Hercules Through the Eyes of Nietzsche
Hercules Through the Eyes of Nietzsche
What is Art? This has been the question of many generations, and because Art is ever changing, and perceived in many ways, it will inevitably be a question in the back of our minds for years to come. Frederick Nietzsche may very well be the face of who really knows what art is, and boy did he know his stuff. Nietzsche expounds upon what the Greeks were just surfacing upon decades ago; The Greek Tragedy. What is so significant about tragedy you may ask; well I can assure you, Nietzsche has an answer to that, and many more. This essay utilizes the ideas theorized in Nietzsche’s, Birth of Tragedy, by examining the Disney film Hercules. By applying Nietzsche’s theoretical lens to Hercules, we are able to identify Apollonian and Dionysian aspects of art, as well as recognize how Nietzsche’s ideas were well before his time in terms that in in the present his ideas still set the framework for what life is like and why it is important to appreciate art.
Nietzsche believes that we come to truth about life though tragedy. In tragedy, according to Nietzsche do we experience “true art,” so that we can reflect upon the amoral aspects of life. Life according to Nietzsche is in no way moral, but instead organic. Nietzsche emphasizes the organic aspects of life because organic life does not abide by the laws of morality, but instead abides by natural laws. Natural laws are primal according to Nietzsche’s theory in the sense that just as life creates it also destroys. Lesser life as Nietzsche would describe become the victims of organic life. This is why Nietzsche emphasizes “the rebirth of tragedy.” As stated earlier in this essay, which will and has become engraved and will continue to be engraved upon the minds of many readers to come, Nietzsche believes that only through tragedy can we receive truth. Nietzsche argues strongly that in life we must have tragedy, otherwise ignorance is the only obstacle to happiness. In other words, in
What is Art? This has been the question of many generations, and because Art is ever changing, and perceived in many ways, it will inevitably be a question in the back of our minds for years to come. Frederick Nietzsche may very well be the face of who really knows what art is, and boy did he know his stuff. Nietzsche expounds upon what the Greeks were just surfacing upon decades ago; The Greek Tragedy. What is so significant about tragedy you may ask; well I can assure you, Nietzsche has an answer to that, and many more. This essay utilizes the ideas theorized in Nietzsche’s, Birth of Tragedy, by examining the Disney film Hercules. By applying Nietzsche’s theoretical lens to Hercules, we are able to identify Apollonian and Dionysian aspects of art, as well as recognize how Nietzsche’s ideas were well before his time in terms that in in the present his ideas still set the framework for what life is like and why it is important to appreciate art.
Nietzsche believes that we come to truth about life though tragedy. In tragedy, according to Nietzsche do we experience “true art,” so that we can reflect upon the amoral aspects of life. Life according to Nietzsche is in no way moral, but instead organic. Nietzsche emphasizes the organic aspects of life because organic life does not abide by the laws of morality, but instead abides by natural laws. Natural laws are primal according to Nietzsche’s theory in the sense that just as life creates it also destroys. Lesser life as Nietzsche would describe become the victims of organic life. This is why Nietzsche emphasizes “the rebirth of tragedy.” As stated earlier in this essay, which will and has become engraved and will continue to be engraved upon the minds of many readers to come, Nietzsche believes that only through tragedy can we receive truth. Nietzsche argues strongly that in life we must have tragedy, otherwise ignorance is the only obstacle to happiness. In other words, in