Hercules, a great figure in Greek mythology who fought against huge beasts with his bear hands, can be considered one of the most popular in Greek mythology. How Hercules compares to a little-known Nigerian boy born into poverty who succeeds through hard work, better known as Okonkwo. Both of these heroes were aided by wise men, both had to prove themselves as heroes in difficult situations, and they also had to deal with a great deal of pride that initially prevented them from fulfilling their destiny. Now let's compare the heroic nature of Hercules and Okonkwo. While in difficult times or when hit with a difficult decision, both heroes found the advice of very wise people, whether intentionally sought or not. In the story "Hercules" the hero, obviously Hercules, goes to "The Oracle of Delphi" to find out what he can do about the accidental murder of his own family. The oracle told Hercules to “Go to King Eurystheus… and submit to whatever punishment is asked of him” (“Hercules”). Subsequently, Hercules went to the king and had to complete the “12 Labors of Hercules” (“Hercules”) as punishment. Hercules completed all the tasks and the twelve labors ended up being Hercules' claim to fame and it was all thanks to the Oracle's advice. In Okonkwo's case, the advice came from one of the elders of Ezeudu village who told him that he did not “have a hand in the death of Ikemefuna” (Achebe 57). Okonkwo, being a little more independent and stubborn than Hercules, completely ignored the advice and cut off Ikemefuna to avoid being called weak. This moment of Okonkwo's stubbornness helps you understand why Hercules' ending is a little happier than Okonkwo's while he's still going through a similar journey... middle of paper... until it was too late for the else the messengers had already left. Now they could inform the others that Okonkwo had killed one of their own. After Okonkwo killed the messenger, he realized that it was too late to save his culture and religion from the English who sought change. This rapid sequence of events led to Okonkwo's eternal downfall and he killed himself out of desperation. As these heroes both traveled through time receiving help along the way, facing hardships and finding fault with their pride. One of these heroes found success and the other found failure. Hercules accepted the Oracle's advice and used it to prove that he was worthy of the title of hero. Okonkwo let his negatives outweigh any great feats he was capable of accomplishing and so his ending wasn't so sweet. These heroes, no matter how similar their journeys, were destined for opposite fates.