Greek Mythology in
Modern Movies
By Neil Shahdadpuri
Objective
Over the last few decades, many Hollywood movies
have relied heavily on the influence of Greek
mythology. These myths have made an impact on
modern culture and continue to have a powerful
impact in Hollywood today. The following presentation
demonstrates how Greek mythology is still
incorporated into modern movies through direct and
indirect relationships.
Direct and Indirect Relationships
Direct Relationships: The examples of “Hercules” and
“Clash of the Titans” portray the Greek Gods as
themselves, incorporating the Gods’ real names and
prominent characteristics into the plots.
Indirect Relationships: The examples of the “Little
Mermaid” and “The Lion King” create their characters
relying on Greek influence but don’t necessarily make
references to Greek mythology.
Direct Relationships - Hercules
“Hercules” (1997): Ron Clements and John Musker
Plot: The son of Zeus, Hercules, is turned into halfgod and half-mortal by Hades, God of the Underworld,
who plans to overthrow Zeus. Hercules is raised as a
human on Earth, but he retains his God-like strength;
however, when he discovers his immortal heritage,
Zeus tells Hercules that in order to return to Mount
Olympus he must become a true hero. Hercules
becomes this true hero with the help of his friend
Pegasus and his personal trainer, Phil, the satyr.
Hercules battles monsters, Hades, and the Titans, but
he sacrifices himself to rescue his one true love, Meg.
Direct Relationships - Hercules
Greek Mythology: “Hercules” is based on the Greek hero, Heracles,
who is known as the strongest of mortals and the only man born of a
mortal woman that became a God upon his death. Heracles was
known as a “muscle bound buffoon,” with his pride easily offended.
He wasn’t very intelligent and got into trouble frequently since he was
an emotional man, which are prominent characteristics of Hercules.
Heracles was his harshest critic, and during his self-inflicted
punishments, he learned patience, fortitude, and endurance that are
all considered heroic qualities just as his strength. Terrible things
happen to Heracles because of Hera's hatred, a hatred that he was
not responsible for, which is similar to the hatred of Hercules by Hades
in the movie.
Direct Relationships - Clash of the Titans
“Clash of the Titans” (2010): Louis Leterrier
Plot: Princess Andromeda, daughter of King
Cepheus, gained a victory against the Gods, but
the vengeful God of the Underworld, Hades,
demands that Andromeda must be offered as a
sacrifice. Otherwise, he will unleash the Kraken
against Argos. A desperate King Cepheus asks
Perseus, a demi-god, to find a way to defeat the
Kraken. Perseus accepts the challenge primarily
because Hades was responsible for his family's
death. He discovers that the way to kill the
Kraken is by getting the head of the Gorgon
Medusa.
Direct Relationships - Clash of the Titans
Greek Mythology: “Clash of the Titans” is based on the story of
Perseus. Perseus was the son of Zeus and Danae. Danae's
father, King Acrisius, sent Danae and her son adrift on the sea
because of a prophecy that Perseus would kill him. The two
were taken in by Polydectes, the king of Seriphus. Polydectes
later fell in love with Danae, but was unable to force his
attentions on her because Perseus had grown to be her
protector. To get rid of Perseus, Polydectes sent him on a quest
to bring back the head of the Gorgon Medusa, a snake-haired
maiden who turned all who saw her into stone, which was
portrayed in the “Clash of the Titans”. He got her head and
turned Polydectes into stone.
Indirect Relationships - The Little
Mermaid
“The Little Mermaid” (1989): Ron Clements
and John Musker
Plot: Ariel, the youngest daughter of King
Triton, is dissatisfied with her life in the sea.
She yearns to be with the humans above the
surface and is often caught in arguments with
her father over the humans, whom are also
known as the "barbaric fish-eaters". Ariel
falls in love with Prince Eric, a human. She
meets with Ursula, the Sea Witch, to strike a
deal so she can be with Eric, but Ursula tries
to meddle in Ariel’s love life. In the end, Ariel
and Eric find their happy ending together.
Indirect Relationships - The Little
Mermaid
Greek Mythology: In “The Little Mermaid”, Ursula is like the
Greek Goddess Medusa because Medusa is portrayed as the
evil enemy in many Greek myths. Medusa is known for
having snakes as her hair that turn people into stone. In the
Little Mermaid, Ursula is represented as an octopus, with eight
tentacles that are snake-like. Among other similarities, King
Triton is the God of the Sea in the Little Mermaid, and
Poseidon is the God of the Sea in Greek mythology. Both use
a trident as their weapon of choice, and they have the similar
physical characteristics, such as their white beard.
Indirect Relationships - The Lion King
“The Lion King” (1994): Roger Allers and Rob Minkoff
Plot: A young lion prince, Simba, is born in Africa,
thus making his uncle, Scar, the second in line to the
throne. Scar plots with his “friends”, the hyenas, to
kill King Mufasa and Prince Simba, so he can finally
make himself King. Mufasa is killed. Simba is now
led to believe that he was to blame for his father’s
death by Scar, and he flees the Kingdom in shame.
Scar becomes the new King of Pride Rock. After
years of exile, Simba is persuaded to return home to
overthrow Scar and claim the kingdom as his own to
complete the "Circle of Life".
Indirect Relationships - The Lion King
Greek Mythology: “The Lion King” shows the succession of
the family throne from father to son. When Mufasa dies,
Simba comes back to rule over the Kingdom just like his
father. The Greek Gods also exhibit such a family succession
in a few myths. For example, when Cronus is killed by his
son, Zeus, Zeus becomes the King of the Olympians,
effectively taking over Cronus’ position. Though both, Mufasa
and Cronus, have different causes of death, they were both
succeeded by their sons, Simba and Zeus, serving as the new
Kings in their respectful Kingdoms.
Closing
As portrayed in the direct and indirect relationships in this
presentation, Greek mythology has a strong influence in
many modern movies. The Greek Gods and their stories
were adventurous and sometimes outrageous, but the
myths always related back to an aspect of Greek life that
explained more about the symbols and the culture. What
other ideas can you think of in which Greek mythology
relates to our present day lives?
CITATIONS
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0119282/plotsummary
http://www.greekmythology.com/Myths/Heroes/Heracles/heracles.html
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0800320/plotsummary
http://edweb.sdsu.edu/people/bdodge/scaffold/gg/titan.html
http://www.pantheon.org/articles/h/hades.html
http://www.pantheon.org/articles/p/perseus.html
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0814255/plotsummary
http://www.greekmythology.com/Olympians/Poseidon/poseidon.html
http://www.greekmythology.com/Olympians/Zeus/zeus.html
http://ancienthistory.about.com/od/perseus/p/Perseus.htm
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0097757/synopsis
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0110357/plotsummary