ABSTRACT

So far we have been considering Herakles the monster-slayer, the most long-lasting side to his character, although it particularly dominates his image in the archaic period. Herakles is, however, much more than a one-dimensional muscle-man. In this and the next chapter we will consider other aspects of his character which come to the fore in the classical period, when they are developed in a variety of media, though most especially in drama. To begin with, we look at Herakles’ treatment by the great fifth-century Athenian tragedians Sophokles and Euripides. In addition to the plays themselves, some reflections of their themes in the visual arts of the classical period are worth brief comment, before we turn to the revival of the tragic Herakles in first-century BC/AD Rome, especially in the tragedies of Seneca. Herakles is not, in fact, a frequent hero of the tragic stage, but the works under consideration here have had a disproportionately significant influence on the development of his image. Some of the elements of Herakles’ story which are dealt with are in themselves tragic, like the fit of madness in which he kills his first wife Megara and their children, or his death at the unwitting hands of his second wife Deianeira. Others are perhaps less obvious subjects for tragic elaboration, like his rescuings of Alkestis, Theseus and Peirithous from the Underworld, or his rape of Auge.