Portrayal of the Gods
The Greek Gods portrayed in this film are of course unrealistic since they are cartoons and have a god-like glow surrounding them. Like the overall adaptation of the myth of Hercules, the myths of the well-known gods, like Zeus, were altered to make them more lighthearted and suitable for a larger audience. Even though the movie strays from the truth it does show the common stereotypes of each of the main gods and goddesses making them easily recognizable.
The golden glow around each of the gods shows the importance and immortally of the gods. It’s the one thing that sets them apart visually from the rest of the common population. We see the glow gets stripped away from Hercules as he is fed the potion to make him mortal. Later in the film, we see him regain the godly glow when he proves himself a true hero and becomes a god once again.
Even though Zeus was “King of the Gods” his story is full of adultery and violence. Zeus’ father, Cronus, after learning that one of his children would dethrone him as king of the Titans, swallowed all of his children. Zeus and his brothers, Hades and Poseidon, led a revolt against their father and overthrew him. Later in his life, Zeus had many affairs with mortal and immortal women, one of which led to the birth of Hercules. Zeus weapon is the lightning bolt and is known for hurling them at people who displease him. This version of Zeus, of course, wouldn’t be appropriate for a light-hearted, family movie. This is why Disney made him into the strong and wise but also fun and goofy leader of the gods.
Poseidon, Ares, Aphrodite, and Athena, to name a few are featured in the film, are shown wearing what we would assume they would wear. Poseidon, the God of the Sea, holds his triton and has gills. Ares, the God of War, is seen in his Roman style armor and helmet. Aphrodite, the goddess of love, wears a pink dress with a heart on her shoulder. Lastly, Athena, the goddess of wisdom and war, is also wearing Roman style armor and has an owl on her arm to represent her wisdom. These easily recognizable symbols make it more accessible for families and young children to understand the gods and myths around them.
One element that is interesting to look at is the relationship between the gods and the Titans. Hades frees the Titans, so that they may attack heaven and destroy Zeus. They are presented as representing the four elements: Earth (as a stone monster), fire (as lava), air (as a hurricane) and water (as lethal ice). The scene of Hercules helping the Olympians resembles the fight against the Giants in the mythology. As well as in the myth, Hades is an ally of Zeus and the Titans are not the same as the four elements. According to some, Zeus liberated the Titans himself and they never revolted against him, though Zeus became the ruler of the universe by attacking them.
