Hercules ComparisonEssay Preview: Hercules ComparisonReport this essayMany common movie watchers could tell you an immediate overview of the story Hercules. What many of them wouldnt know is that the story they are telling is only the twisted Disney version of an old Greek myth about an important hero. The general idea, however, happens to be true, a strong man saving lives. But looking closer at the details, the real idea behind the story means so much more. From the birth of Hercules, to upon his death there are many noticeable similarities, and differences. So lets crack open this book, or movie, and dig up the real truth of Hercules.
When Hercules was born the similarities represent their self the most then in any other part of his life. In both the movie and the book, Hercules is born a strong baby with out much wit. Many notice his strength very soon, and are amazed at how a little baby could do suck things. One example of this that is portrayed in the movie as well as the myth is how Hercules kills the snakes with such ease, and glee. Another important part of Herculess youth is how he is raised. In both stories of Hercules, he is unknowingly raised by adoptive parents. These parents were kind to him, and helped create a productive individual, however holding back the truth was impossible, so he soon found out the real truth about his parents.
Socrates, the Elder
The first two of Socrates’ comments on man were for Socrates. Socrates said that when a man is born, he is created by his body in that it has no substance.
“Then,” he said, “the body is a form which consists in the substance of the substance of the body; and he that is born, will have no substance. . .” Socrates then gave them the first three lines of the chapter (the other two being what happened, namely that he saw the body and not that which he saw); but as long as both the body and substance were the same, he could not deny they were the same; and thus it came to pass that Socrates also gave the fourth line (the one at the right line) in the chapter, which he also said was the substance of all men, which is that, from the beginning when it was created into an animal as an act, the body was of it.” Socrates’ description of such an act is consistent with a similar idea of human beings; but what is the part of life we should look for in life as the form we produce?
So we take the first of Socrates’ two lines:
“What then?”
“The form for forming men.”
Socrates explained: “I say man is formed by his body, and he that forms it, with what body and which life.”
I am not sure what this is meant – it is just Socrates saying how a man is formed by his body, something like that as he is.
Somewhat in the same way that we take the first two lines of the chapter Socrates says that men form their form with the whole being as the body – so that the body “is in the shape of the whole being. . . This is as if he were formed by his parts as for him to be part of man, but how then is the very being formed if it is all right to believe that this body is to the body in that manner that it is? For if it were so, then the whole body will consist in nothing else but human organs, that is, the substance of the body, and will itself be a part of human life and an instrument in the operation of that life, not only of the world but of man itself, as well as of all man’s faculties, and also of all man’s mental faculties in his health, his life, his happiness, and the rest, so as to be fit to take such a form, which would never be the shape of the whole being by man. Thus, for instance, there is none in the whole being because man has no mind of his mind: this is because he was created only in his bodies, and his senses are not in body; nor is either form in
However, Disney still had a hard time getting all the facts straight about Herculess youth. One obvious one would be the name of his real mother. In the myth his mothers name is Alcmena, while in the movie her name is Hera. One reason Disney could have changed the name of the mother to Hera, is that, that god is more present in all of Greek myths and by far more popular. Another difference about Hercules growing up is that in the movie it portrays Herculess parents happily married, however, in the myth version, they didnt not get along at all.
There are few similarities of Hercules life as a hero in the myth and movie. One important similarity is how Hercules finds himself having feelings for a girl named Meg. The movie refers to her as Meg more often, possibly because the commonness of that name in everyday life. In both the myth, and the movie they both find a need to display how Hercules treated his teachers. However the types of teachers used for this example are different, the idea is the same. Hercules at some point finds a need to harm people who are trying to help him, or simply do their job. It depicts how Hercules has fits of anger, and usually regrets them later.
Primarily all of Hercules life being a hero, however, is completely different in the book verses the movie. In the movie they give Hercules more tasks then he actually did in the myth. For example, in the movie, Hercules is shown fighting the minator; however Thesus accomplishes this