Heracles (Hercules Furens) Literary Elements

Heracles (Hercules Furens) Literary Elements

Genre

Greek Tragedy

Language

Greek

Setting and Context

Thebes, 416 BC

Narrator and Point of View

POV is that of Amphitryon, Megara and Heracles

Tone and Mood

Serious, Dramatic, Tragic

Protagonist and Antagonist

Protagonists are Megara, Amphitryon, Heracles and his sons. Antagonists are Lykos and Iris.

Major Conflict

Lykos wants to kill Megara and her sons in order to take the throne from her father and stop any future attempt of Heracles' sons from killing him.

Climax

Heracles returns from Hades to kill Lykos, but the god Iris causes him to go mad and slaughter his family. He isn't allowed to mourn his family and observe their funeral, and must leave Thebes.

Foreshadowing

Megara deciding to prepare her sons for execution foreshadows their death.

Understatement

It is understated as to why Zeus never appears to help his son.

Allusions

The play is an allusion to the interplay of the relationship of the gods and men. Even the father of Heracles, Zeus the king of the gods does not intercede to help his son, but allows Iris to cause him to slaughter his family. Apparently, all of Heracles' efforts were for nothing.

Imagery

Halls of Hades

Megora covering her chicks (sons) with her wings (arms)

Amphitryon, Megara, and her sons attempting to protect themselves at the threshold of the temple of Zeus.

Paradox

Heracles kills Lykos and stops him from murdering his family, paradoxically Heracles goes mad and slaughters his wife and sons.

Parallelism

Heracles deciding that suicide is cowardly and choosing to live parallels Megara's choice to be executed rather than be burned alive as only cowards would do this.

Personification

Madness becomes personified in Heracles as Iris causes him to kill his own family.

Use of Dramatic Devices

The Chorus of Old Men.

Update this section!

You can help us out by revising, improving and updating this section.

Update this section

After you claim a section you’ll have 24 hours to send in a draft. An editor will review the submission and either publish your submission or provide feedback.

Cite this page