellacott, 1963, - prose and verse
Kenneth McLeish, 1997 - verse
Tom Sleigh, 2000
Anne Carson, 2006 - verse (in "Grief Lessons: Four Plays by Euripides"); in "H of H Playbook," a modern translation with interludes inserted between scenes
George Theodoridis, 2012 - prose: full text
Ian C. Johnston, 2020 - verse: [1]