The Greek heroes, Hercules and Theseus, are uniquely distinct from each other by their tasks, toils, and triumphs. The gods assist both of them while they accomplish great tasks; however, their personalities, lives, and intellect are not similar in manner. First, Theseus is a mild-mannered, just man. He remains calm through struggles, and deals with wrongs fairly, "His idea of dealing justice was simple, but effective: what each had done to others, Theseus had done to him." Hercules, in contrast, is hot-tempered and emotional, always one to act quickly and rashly. An example of this is when Edith Hamilton states, "He had sudden outbursts of furious anger which were always fatal to the often innocent subjects. When the rage had passed and he had come to himself he would show a most disarming penitence and agree humbly to any punishment it was proposed to inflict on him." (Pg. 160). Both upbringings of these men share the parallelism that their mother raises them. However, Hercules holds only the brief wrath of Hera, whereas Theseus completes the destiny that he brought upon himself by marrying Phaedra. Hercules is punished, as mentioned earlier, by Hera, for being an illegitimate child of Zeus. He becomes plagued by madness that the angered goddess sends him and slaughters his wife and three sons. This prompts Hercules to carry out his 12 famous labors, which he is most honored for. Conversely, Theseus is raised in his mother's home while his father waits afar waiting for the day in which his son will bring him his sword and sandal from underneath a rock. He embarks on the journey, clearing the road of homicidal maniacs and killing the Minotaur. Then Theseus establishes the first Democratic government for Athens, and it is for these three tasks he is most widely known. Lastly, Hercules lacks the wit and intelligence of Theseus. Great measures are taken to educate Hercules, but his teachers are inadvertently ...