The 2008 novel, Gods Behaving Badly, written by Marie Philips, tells about the story of the twelve great gods of Olympus imaginatively set in the modern era, and with their divine powers seemingly fading. Here, the gods live crammed in a London townhouse in the twenty-first century and were not too happy about the situation and were almost always in conflict with each other. Each of the gods did his own share to bring in money, such as Artemis being a dog-walker, Apollo a psychic host of one TV show, Dionysus operating a wine bar, and Aphrodite doing a lucrative phone sex business. Similar in the plot of Greek myths where the gods interact with human beings, the characters Neil and Alice had the misfortune of getting involved in the lives of the gods, in the process resulting to a major conflict between Apollo and Aphrodite. In the ensuing plot, the novel delves on the struggles and successes that Neil had to experience, in the process arriving at a self-realization that he is after all a hero; one who has overcome his own limitations in facing great dangers.
It was indeed utterly unexpected of his nature for the timid Neil to venture into the underworld with Artemis to convince Hades to release Alice and, as a result, save the world. This transformation of Neil as his answer to confront imposing odds for a loved one is a prime examples of a heroic quality. Neil may not be aware of possessing such quality, but the loss of Alice was enough for him to discover his inner strength; one which may even be more powerful than those the gods possess as evidenced by the events in Hades. It is very unlikely for a mortal, much more Neil, to be a hero in a story where twelve gods are present. Consequently, this same sentiment is expressed by the River Styx, whereby it states in wonderment: “you are most unlikely any hero who has visited me before” (Philips 224). However, despite of his innate weakness as a mere mortal, Neil showed heroic characteristics through his words and actions. One such instance is when despite his fears, Neil told Styx “I am hero” (Philips 224). Neil proved that what he lacked in strength, he more than made up for with his steadfastness, saying that “It is what I am best at” (Philips 225), which is being a hero. As such, with this trait Neil convinced Styx to help him fight the three-headed dog, Cerberus, in order to get to Hades. Ultimately, Neil was able to convince Hades to release Alice and together they went back to the world of the living. More so, the sun was able to have its light back, Apollo woke up from a comatose state, and every aspect of life went back to normal as if no dilemma had ever exited, thanks to a once very unlikely hero, Neil.
The nature of the conflict began because Neil and Alice were extremely infatuated with one another, but have yet to tell each other about their true feelings due to their shy countenance. Aphrodite was jealous of this and as a result casted a spell on Apollo which made him fall madly in love with the first woman he saw, who happened to be Alice. “It is a beautiful name, especially considering that it contains the word lice” (Philips 61), Apollo told Alice as he followed her around the house. Apollo was very much in love with Alice that when she rejected him and instead chose Neil as her lover, Apollo convinced Zeus to hit Alice with a lightning bolt which caused her death. Neil was enraged when Apollo apologized for the misdeed he had committed against Alice and in the process, Apollo told Neil who they really were, which then resulted to the fading of the sun, plunging the earth into total darkness.
Although many would argue the improbability of a mere mortal like Neil to be considered a hero amidst the presence of great Greek gods, it should be taken into consideration the inner strength of a mortal that he displayed which the gods do not possess. This is because the immortals are born with their powers, hence achieving feats came easy. Neil, on the other hand, had to struggle to summon his own power in order to accomplish great feats. This proves that more than the magical adventures that usually accompany hero tales, every human being has the capacity to display great powers and strength that they are not even aware existed.
The heroic quality displayed by Neil is similar with the hero described in Matthew Winkler’s, “What makes a hero?”, video in YouTube. Here, Joseph Campbell discusses the many faces of a hero, which are exhibited through the monomyth or hero’s journey which are experienced by ordinary men. Like Neil, his journey started in his ordinary world, but his quest to save the world and Alice involved a special world which was the Underworld. With the help of Artemis and the River Styx, he was able to overcome the challenges posed by Cerberus in order to get to Hades, to convince him to free Alice from the clutches of death and return the planet to its normal state.
In the end, despite of the great deed and bravery he had displayed, Neil’s journey ended and he returned to his normal life where he married Alice with the gods present in their wedding. This novel’s conclusion implies that the hero’s myth is present in every human being as people continue to face challenges, devise way to overcome them, then go back to their normal lives in order to do it again and again. Hence, people are constantly faced with things that they fear even when in reality people do not meet the gods of the underworld and overpower them. True to the belief of the Ancient Greeks, a hero is someone who, in the face of danger, combats adversity through impressive feats on ingenuity, bravery, or strength; ultimately sacrificing his or her own personal concerns. Thus, no matter how unlikely it is for Neil to become a hero when viewed ostensibly, he is, just like any human being, a hero in its truest sense.
Works cited
Philips, Marie. Gods Behaving Badly. London: Little, Brown and Company, 2007. Web.
Winkler, Matthew. “What makes a hero?” YouTube, LLC, 23 February 2016.
