Hercules in Ovid and Virgil - OCR GCSE Classical Civilisation (Myth and Religion) Exam Questions

Practise 35 exam-style questions on Hercules in Ovid and Virgil for OCR GCSE Classical Civilisation (Myth and Religion). Write your answer as you would in the exam and get it marked in seconds against the mark scheme, point by point, with an AI tutor on hand if you get stuck.

35 questions
1–8 marks each
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20 questions, marked as you go

Sample questions with model answers

Here are 4 of the questions in this topic, each with a model answer, an explanation of why it earns the marks and the mark scheme an examiner would use.

Question 1

1 mark

In Ovid's Metamorphoses 9, Hercules wrestles the river god Achelous, who has turned himself into a bull, and tears off one of his horns. What did the Naiads (water nymphs) make from the horn?

Model answer

They filled it with fruit and sweet-smelling flowers and made it sacred: it became the horn of plenty (cornucopia).

Explanation

Achelous says the Naiads filled the horn with fruit and fragrant flowers and consecrated it, 'and Good Plenty is rich through my horn'. Ovid adds a witty touch: as Achelous finishes, a nymph brings in the horn of plenty piled with fruit as dessert for his guests. The cornucopia was a familiar symbol of prosperity in Augustan art.

Mark scheme

1 mark
The horn of plenty (cornucopia)
Accept cornucopia. Accept 'they filled it with fruit and flowers and made it sacred (to Plenty / Bona Copia)'.

Question 2

2 marks

Source A: Ovid, Metamorphoses 9.103-110

'Jupiter's son was making his way back to the walls of his homeland with his new bride when he came to the swift waters of the Evenus. The river was fuller than usual, swollen by winter rains, full of whirlpools and impossible to cross. Hercules was not afraid for himself, but he was anxious for his wife, when Nessus came up, strong-limbed and knowing the fords, and said: "With my help, Alcides, she will be set down on the far bank. You use your strength and swim."'

Give two reasons from Source A why Hercules let Nessus carry Deianira across the river.

Model answer

The river was swollen with winter rain and full of whirlpools, so Hercules was worried for Deianira's safety; and Nessus seemed a good helper, because he was strong and knew where the fords were.

Explanation

Ovid shows Hercules acting from concern for his wife, not carelessness: the river is dangerous and Nessus seems the expert. The irony is that the helper is the real danger: once Hercules has swum across, he hears Deianira's cry as Nessus tries to carry her off.

Mark scheme

1 mark
One valid reason from Source A.
Two from: the river was swollen / fuller than usual (from winter rains); it was full of whirlpools / impossible to cross; Hercules was anxious for his wife's safety; Nessus was strong / strong-limbed; Nessus knew the fords / crossing places; Nessus offered to help. Max 2.
1 mark
A second, different reason from Source A.
As above. 'Swollen' and 'fuller than usual' are the same point.

Question 3

3 marks

Source A: Virgil, Aeneid 8.247-255

Hercules has torn the top off Cacus' cave.

'So, as Cacus was caught suddenly in the unexpected light, shut in the hollow rock and roaring as he had never roared before, Alcides pressed him hard from above with missiles, called every weapon to his aid and attacked him with branches and huge millstones. But Cacus, since there was no escape left from danger, belched huge clouds of smoke from his throat - amazing to tell - and wrapped his home in blinding darkness, snatching all sight from the eyes, and rolled up under the cave a smoky night of darkness mixed with fire.'

How does Virgil make this passage dramatic? Make three points.

Model answer

Cacus is trapped, 'shut in the hollow rock' and roaring in terror, while Hercules hurls branches and huge millstones down on him, which shows the hero's enormous strength. Virgil adds a supernatural twist, as Cacus belches smoke 'amazing to tell'. The blinding darkness and 'smoky night' create suspense, because we cannot see how Hercules can reach him.

Explanation

The passage reverses the roles of hunter and hunted: the monster who terrorised the land is now trapped in the light, and his last weapon, his father Vulcan's fire, turns the cave into a smoky night. Strong answers link each point to a detail of the text and explain its effect.

Mark scheme

1 mark
One valid point about how the passage is made dramatic, based on Source A.
Three from, e.g.: Cacus is trapped and helpless ('caught', 'shut in the hollow rock'); the sudden light after darkness; Cacus 'roaring as never before' shows his terror; Hercules attacks from above with anything he can find - branches, huge millstones - showing his power and fury; Cacus' last desperate defence ('no escape left'); the supernatural smoke and fire ('amazing to tell'); the blinding darkness / 'smoky night' hides everything, building suspense about what Hercules will do; contrast of light and darkness. Max 3.
1 mark
A second, different point.
As above. A point can be credited without a quotation if it clearly refers to the passage.
1 mark
A third, different point.
As above.

Question 4

8 marks

Source A: Virgil, Aeneid 8.185-189, 200-204

Evander explains to Aeneas why the Arcadians are holding a feast for Hercules.

'These solemn rites, these customary feasts, this altar to so great a god were not forced on us by empty superstition that knows nothing of the old gods. We do this, Trojan guest, because we were saved from savage dangers, and we renew the honours he deserves ... At last time brought us, as we had prayed, the help and arrival of a god. For the greatest of avengers, Alcides, proud from the killing and the spoils of three-bodied Geryon, came here, driving his huge bulls this way as a victor, and his cattle filled the valley and the river.'

To what extent does Virgil present Hercules as the protector of Rome in Aeneid 8? Use Source A as a starting point and your own knowledge.

Model answer

Source A strongly presents Hercules as a protector. Evander insists that the Arcadians' worship is not 'empty superstition' but gratitude, because they 'were saved from savage dangers', and he calls Hercules 'the help and arrival of a god' for which they had prayed. The phrase 'greatest of avengers' suggests a hero who punishes wrongdoers on behalf of others.

My own knowledge supports this. Cacus was a real danger to the people: the ground outside his cave was 'always warm with fresh slaughter' and men's faces were nailed to his doors. By tearing away the crag, letting in the light and strangling Cacus in his smoke-filled cave, Hercules frees the Aventine and the land below it - the future site of Rome. The people's joy and their wish to gaze at the corpse show their relief, and the founding of the Ara Maxima, 'which will always be the greatest', shows that the Romans of Virgil's own day still honoured him as their protector. Virgil also links him to Augustus, whose triple triumph came the day after Hercules' festival, so Hercules becomes a model of a saviour of Rome.

However, Hercules' motives in the story are personal. He attacks Cacus only because his own cattle have been stolen, and he was simply passing through, driving Geryon's herd home. His fury - 'gnashing his teeth', 'burning with anger' - makes him seem almost as wild as the monster. And strictly he protects Evander's Arcadians, since Rome does not yet exist.

Overall, Virgil presents Hercules as Rome's protector to a large extent, not because he sets out to save anyone, but because his victory frees the site of Rome and the people, then and in Virgil's day, treat him as their saviour.

Explanation

The best answers use Source A for the 'protector' view and then test it: Hercules' revenge for his cattle and his fury show a more complicated hero. Linking the story to the Ara Maxima's continuing cult and to Augustus shows understanding of context. A clear final judgement that weighs both sides is needed for Level 4.

Mark scheme

8 marks
Levels of response (8 marks). AO1 (4) and AO2 (4) are equally weighted.
Level 4 (7-8 marks): consistently accurate and detailed knowledge of Aeneid 8.154-279, using both Source A and own wider knowledge of the story of Cacus and the Ara Maxima; very good understanding of the cultural context (the cult of Hercules in Rome, Augustan Rome) and of possible interpretations; a well-argued response with a clear judgement on how far Hercules is presented as Rome's protector, supported by a range of well-selected evidence, including critical analysis.
Level 3 (5-6 marks): accurate knowledge, using both Source A and own knowledge; a focused response with relevant analysis and a judgement on how far Hercules is a protector.
Level 2 (3-4 marks): sound, mostly accurate knowledge; engages with the general topic of Hercules and Cacus; limited range of evidence; some analysis.
Level 1 (1-2 marks): limited knowledge, may only use Source A; isolated analysis.
0 marks: no response or no response worthy of credit.
A mainly descriptive answer with little analysis or judgement cannot go above Level 2.
Indicative content (not a checklist; credit other valid points): AO1: Source A - the rites are not 'empty superstition' but thanks for being 'saved from savage dangers'; Hercules is 'the help and arrival of a god' the people had prayed for and 'the greatest of avengers'; he arrives proud from killing Geryon. Own knowledge - Cacus, son of Vulcan, terrorised the area: fresh slaughter, men's heads nailed to his doors; he stole four bulls and four heifers; Hercules tears away the crag, attacks with missiles, leaps through the smoke and strangles him; the people gaze at the corpse and rejoice; the Ara Maxima is founded with the Potitii and Pinarii as priests and the day is kept every year; Evander calls him 'our common god'; the site is the future Rome (Aventine, Palatine, Forum Boarium). AO2: for - he frees the people living on the site of Rome from a monster, so the cult is gratitude for protection; Virgil stresses that the worship continues in his own day ('will always be the greatest'); he restores order and light against darkness; he is a model for Aeneas, who will fight for the same people, and for Augustus (the triple triumph followed Hercules' feast). Against - his motive is personal revenge for his stolen cattle, not care for the Arcadians; he is only passing through with Geryon's herd; his fury makes him seem as violent as Cacus; Rome does not yet exist - he protects Evander's Arcadians, not Romans; Virgil's main purpose may be the origin of a cult and Evander's welcome of Aeneas. Judgement: e.g. he protects the site of Rome in effect, and Romans honoured him as their protector, though in the story itself his motives are personal.

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