Hercules - Heroes Journey

Fig. 1 Hercules

Hercules, directed by Ron Clements and John Musker in 1997 which won Golden globes, Academy awards and plenty more. The movie was mostly appreciated for its music and animation. The storyline for Hercules is one of the typical storylines in a hero’s journey. Hercules was kidnapped by the age of 2 and had his powers drained by his uncle’s servants, little did they know Hercules still had a small amount of power left. Before they were able to kill Hercules, they had to retreat as two couples found Hercules and brought him in as family. He grows up and finds it hard to live a normal life, founds out his real heritage and begins a quest to become a hero to be able to enter his father’s (Zeus) kingdom.

Fig. 2

In Hercules’s Hero journey started when he was kidnapped from the kingdom of immortals and taken to earth of mortals which would symbolise Ordinary World. Hercules is despised by the people in his village as his strength creates destruction around them. One day he destroyed all the pillars which made the villagers want him out of the way before one of them gets injured.

Fig. 3

Hercules’s family showed him a medal he had when they found him as a baby. This was a Call to Adventure as he went out seeking where the medal came from and realised he is an Olympian. His father Zeus tells him to find a mentor to become a hero and get his powers back to live with his true family. 

Fig. 4

Hercules finds his mentor Phil and tells him that his father recommended him. Phil laughs at the fact that Zeus is the father and refuses as he does not want to make a hero that will fail him again. This scene symbolises the Refusal of the call in a hero’s journey.

Fig. 5

Fig.6

Hercules Supernatural aid is Pegasus who can go the distance and come to his aid when he is n danger. When Phil Starts to train Hercules, he became stronger and was ready to start his adventure. Phil took Hercules to a land of troubles where he meets his first threshold and saves the damsel in destress. His uncle finds out he is alive as the damsel was his messenger, Hades (uncle) got lost his temper and decided to throw challenges in Hercules’s path to get him killed which represents The Road of Trails. 

Fig. 7

The more Hercules got over the challenges the harder it became. One day he got tricked by hades servants and fought a hydra who swallowed him. Just as we thought he was dead he cuts the belly of the whale (hydra).  

Fig. 8

As the story continues he falls in love with meg who symbolises the Meeting with the goddess. Since Meg works for Hades she was sent to Hercules to seduce him into loving her so she can find his weakness because she is a woman as temptress. They both fall in love with each other. Meg founds out he has no weakness never knowing hades found his weakness who happens to be his lover.

Fig. 9 

Fig. 10

In this storyline we see 3 father figures; Zeus, Father who brought him up and Phil the mentor. The only Atonement with The father shown in the film was the fight scene between the mentor and him as Phil warned Hercules that Meg is dangerous and Hercules disagrees and hurts Phil as he was blinded by love.

Fig. 11

Hades appear in front of Hercules and tells him to choose between his power or Meg and he choose Meg. Hades tells him she has been working for him and takes his power to meet Zeus leaving Meg and Hercules together facing an enormous monster. A pillar falls on Meg to save Hercules, this symbolises a Rescue from without which made him regain his strength to save Meg who dies. Hercules gets flown by Pegasus to the underworld creating a Magic flight to save Megs spirit whilst his is dying. He saves Megs spirit and becomes Apotheosis (God-like).

Fig. 12

He returns and sees Olympus in trouble this is called The Crossing of the Return Threshold as he defeats the titans and saves his father and the other gods. In the last scene Zeus shows the audience that he is the Master of two worlds as he takes Hercules’s power away from him so that he can live on earth.

Fig. 13

Hercules gets an Ultimate boon (reward) which is to stay with his family. Since he cannot live with his love in the immortal word he represented the Refusal of the return because he wants to spend his rest of his life with his first love Meg, who has been left by another before.

Hercules then gets the Freedom to live.

Illustrations;


Fig. 1 Hercules 1997 [Poster] At: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0119282/ (Accessed 24/10/2019)

Fig. 2 Hercules 1997 [Image] At: http://kevin.wikia.com/wiki/File:Hercules.png (Accessed 24/10/2019)

Fig. 3 Hercules 1997 [Image] At: https://www.pinterest.co.uk/dena4crafts/disneys-hercules/ (Accessed 24/09/2019)

Fig. 4 Hercules 1997 [Image] At: https://ohmy.disney.com/news/2013/08/24/even-disney-characters-are-slightly-awkward/ (Accessed 24/10/2019)

Fig. 5 Hercules 1997 [Image] At: https://ohmy.disney.com/news/2013/08/24/even-disney-characters-are-slightly-awkward/ (Accessed 24/10/2019)

Fig. 6 Hercules 1997 [Image] At: https://ohmy.disney.com/news/2013/08/24/even-disney-characters-are-slightly-awkward/ (Accessed 24/10/2019)

Fig. 7 Hercules 1997 [Image] At: https://animatedkid.wordpress.com/2014/08/10/walt-disney-animation-studios-review-hercules/ (Accessed 24/10/2019)

Fig. 8 Hercules 1997 [Image] At: https://ohmy.disney.com/news/2013/08/21/everything-we-need-to-know-we-learned-from-meg/ (Accessed 24/10/2019)

Fig. 9 Hercules 1997 [Image] At: https://www.emaze.com/@AOLTOTFFL (Accessed 24/10/2018)

Fig. 10 Hercules 1997 [Image] At: https://animatedkid.wordpress.com/2014/08/10/walt-disney-animation-studios-review-hercules/ (Accessed 24/10/2019)

Fig. 11 Hercules 1997 [Image] At: https://sanskritmagazine.com/2017/03/fun-facts-about-the-real-hercules/ (Accessed 24/10/2019)

Fig. 12 Hercules 1997 [Image] At: https://sanskritmagazine.com/2017/03/fun-facts-about-the-real-hercules/ (Accessed 24/10/2019)

Fig. 13 Hercules 1997 [Image] At: https://sanskritmagazine.com/2017/03/fun-facts-about-the-real-hercules/ (Accessed 24/10/2019)