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The Madness and the Labors

This chapter explores the varying mythological traditions that recount Heracles’ madness and murder of his children and their significance in framing the Labors for Eurystheus. After a brief survey of the mythographers, three close readings are undertaken. (1) The account in Apollodorus’ Bibliotheca reveals the complex dynamics of this episode: while the madness and killing of his children require that he serve Eurystheus as atonement, his trials and victories nevertheless justify his apotheosis. (2) The Iliad’s account of Heracles’ Labors emphasizes the role of Atē and fate and excludes the madness entirely. (3) Diodorus Siculus’ version demonstrates an attempt to bring the preceding two variants together. The remainder of the chapter is devoted to an analysis of Euripides’ Heracles and Seneca’s Hercules Furens, tragedies which depict the madness occurring after the Labors, and the implications of this reversal of the order of events.