Hercules, 1997

Feb. 15 2022 | TRISTAN MIRANDA

In the 1997 Adventure film titled “Hercules,” the presence of virtue ethics is seen throughout the entire running length. In the movie, the main character is the son of Zeus and Hara, known as Hercules. Born immortal, Hercules is the enemy of Hades, ruler of the Underworld. Hades is determined to rule Olympus, and the only way to do this is by poisoning Hercules as an infant, according to the fates of the past, present and future. His two sidekicks Pain and Panic are sent to kidnap Hercules and attempt to kill him. Unfortunately for Hades, they fail to sacrifice Hercules, who becomes adopted by an average family when found in an ally. As he grows older, he slowly realizes his abilities are very advanced and he has immense strength.

Eventually, he finds a statue in the form of his father, who educates him on his true identity. Hades, knowing they are together at this point, knows he must be stopped immediately. Using a beautiful woman by the name of Megara, she uses her charm and sarcastic personality to win Hercules’ heart. She baits him by distracting him from his power training, from Phil who is a trainer of heroes in ancient Greece. Once he becomes able to use his powers, Hades is threatened. Knowing he needs to act fast, Hades finds Hercules and persuades him to give up his abilities in exchange for Megara’s freedom and safety. They proceed to go into battle with Hercules’ strength completely gone. While they are in a vigorous fight, Megara is crushed by a pillar, which breaks Hades' promise of keeping her safe, returning the powers back to Hercules. Releasing the titans, Hades attempts to overrule Olympus but fails due to Hercules’ God-like strength.

In this film, the concept of Aristotle’s virtue ethics maintains its presence throughout the entire plot. For example, Hercules portrays virtues of courage and pride throughout the film when in combat against Hades and the Titans defending his city. Another example includes Hades showcasing the vices of greed and envy when he attempted to overthrow Zeus and his kingdom of Olympus. Hades was jealous of Zeus and wanted to obtain as much ownership as he possibly could. Another example that can relate to Aristotle’s ethics is when Hercules showcases the intellectual vice of gullibility when he is tricked by Hades fairly easily to give up his powers to ensure Megara’s safety which ultimately winds up to be a trap for Hercules. One final example is seen when Phil is training Hercules to become a hero. He showcases the intellectual virtues of attentiveness and perseverance when training Hercules to help him build up his strength and courage. Overall, the entirety of the film consists of Aristotle’s virtue ethics and is displayed in a variety of characters in the film.

Additional Resources:

Feb. 15 2022 | TRISTAN MIRANDA

Painter, Stephanie L. "Disney and Virtue Ethics: Understanding Disney Film through Aristotle’s Nicomachean Ethics." (2013)

In an academically approved thesis written by Stephanie L. Painter, the implication of Aristotle’s virtue ethic framework within multiple disney films is further discussed. In her Film #2 analysis, she dissects the virtue ethics within the Hercules film. In her research, she breaks down the film's plot while highlighting the aspects of Aristotle’s work within the film. For example, she states “ Hercules admits a desire of wanting to fit in, to maintain and develop friendships—qualities Aristotle stresses that a proto-virtuous person must possess” (Painter 27). She further goes in-depth about the cultivation of virtue ethics within the film by providing an in-depth look at how a variety of characters showcase traits and qualities that are related to the virtues and vices discussed in the reading. She does this throughout her entire summary of the film, consistently making reference to ideologies introduced by Aristotle. The academic citation is provided below to further analyze Painter’s research.

Hercules, Morals and Values