Herakles Part 1
I feel bad for Herakles in the first half of this play. Herakles should be revered as a hero to Athens's people but is instead seems to be criticized for leaving his family. They won't say whether or not Herakles is dead, and I believe there is a reason the author decided to leave it up to question. Zeus plays a similar role at the beginning of this play as he does in Prometheus Bound. Even though we haven't met Zeus in this play, Megara prays to Zeus hoping that he will answer her prayers and bring Herakles home. Zeus is the father to Herakles, and just like in Prometheus Bound, Zeus doesn't seem interested in helping his son or his family in any way. It leads to questions like did something happen between Zeus and Herakles that led Zeus to reject his son's protection? Or does Zeus just see himself as too high and mighty to help? This play and Prometheus Bound more than other depicts Zeus as a 'bad guy' in attitude towards mortals. Before these two plays, I thought of Zeus as this high and mighty God that wanted to protect the people of Earth and in return be worshipped for his greatness. I now believe that Zeus knows that he can still be praised and worshipped without having any compassion for mortals.