Hercules’ strength amazes everyone. But can muscles alone make him a hero?
Learning Objective: Students will identify what character traits make Hercules a hero in this dramatic retelling of the Greek myth.
Nemean Lion
N1: The strongest man who ever lived was born in ancient Greece.
N2: Stronger than Superman?
N3: Even as a baby, he was stronger than Superman!
N1: Which caused some problems between his father, Zeus, the king of the gods—
N2: —and the goddess Hera, his jealous stepmother.
Hera: Look at your son. To pluck apples, he uproots the entire tree.
Zeus (proudly): Nine months old and already stronger than 10 men.
Hera: He is ruining our home, Mount Olympus. He must be sent away.
Zeus (shocked): He’s my son!
Hera: But he’s not mine. His mother is only human, not a goddess like me.
N3: Just then, Hercules’ teacher, Chiron, gallops in.
N1: On four legs. After all, he’s a centaur, half human and half horse.
Chiron (stamping his hooves): My king! I can’t teach like this. The baby Hercules has brought a tiger into the house. He’s playing with it as if it were a kitten.
Hera: You see, Zeus? He is putting everyone in great danger.
Zeus (sadly): Chiron, take Hercules to the mountains. Train him and put his strength to good use.
Wild Pig
N2: Hercules grows into a powerful young man.
N3: His strength never fails to surprise Chiron.
Chiron: Hercules, I saw you shoot that arrow, but where did it go?
Hercules: I believe it hit the moon, sir.
Chiron (jaw dropping): So it did. Now see if you can hit that vicious harpy that’s about to attack us!
N1: In the coming years, Hercules rids the entire countryside of the dangerous half bird, half human monsters.
Crowd: Hurrah for Hercules! Hurrah for Hercules!
N2: Admired far and wide for this success, he returns to his father’s palace.
Hercules: Father, have I now earned the right to become a god, immortal like you?
Zeus: That requires more than just physical strength and fame.
Hercules: What more can I do?
Zeus: You must discover for yourself how to become a true hero.
N3: But now Hera interrupts.
Hera: Hercules needs someone to challenge him with tasks worthy of his strength. I know just the person: my cousin King Eury.
N1: Little does Zeus know, Hera has a plan.
Queen of the Amazons
N2: Hera wants to get away with murder—literally.
N3: She pulls King Eury aside.
Hera: Eury, you must help me get rid of Hercules once and for all.
Eury: Has he won Zeus’ favor?
Hera: So much so that Zeus ignores my children, even though they are gods.
Eury: We’ll devise 12 impossible tasks. I’ll tell him that he must complete them before he can be a hero.
Hera: Yes! One of them is bound to destroy him.
Eury: First, I will send him to kill the Nemean (NEE-mee-uhn) lion.
Hera (excitedly): Its fur is so thick, no spear can pierce it!
N1: Hercules courageously takes the challenge. He returns to King Eury wearing the lion’s skin.
Hercules: Ta-da!
Eury (surprised): You succeeded!
Hera (aside): Rats! Let’s try another.
Eury: Hercules, now you must destroy the nine-headed Hydra. Its breath is poisonous, by the way.
N2: Hercules dashes off.
Hera: Fool! He doesn’t know that when you cut one head off that monstrous snake, two grow back!
N3: Faster than you can say “Greek yogurt,” Hercules is back at Eury’s palace.
Hercules: Done. Here are arrows dipped in Hydra poison.
Eury: Well then, for your next task, seek out the bloodthirsty wild pig.
Hera: It has tusks as sharp as swords.
Eury: And bring it back.
Eury and Hera: Alive!
N1: Hercules quickly outsmarts the wild pig by chasing it until it’s too tired to continue.
N2: He slings it over his shoulder and carries it back to the palace.
Crowd: Hurrah for Hercules! Hurrah for Hercules!
Geryon
N3: The plot thickens (and so do Hercules’ muscles).
Eury: If we can’t destroy him, maybe we can trick him.
Hera: What do you have in mind?
Eury: A challenge so disgusting he’ll refuse to do it.
Hera: And if he can’t complete all 12 tasks, he won’t be able to call himself a true hero!
N1: They call Hercules to the throne room.
Eury: Next, you must remove the mountains of manure from the stables of King Augeas (aw-JEE-us).
Hercules: Manure?!
Eury: If you don’t think that’s a task worthy of a hero . . .
Hercules: I’ll do it!
N2: Hercules sets off for the stables.
N3: The smell alone nearly kills our hero.
Hercules: This royal manure royally stinks!
N1: But his strength and his wits save him.
Hercules: If I toss boulders into this nearby river, I can redirect the waters.
N2: The waters flood the stables, washing them clean.
Crowd: Hurrah for Hercules! Hurrah for Hercules!
N3: King Eury hears of Hercules’ success.
Eury: I can’t believe it! Foiled again, Hera.
Hera: We must make the tasks even harder. Have Hercules bring me the golden belt from the deadly queen of the Amazons.
Eury: Yes! And capture the man-eating warrior!
Hera (excitedly): Then make him defeat the monster Geryon (JAIR-ee-uhn), who has three bodies joined into one. Hercules is sure to die.
N1: Again and again, they send Hercules off to meet his death.
N2: Again and again, he doesn’t.
Cerberus
N3: While Hercules keeps toiling, Hera’s blood is boiling.
Hera: How is he still alive? We’ve got only one task left!
Eury: I’ve got it! We’ll send him to kidnap Cerberus, the three-headed dog that guards the underworld.
Hera: That’s perfect. No mortal has ever returned from there.
N1: Hercules travels through a long, dark cave.
N2: He arrives at the River Styx.
Hercules: I need to get across the river to the underworld.
Ferryman: What’s the magic word?
Hercules: Uh . . . abracadabra?
Ferryman (sighing): No, it’s the other magic word: please.
Hercules: Can you please take me across the river?
Ferryman: That’s better.
N3: Once across, Hercules makes his way through fiery tunnels.
N1: At last he finds Hades, king of the underworld.
Hades: Hot enough for ya?
Hercules: I always sweat like this.
Hades: We don’t see many people with a heartbeat down here.
Hercules: I must have taken a wrong turn. Perhaps your dog can show me the way out.
Hades: If you can get these collars over his heads, then be my guest.
N2: Hades hands Hercules three spiked collars and a leash.
Hades: You’ll find him over by the big mountain of bones. Beware: He’s not friendly.
N3: Hercules gently approaches Cerberus.
N1: Cerberus cocks his heads to the side.
Hercules: Who’s a good doggy?
N2: Hercules speaks to each of the three heads.
Hercules: You are, and you are, and you are!
N3: Cerberus cautiously wags his tail.
Hercules (softly): I’m sure you’re not the monster everyone says you are . . . if you’re shown some love.
N1: Hercules extends his hand.
N2: Cerberus approaches with each of his three noses and sniffs.
Hercules: Good boy!
N3: He lovingly scratches behind the dog’s six ears.
Cerberus: Arf! Arf!
N1: Hercules puts the collars around all three necks and walks Cerberus back to Eury’s palace.
Crowd: Hurrah for Hercules! Hurrah for Hercules!
Hercules: Where is King Eury? I’ve brought him Cerberus.
Hera: Eury’s hiding behind his throne. He’s terrified.
Eury (trembling): Get that dog out of here! And you, Hercules, go away and don’t ever come back!
N2: Hera’s plan has backfired. She seethes.
Hera: The tasks did not defeat Hercules. He’s even stronger and more celebrated.
N3: Word spreads of Hercules’ legendary feats.
N1: Zeus welcomes him to Mount Olympus.
Zeus: As you’ve learned, my son, true heroes are measured not by the strength of their muscles alone.
Hercules: But by how those muscles are used.
Zeus: And by their courage and heart as well. You are now a god for all the ages.
N2: And to this day, Hercules is remembered.
N3: He is among the most famous of the Greek heroes.
Crowd: Hurrah for Hercules! Hurrah for Hercules!
Write Now
Imagine you are asked to create three challenges for kids to prove that they are true heroes. Write a paragraph to describe each challenge and explain why you picked it. Hint: Remember Zeus’ quote: “True heroes are measured not by the strength of their muscles alone.”
This play was originally published in the September 2024 issue.
1. Preparing to Read
Build Background, Preview Vocabulary, and Set a Purpose for Reading
2. Reading the Play
Close-Reading Questions
1. Which details in Scene 1 support the idea that Hercules was “the strongest man who ever lived”? (supporting details) Details in Scene 1 that show how strong Hercules was include that even as a baby, he was stronger than Superman; that he can uproot trees; that at 9 months old, he’s stronger than 10 men; and that he plays with a tiger as if it were a kitten.
2. What does Hera think about Hercules? (character) Hera is the stepmother of Hercules, not his mother, and doesn’t like the boy. She looks down on Hercules because he is half human, and she seems jealous of how much Zeus loves his son and ignores her children. She also doesn’t like all the destructive things that Hercules does and is concerned that he is dangerous to others.
3. Reread the last line of Scene 2: “Little does Zeus know, Hera has a plan.” Based on Hera’s feelings about Hercules, what inference can we make about Hera’s plan? (inference) Because we know that Hera hates Hercules, we can infer that her plan is to harm or get rid of him.
4. Reread Scene 3. Explain what the authors mean when they write that “Hera wants to get away with murder—literally.” (interpreting text) To “get away with murder” usually means to avoid taking the blame for something really bad you’ve done. In this case, Hera wants to actually get Hercules killed without anyone faulting her.
5. In Scenes 3 and 4, compare the reactions of Eury and Hera with those of the crowd when Hercules successfully completes his tasks. (compare and contrast) Eury and Hera are surprised, frustrated, and angry every time Hercules completes a task. The Crowd reacts with excitement and support for the hero.
6. In Scene 5, how does Hercules complete his final task? What does this show you about his character? (character) Hercules politely asks the Ferryman to take him across the River Styx. He then tries to trick Hades into letting him borrow Cerberus to help show him the way out of the underworld. After that, he is nice to Cerberus, and the dog lets Hercules put its collars on. This shows that Hercules is polite, clever, and kind.
7. What do the illustrations throughout the play add to the experience of reading it? (text features) The illustrations show Hercules dealing with some of the creatures and people from his 12 tasks. The pictures help us better understand what some of the unusual creatures Hercules encounters look like and how he conquers them. The red line made of dashes and arrows makes us think of a path that Hercules takes going from one task to the next.
Critical-Thinking Questions
8. At the beginning of the play, Zeus tells Hercules, “You must discover for yourself how to become a true hero.” By the end, do you think that Hercules has made this discovery? Explain your answer. (character) Answers will vary but may be similar to: Yes. During the 12 tasks, Hercules learns that he needs more than muscles to be a hero. He uses his brain to come up with a solution to cleaning the stables, and he uses kindness to get Cerberus to come with him to King Eury’s palace.
9. What character traits do you think are important for a hero to possess? (making connections) Answers will vary.
3. Skill Building and Writing
Featured Skill: Character
Differentiate and Customize
Creating storyboards is a great way to keep track of key events. Distribute papers divided into six sections. Students should label each section with a scene number and draw a picture for each scene, illustrating what they feel is the most important part. Ask them to provide a caption at the bottom of each picture.
Ask students to write an essay comparing this play with another Storyworks play about a Greek hero. They may choose either “The Three-Headed Beast” (about Bellerophon and the Chimera) or “The Snake-Haired Monster” (the story of Perseus and Medusa). Remind students to include the similarities and differences between the heroes’ friends, enemies, tasks, and character traits, as well as the authors’ tones.
This play uses many idiomatic phrases, such as get away with murder, once and for all, win someone’s favor, the plot thickens, blood is boiling, be my guest, and word spreads. As you read the play with students, pause to discuss the meanings of these expressions. Ask students if they know any similar idioms in other languages. Create—or add to—a reference list of English idioms (along with their non-English counterparts).
Can't-Miss Teaching Extras
Find other read-aloud play adaptations of Greek myths such as “The Three-Headed Beast” (Bellerophon and the Chimera), “King Midas,” “The Revenge of the Gods” (Echo and Narcissus), “The Curse of Winter” (Persephone and Demeter), and “The Snake-Haired Monster” (Perseus and Medusa).
This article from Kids News Australia provides information on each of the major Greek gods and goddesses. Scroll down to hear the article read aloud.
The chimera is just one of 20 mythological creatures featured in the wonderful illustrated book Greece! Rome! Monsters! Click here for a video read-aloud of the book.
It’s not likely your students will have to battle a mythological beast anytime soon, but other scary situations may arise. This video from Rocket Kids has some great advice about having courage and conquering fears. (Note that this video starts with a short ad.)
Literature Connection
The Twelve Labors of Hercules by James Riordan
The Labors of Hercules Beal by Gary D. Schmidt
Percy Jackson's Greek Heroes by Rick Riordan
Olympians (graphic novel series) by George O’Connor
