描述
Hercules was a mythological Greek hero who was adopted as Heracles by the Romans. He had superhuman strength as he was the son of Zeus and a mortal woman, Alcmene, whom Zeus deceived to sleep with. According to the myths, Hercules faced 12 Labours and the wrath of the goddess Hera, Zeus’s wife. His first feat was to kill two snakes Hera sent into Hercules’ crib when he was a baby.
Hercules got drunk at the home of a friend, Admetus, whose wife, Alcestis, had recently died. When Hercules found out, he was ashamed of his disrespect. He descended to Hades to rescue Alcestis by wrestling her with Thanatos (Death) to make up for his gaffe.
Hercules is a hero that we can identify with, a flawed man who suffered many hardships, overcame great difficulties, and lived life to the full. He was also known to imbibe a little too much wine on occasion. He had enormous appetites and little self-restraint.
Artwork. The Drunken Hercules. Peter Paul Rubens. 1615