How Does Sophocles Present Heracles As A Tragic Hero

In constructing his figure Heracles in the Women of Trachis, Sophocles uses other characters’ descriptions of Heracles in the first half of the play to establish Heracles as the hero of the Greek Tragedy. Deianira describes Heracles’ super strength through the retelling of his battle with the river god Achelous, as “He closed in combat with the river god / And set me free” (Women of Trachis, ll.20-1). Heracles’ ability to go head to head in combat with a deity is supported by Deianira’s acknowledgement of Heracles’ divine parentage, “Heracles, Zeus’ and Alcmena’s glorious son” (Women of Trachis, l.19). Sophocles has constructed Heracles to appear in this tragedy as a monster killer, eliminating unnatural danger, the audience would understand

However Sophocles presents the ambivalence of Heracles as a Greek Hero through the character Lichas in episode one. Lichas’ speech brings to attention undesirable characteristics of Heracles through his tale of the hero’s killing of Iphitus. In actions likely to be deemed cowardly by the audience, Heracles throws Iphitus over the citadel walls while the latter was distracted (Women of Trachis, ll.270-4). Lichas details how “This incident made Olympian Zeus, the royal / Father of all, extremely

The Messenger expresses that it was Heracles’ passion “That caused Oechalia’s ruin. It wasn’t destroyed / By Lydia’s queen, but Heracles’ flagrant passion” (Women of Trachis, ll.433-4). This impression of Heracles being susceptible to being ruled by his emotions, is further supported by Lichas who claims “the girl / Inspired the terrible passion that shot through Heracles” (Women of Trachis, ll. 475-6). While Heracles was made a slave for his killing of Iphitus, Ryzman (1993: 73) argues that, in actuality, Heracles’ real enslavement is to his passion. Highlighted by Lichas’ words to Deianira in explaining Heracles’ destruction of Oechalia to claim Eurytus’ daughter Iole, “Your husband’s prowess may be supreme in everything else, / But his love for her has proved his utter defeat” (Women of Trachis, ll.488-9) Sophocles is presenting an weakness of Heracles that is far removed from the image audiences would have formerly constructed. Through this incident in the play, Sophocles’ audience would be made aware of the parallels between Heracles, and the river god Achelous illustrated in the prologue of the play. Both possess aspects of nonhuman power, with Achelous being the river god, and Heracles the son of Zeus, both are overcome by sexual desire for a mortal woman, and both expressing violence due to this overwhelming passion (Sorum 1978: 63-4). Sophocles’ audience would