Heracles, or Hercules to the Romans, is the son of Zeus and Alkema. One night Zeus appeared to Alkema as her husband, Amphitryon, who was at battle defending his native Thebes. Heracles, whose name means "Glory of Hera," is constantly the recipient of Hera's wrath. In an attempt to bequeath her hostility towards the child of Zeus' infidelity, Zeus has the baby suckle Hera's breast while she is sleeping. Hera awakes to knock the baby away, only to have her milk spread across the galaxy, creating the Milky Way. Hera thoroughly attempts to destroy Hercules, only to be defeated herself, intensifying his heroic status among the Greeks. (Burns 16; Murray

Murray, Alexander S. Who's Who in Mythology: A Classic Guide to the Ancient World. New York: Wings Books. 1988

After forcing himself into exile Heracles praises Theseus for his companionship and ends with a humbling line, "Whoever prefers wealth or might to the possession of good friends, thinks wrongly." (Euripidus 1426) Euripides brings the play full circle. In the beginning Heracles was a Marlboro man, returning from Hades, and defying the God's limitations on the mortal man. The completion of his tasks served him as the greatest hero. Yet, the great hero succumbed to the will of Hera in killing his family. His uncontrollable wrath had soon withered to feelings of remorse and sorrow, more common to an infant losing his pacifier. He felt guilty for himself and was willing to give Hera her desire to see him dead. He now understands that he is a man and not immortal, for it is the first time that he has experienced death. With the revelation of the importance of companionship, with both Theseus and his father, and his final words the cosmos returns to order.

The third task that Heracles was to complete was to bring the Erymanthian boar, alive, to Eurystheus. Heracles used the inclement weather to his advantage and forced the boar into a snow bank, where he captured and bound the dangerous beast. Upon bringing the boar into the palace of Eurystheus, the king jumped into a bronze jar seeking safety. (Burn 19)

The fourth labor was another chase. In an effort to turn the God's against Heracles, Eurystheus sent Heracles to find the Cerynitian hind. A stag, with golden antlers and hooves, sacred to the goddess Artemis; our hero stalked the deer for nearly a year until he was able to sneak up on the stag capturing it unharmed. Fifthly, Heracles had the task of removing the Stymphalian birds that were terrorizing the countryside of Arcadia. Said to be man-eaters with wings as sharp as arrows, the birds' droppings were becoming a nuisance to nearby towns. With a brazen rattle fashioned by Hesphsetus and entrusted to him by Athena, he scared off the birds, shooting and killing as many as possible with his bow. (Murray 252)

Some common words found in the essay are:
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Approximate Word count = 2279
Approximate Pages = 9 (250 words per page double spaced)