Heracles: The Problematic Hero

Heracles is a problematic hero because of his use and abuse of his power. While his strength and his curse put him in a position where his help was necessary to aid others, it also put him in positions where it could be utilized for harm. His powers came as a blessing and a curse, helping him defeat several monsters and save many lives, however, in the process he needlessly took several others. His reckless actions perpetuated themselves. As he destroyed monsters people began to worship his as a hero and glossed over his reckless and dangerous actions. We see Heracles glorified as a hero in these tales because people tend to overlook the bad in favor of the good. We see this concept with vigilantes tales in our modern day, while they aren't exactly the same as Heracles, we still choose to overlook the bad deeds that people commit due to the good ones that they perform as well. In the tale of Robin Hood, he steals from the rich to give to the poor. While it is morally wrong to steal from anyone, Robin Hood is seen as a hero due to the good actions that he performs when giving to the poor. Many other tales such as all modern day superhero stories, namely the Hulk, show us heroes that leave destruction in their wake while ultimately performing a good deed.