Abstract

Despite differences in subject matter, plot construction, and character, the two Heracles plays may have a similarity in the conception of divine action (divine determinism) and in their formal structure. The hero suffers from an internal/internalized conflict between divine and human spheres. The unity of these coexistent spheres is broken by an outburst of the hero's own bestiality, which leads to the (temporary or permanent) reduction of his status. Nevertheless, his fall entails a personal victory which involves the painful realization of human limits.

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