Publication

Adriana Freire Nogueira publishes chapter in the book Hercules Performed

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Adriana Freire Nogueira, researcher at CIAC, wrote one of the chapters in the recently published book Hercules Performed: The Hero on Stage from the Enlightenment to the Early Twenty-First Century.

“Herakles in Twenty-First Century Music” is the name of chapter 15, written by the CIAC researcher, which deals with the context of the use of the name Herakles/Hercules in the 21st century music scene. The text analyzes the lyrics and video clips of musicians from different languages, such as English and Portuguese, to understand how Hercules has been used by these artists: what they have chosen from the hero and what they have left out.

Examples include “Hercules & Love Affair”, the rap group Traffik & DJ Pro Style and the Brazilian rapper C4bal. The discussion aims to determine whether Hercules is just the myth or whether there is a more specific classical reference and to reflect on why Hercules, and not other heroes, is mentioned, considering the different meanings and referents of Hercules.

Adriana Nogueira’s chapter is part of the book Hercules Performed, from the series, Metaforms (vol. 25). The volume is one of four to be published in the Metaforms series examining the extraordinarily persistent figuring of Herakles-Hercules in western culture, drawing together scholars from a range of disciplines to offer a unique insight into the hero’s perennial appeal.

The book Hercules Performed explores the reception of the ancient Greek hero Herakles – the Roman Hercules – on the western stage from the sixteenth century to the present day, focusing on live theatre, including tragedy, comedy and musical drama. Each chapter considers a particular work or theme in detail, exploring the interplay between classical models and a wide variety of modern performance contexts.