Hercules is known as a demigod Roman hero. As a son of Zeus, he was shunned by Hera due to him being an illegitimate son- this ultimately caused the majority of his fame, as he went through trials and tribulations due to Hera. Hercules most known challenges are the 12 Labors which included: killing the Nemean Lion and Hydra (a creature who had 7 heads), capture the Cerynitian Hind and the Erymanthian Boar, clean the Stables of Augeius in a day, drive away the Stymphalian Birds, bring back the Cretan Bull, the Mares of Diomedes, Hippolyte’s Girdle, the cattle of Geryon, the Golden Apples of Hesperides, and Cerberus. He is one of the most well known Greek Mythology characters, and can often be seen being referenced in our society today.

Hercules’s tales have been carried across the globe due to the legends of his labors, resulting in many statues, paintings, and tales being created. The picture above is an example of this- it is a movie poster advertising the release of the movie Hercules. In this example, the trope is Hercules and the trope represents adventure, strength, and entertainment. The movie largely focuses on Hercules’s quest against Hades and not the 12 Labours which he had to complete. Nonetheless, the movie was a box office hit generating over 252 million dollars. An individuals perception of the movie may be altered based on their background knowledge of Greek Mythology, and more specifically the story of Hercules- the producers decided to speed through the 12 Labors which Hercules had to complete, and instead focus on how Hades, Meg (Hercules love interest) and the Greek Gods interact, they made their own variation of the story in order to make it more enjoyable for younger viewers. However, one can see that this version of Hercules represents strength as he is able to overcome Hades challenges and battles- one can see the tension and frustration between Hercules and Hades through the illustration of the poster, as Hades appears to be frustrated as Hercules holds up the world and is in the spotlight.

Hercules influence can be seen in marketing as well, as this advertisement uses the trope of Hercules to represent the strength and durability of their bikes. As the hero, this bike will be able to withstand any challenge that is thrust against it and overcome any damage which is inflicted upon it. My understanding of the image is that the company is using the name Hercules due to the credibility of the Greek Hero, my background on Greek Mythology allows me to make this connection and observation for the advertisement as I am aware of the stories of Hercules strength and durability, I feel as though if a consumer did not have an understanding of the tales of Hercules, they would struggle to understand the name of the product or what it is attempting to be claimed or demonstrated.

The advertisement itself is quite old (published in the 1920’s), one can identify this through the way that the individuals dressed in the ad appear to the consumer- as the female wears a longer dress, and it seems as though the couple is happy because they own a Hercules bike. I feel as though the overall understanding of greek mythology may have been less than in today’s society, and that is why the publishers of the comic found it necessary to not only talk about the durability of the product, but demonstrate it’s appeal as well- because it appears that they are trying to convey that not only is this bike strong, but it is such a high quality bike that it will make you extremely happy as well.

 

This was a newspaper ad published by the Daily Mail in order to make a comment on how many politicians and people in power claim they want to be tough on crime, but never follow through with it. The ad is suggesting that being tough on crime is as difficult of a challenge as one of Hercules’s 12 labors, one can see this with the use of the left character naming off the first two labors Hercules completed, and then adding the third labor as being tough on crime. Also, by adding the caption underneath the cartoon as “The New Labors of Hercules” one can assume that the “new” labors are customized towards our updated society, and based on what we need (when this comic was first published), which was an individual to be tough on crime. Although this image was published in a newspaper over 5 years ago, I feel as though the context and understanding of the joke has not changed, as citizens today are still demanding that political leaders “step up” and address being tough on crime- thus it is still a challenge which political leaders / Hercules have been unable to overcome. Similar to the other images provided, if an individual is not aware of the story of Hercules and his 12 labors, they may struggle to understand the context and relevance of the “new labors”. Thus someone needs at least some information on Greek Mythology in order to truly enjoy the comic and joke.

Information gathered from:

https://www.greekmythology.com/Myths/Heroes/Heracles/heracles.html

https://www.google.com/searchrlz=1C5CHFA_enUS764US764&biw=1280&bih=698&tbm=isch&sa=1&ei=6r9mXJ2iGeTr_Qa8irKoDQ&q=hercules+poster&oq=hercules+poster&gs_l=img.3..0l2j0i5i30j0i8i30l7.38508.49942..50019…0.0..0.62.599.11….2..1….1..gws-wiz-img…….0i67.4Ky8XoXHlBw#imgrc=tIRUwNB9lGClWM:

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1097670/Tough-punishment-youth-knife-crime-misguided-says-sentencing-panel.html

http://www.oldbike.eu/museum /1920s-3/1925-2/1925-hercules-popular-ladys-bicycle/