Weary Herakl

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Lysippos Weary Herakles.Rome, Italy.Roman marble copyof a bronze original of ca. 320 b.c317 cmNational Archaeological Museum, Naples.

Herakles, Greatest of Greek Heroes

Herakles was a Greek hero born in Thebes, son of Zeus and Alkmene, a mortal woman.Hera, Zeus’wife, hated Herakles and caused the

hero to go mad and to kill his wife and his children. As punishment he was condemned to

perform 12 great labors. After completion of the 12 tasks, Herakles was

awarded immortality, then Athena introduced him into the realm of the gods on Mount

Olympus.

Lysippos’s portrayal of Herakles

Lysippos’s portrayal of Herakles is an eloquent testimony to Late Classical sculptors’. His style was similar to that of Praxiteles and Skopas, who were interested in humanizing the great gods and heroes. Instead of expressing joy, the statues are dejected and weary.

The statueTo grasp the full meaning of this work the viewer must walk around it, infact Herakles holds the golden apples of the Hesperides in

his right hand behind his back. The strong man, so weary, must lean on his club for

support. On his weapon there is the lion’s skin, one of his distinctive attributes.

Our experienceOn March 27th, we went to the National

Museum in Naples and we saw the statue of Herakles. The guide told us that the original was lost and when the copy was found one of the legs was missing; so they added it to the statue. Some years later it had been found and now it is displayed in the museum.

Herakles became also a cartoon. Our favourite

one! It is a classical Disney and it speaks about his myth and his adventures. It doesn’t speak only about the 12 great labors, but also about values like love and friendship. It is a kind of musical, for this reason we like it and we know all his songs!

THE ENDCHIARA MARCHESE

DANIELA MANNAERIKA ESPOSITO

SERENA ESEMPLARE