Both Seneca and Euripides portray Hercules in a similar manner with the same storyline. The action takes place after the last labor of the main protagonist, who kills the tyrant Lycus, the usurper of the throne of Thebes. Later, Hercules is cursed with madness by vengeful Hera, and in this state, he murders his own wife and children. After awakening from madness, Hercules attempts to commit suicide but stopped Theseus and Amphitryon, who take him to Athens for atonement.
The key similarity of both stories can be seen in the fact that the authors wrote a tragedy for Hercules in order to explore the role of violence in his acts of heroism. The writings’ central theme revolved around, demonstrating that violence is highly dangerous, even if it is conducted in benevolent ways. Both Seneca and Euripides illustrate that madness is a fragility of the main character.
However, there are major differences in both the context and purpose of the writings regarding Hercules. It is important to note that the overall political context primarily influences the representation of the main hero. Seneca wrote for the Roman audience, who lived in the imperialist Roman Empire, whereas Euripides wrote for Greeks, who lived in a democracy. The Greek author presented Athens as a city of glory and perfection, and thus, it was clear that it was an only savior for Hercules. However, in Seneca’s writing, Athens did not play an essential role and was a mere destination.
In addition, the source of madness is emphasized differently by the authors, where Seneca linked the hero’s madness to his nature, and Euripides considered it as being external. The Roman author put a great deal of emphasis on exploring the source of madness, which was only triggered by the goddess Hera. However, the issue was in Hercules himself, who was eager to use violent means to achieve his goals. According to Seneca, the main protagonist of the tragedy was always inherently dangerous, which meant that his willingness to conduct violence was a sign of his madness (Wilson). However, Euripides emphasized that the source of such behavior was due to divine powers. The author is clear that Hercules had no internal desire to be violent, and the influence of divine beings forced him to murder his family (Grene and Lattimore). In Greek writer’s story, the main hero is a victim of gods and goddesses, and thus, he spends a great deal on exploring the nature of divinity and fate.
In conclusion, although both authors present similar challenges to Hercules, the overall inner response of the character is different. The Greek version of Hercules is aware of the dangers of violence, and he is willing to comprehend the consequences of using such dire measures. His primary strength comes not from the physical aspect, but from the hero’s spiritual maturity of understanding the concept of suffering. In addition, Hercules is presented as a solid and already established character with strong resilience to act violently, and thus, Hera’s curse of madness is simply an outside factor. However, the Roman version of Hercules is more dynamic, where he needs to put a great deal of effort to resist acting in violent ways. The hero is intrinsically flawed, where he has strong temptations of abusing his strength for inflicting harm and suffering. Therefore, Hera’s curse is shown as a trigger and not a source of his madness.
Works Cited
Grene, David, and Richmond Lattimore. Euripides III. 3rd ed., University of Chicago Press, 2013.
Wilson, Emily. Seneca. Six Tragedies. Oxford University Press, 2010.