Theme Of Vices In Greek And Hebrew Mythology
Napoleon Bonaparte once spoke, “Men are more easily governed through their vices than their virtues.” Tragically, he spoke truth, as men can’t help but respond when their sins call out. The evils in the world stem from the evils in individuals. This can be applied to not only modern society, but to the ancient world as well. In classic lore, the source of tragedy can almost always be traced back to the unscrupulous qualities of man and god, alike. Suffering is a common theme in Greek and Hebrew mythology in order to warn mankind of the consequences of their lethal vices. Both gods and mankind cannot resist the lure of hubris; it is the universal hamartia. The serial killer of the ancient world, hubris leaves nothing but carnage in its wake.
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Zeus also thought himself to be the best, but at least he was the king of the gods. Although, his status didn’t do him much good when it came to the wrath of his wife. Zeus, the eternal cheater, picked the wrong wife when he married the goddess of marriage. Above all, Hera valued commitment; the one promise thing her husband could not give her. Time and time again, Zeus would have an affair, and it usually resulted in the birth of a child. Zeus being an immortal, Hera could not exact the revenge on him, and turned to the countless women. In one version of Semele’s story, Hera tricks Zeus into killing Semele himself. After giving birth to Dionysus, Hera took Semele’s form, and asked Zeus to reveal to her his true form. Zeus agreed, and Semele was vaporized. Occasionally, Zeus succeeded in hiding his lovers from Hera. In these cases, she turned to the children. Heracles is one of these children who truly felt Hera’s fury. As a baby, she tried to kill him with snakes. When that didn’t work, she later caused him to go into a frenzy. Racked with madness, he killed his wife and children, causing him to complete the Twelve Labors of Hercules for redemption. Many blame the suffering on Hera’s wrath, and many on Zeus’ lust. At the heart, the fault was on
Zeus also thought himself to be the best, but at least he was the king of the gods. Although, his status didn’t do him much good when it came to the wrath of his wife. Zeus, the eternal cheater, picked the wrong wife when he married the goddess of marriage. Above all, Hera valued commitment; the one promise thing her husband could not give her. Time and time again, Zeus would have an affair, and it usually resulted in the birth of a child. Zeus being an immortal, Hera could not exact the revenge on him, and turned to the countless women. In one version of Semele’s story, Hera tricks Zeus into killing Semele himself. After giving birth to Dionysus, Hera took Semele’s form, and asked Zeus to reveal to her his true form. Zeus agreed, and Semele was vaporized. Occasionally, Zeus succeeded in hiding his lovers from Hera. In these cases, she turned to the children. Heracles is one of these children who truly felt Hera’s fury. As a baby, she tried to kill him with snakes. When that didn’t work, she later caused him to go into a frenzy. Racked with madness, he killed his wife and children, causing him to complete the Twelve Labors of Hercules for redemption. Many blame the suffering on Hera’s wrath, and many on Zeus’ lust. At the heart, the fault was on