Hercules- A Problematic Hero

Hercules was a problematic hero because the goddess Hera resented the fact that her husband Zeus had a kid with a mortal. She was so upset that she even tried to prevent his birth all together. When this failed, she decided to curse Hercules every now and then, rendering him completely insane. These fits of madness that he occasionally experienced often ended with Hercules killing at least some if not a number of innocent lives. However Hercules often performed many heroic deeds that helped many people stay alive. These conflicts made Hercules a problematic hero. He saved many innocent lives but at the cost of other innocent lives. He reminds me of the Star Trek next generation character named Q who enjoyed wrecking havoc on people's lives through out the galaxy, but who also played an important role in saving the Enterprise on many occasions.