Heracles'
Sorrow
The cassette tape continues to play and Alexander speaks. "Welcome
back,
friends. This is Alexander Alighieri. Now I will begin my second tale
of shock and tragedy. While in the Inferno, I found myself in the
seventh ring called violence. All around me were shades with little
shape or form. Screams of the tormented all around me. Then before me I
saw a man as large as a house. I knew I must speak with him. He was a
light in the darkness to me." I walked over to the large man. "Sir, who
are you?" I asked with some apprehension.
The large man's voice boomed, "I am Heracles. What do you want with
me?"
I then explained to Heracles who I was and why I was there. I knew the
stories about Heracles and his twelve labors. I began to wonder why he
was in the Inferno, in the first place.
I built up enough courage to ask, "So, Heracles, why are you in the
Inferno?"
Heracles hung his head in shame and said, "I killed many people in my
lifetime. Worst of all I killed my wife and children."
He then began to sob and wail horribly. I was shocked. I had never
heard this terrible tale. After a bit of internal debate, I asked,
"What happened, Heracles?"
He looked up at me with his bloodshot eyes and said, "It's all the
fault of the goddess Hera, who hated me because I was the son of her
husband, Zeus, and his human lover Alcmena. She cursed me and in a
blind rage I killed my wife Megara. Hera had filled my mind with
madness. So I went to a doctor to be treated. After I was treated I
went home. There I discovered I had destroyed my home in my blind rage.
Then it hit me and shame filled my heart. I knew what I had done. My
beautiful wife Megara was dead. My son and daughter slain by my hands.
I tried to redeem myself through the twelve labors. But the pain
remained in my heart. My dear Megara was dead because of me. Hera,
that blood-sucking dragon lady! Hera has hated me since I was born. All
because of her husband Zeus and his sexual antics with my mother. Hera
is just as much to blame for this tragedy."
I now understood why he was in the condition I found him. I then asked
"What is your punishment here, Heracles?"
With his head still hanging low he said, " I hear them constantly in
my head screaming 'Daddy, no! Daddy, please stop!' It never ends."
I was horrified. I asked if the twelve labors had redeemed him.
His response was upsetting. "They carry no weight in the afterlife. I
was used by Eurystheus, my archenemy. He told me my transgression would
be wiped clean. Then immortality would be bestowed upon me upon
completion of the labors. It was a lie, as I now know. So, now I sit
for eternity. Knowing, full and well, what I have done."
I tried to comfort him, by saying, "I am sorry, Heracles. The world
reveres you in stories, and very few know of your madness episode if
that helps any."
He looked at me and mumbled "I am here for eternity. What does it
matter."
I could see nothing I could say would help. I bid him a farewell and I
ventured off into the darkness. You will never guess who I met next.
Author's Note: Heracles was the son of Zeus and Alcmene. Zeus tricked
Alcmene by transforming himself into her husband. This made Heracles
half-man and half-god. Hera was Zeus's wife. Hera despised the fact
that Zeus was sexually promiscuous. From the moment Heracles was born,
Hera was out to kill him. Hera wreaked havoc in Hercules' life as much
as she could. Heracles did kill his children and maybe his wife
Megara. There are conflicting tales about whether he killed Megara or
not
though. Heracles was supposed to do ten labors to redeem himself.
There was some conflict over how two of them were completed. Therefore
two more were added to the total. Heracles did have a mean streak in
him too. When he was a boy, he killed his music tutor Linus with a
lyre. Heracles was married many times in his life. When Heracles killed
his first children it was because Hera cursed him with madness.
Heracles
killed his friend Iphitus when Hera did her madness curse again on
Heracles. In this story, I tried to show how sorry he was that he
killed his wife and children. It is also told that when he died he
ascended to Mt Olympus and was not in Hell, but I decided to take a
different view.
