Perseus As A Hero In Ancient Greek Culture

After reaching the island, the time has come for him to reach his ultimate boon, to kill Medusa. With the help of Athena Perseus “cuts through her neck and… seized the head.” (Hamilton 204). With that one slice, Perseus is now known as a hero, and can even rescue his mother. The head also allows Perseus to get revenge on Polydectes, and bring Dictys to

Perseus’s story begins on an island ruled by a ruthless king named Polydectes. Dictys, the king’s brother, stumbles upon a young Perseus and the boy’s mother Danaë inside a great box along the shore. Dictys shelters the two and raises Perseus to be a peaceful, ordinary fisherman. Polydectes, however, wants the young boy deceased so Danaë would consider becoming queen. Perseus soon gains the call to adventure after Polydectes informs him of a killable gorgon. The king knows that no mere mortal can defeat even Medusa. Polydectes eventually coaxes Perseus into retrieving the head of Medusa as a present and thus the king’s plan falls into motion.

Perseus is special because he is the son of Zeus and the heir of Argos.

“God mixed gold in the composition of those of you who are qualified to govern; in those fitted to be guardians he mixed silver; and in the farmers and artisans he mixed baser metals” (Plato 1). Philosopher and author of The Republic, Plato classified men and women based on three categories. These categories were separated by working classes--workers were in the baser metal category, soldier-guardians were in the silver category, and the elite philosopher-rulers were in the gold category. Also, Plato stated that to be a man of gold, one must possess the traits of wisdom, courage, and self-control. Pericles, a vital factor in Athenian’s success during the beginning of the Peloponnesian War, was placed into said gold category due to his ability to lead and possession of these traits. Furthermore, Plato declared that when a city was under the leadership of one in the baser metal category, the city would decline. Creon, an unsuccessful ruler, would fit into the baser metal category as Thebes of Ancient Greece perished under his command. Plato’s definition of a just leader, one who exhibits the traits of wisdom, courage, and self-control, did wholly apply to Pericles, whereas Creon did not have the traits of wisdom and self-control, although possessing the trait of courage.

Heroes are inspirational figures in stories that relay relatable messages. Some of the most famous heroes include Harry Potter, Superman, Wonder Woman, etc. In greek mythology, Theseus, like Superman or Harry Potter, is also considered a hero. Theseus was the son of Poseidon who went to Athens to meet his supposed father, the king. In hopes of freeing him of his debt, he travels to Crete where Minos resided and killed the minotaur whom Aegeus was to feed 7 each of the most beautiful maidens and courageous men in his kingdom. Theseus is considered a hero for he possesses qualities of a hero and his/her journey. Theseus fits the hero archetype because he is clever, which means that he has situational intelligence; he is determined, which means that he is firmly set in opinion or purpose; and he has a supernatural helper, which is someone who aids the hero in his/her quest usually by providing them with a talisman or advice.

Who was given gifts by gods and goddesses? Who was almost killed by his grandfather? Whose father was the biggest man on campus? Well, that was Perseus, son of Zeus, and killer of Medusa. Perseus was a descendant of Zeus and Danae, Acrisius, his grandfather did not like him, so he sent him and his mother away in a chest in the ocean. Perseus should be in the Greek Hero Hall of Fame, for multiple different reasons. When considering why he should be in the Greek Hero Hall of Fame, Perseus must be important because if he wasn’t why would there be so many books and movies, all about him. For example, Percy Jackson book series and movies, and The Clash of the Titans. Perseus is a Greek hero because he was born of a royal birth, had extreme feats, and died a usual death.

Heroes have existed in society for centuries and have been presented in many forms. Whether they were personal idols, literary figures, or real people, heroes represent hope and victory against the evils of the world. People look for heroes in their everyday lives, or often, as characters in tales of extraordinary circumstances. Some of the most renowned literary heroes of all time come from Greek myths. Within these stories about heroic idols, it is common for many main plot points to overlap. Across different genres, locations, languages, and eras the progression of the hero’s journey remains relatively uniform. Generally, it contains three broad components: departure, initiation, and return. The tale of Perseus is a popular tale of an ostracized son of Zeus. Perseus and his mother Danae were nearly killed by Acrisius, Danae’s father, when he sent them out to sea in a chest. They were rescued by a kind fisherman, Dictys, and lived peacefully with him until his brother, Polydectes, decided he wanted Danae for a wife. He tricked Perseus into setting out on a venture to kill the deadly monster Medusa. These events essentially align with the progression of the hero’s journey. Therefore, throughout the myth of Perseus, the character’s quest follows the conventional pattern of the hero’s journey.

Zeus had a son named Perseus, this story is about him, although he was the son of Zeus. He was just a demigod (half human half god). which meant that he can die like any other legend mortal. So is all started when he and his mother were in a coffin in the middle of the ocean, unfortunately his mother did not make it but he did because he is a demigod. Perseus was just a baby so he did not know Danae his mother, the coffin was out for a some time then a fishing boat stumbled upon the coffin.

Perseus used Medusa's head to petrify enemies and even saved a stunning woman named Andromeda on his journey back. During this journey, they stopped at Larissa where Perseus joined a game of discus in which the disk Perseus threw, flew and hit a man in the head killing him. This man was Acrisius, proving the Oracle right. After his father's funeral, Perseus continued on and later received blessing from Andromeda's father, King Cepheus of Phoenicia, to marry her and together they rode on Pegasus back to Seriphos.Once Perseus and Andromeda reached Seriphos, Dictys greeted them. He told Perseus of how Polydectes has made Danae his hand maiden upon refusal to marriage. Infuriated by the mistreat of his mother, he had Dictys take care of Andromeda while he sought revenge. He stormed through the castle halls and slammed through the great hall in which the king and his courtiers were having a feast. Perseus swept the now silent room with his eyes in search for his mother. When he saw her standing behind the king, he walked up among all the shocked people that quickly made way for him. When he stood below Polydectes, he told his mother to move away. Perseus drew the wretched head from the satchel with Medusa's face towards the king's

Like most demigods, he too had a prophecy to fulfill, he had many obstacles to face and challenges to take on. According to Cartwright, Perseus is the son of Danaë, princess of Argos (“Perseus”) and Zeus the God of the Heavens. His grandfather Acrisius, the father of Danaë, had a prophecy told by Apollo that his grandchild would be the one to kill him. So he took matters into his own hands and locked his daughter in a sunken house made of bronze.

Persepolis is Marjane Satrapi’s memoir of growing up in Iran during the Islamic Revolution. Marji came from a family in which her parents were thought of being progressive and knew more about the views on government. During the Revolution in Iran, there were many impactful events that were going on. There were many changes in the way that the government was working, and life in Iran at this time was very difficult because there was changes being made all the time and most of the time there were more and more restrictions going on. Also, many people would do demonstrations in public places and that is when things would get out of hand because many people wanted to stand up for their beliefs and government officials would not be ok with them

When I think of the word hero, one of the first things that comes to my mind are the Greeks back in ancient times. There are different stories and theories of different men and women who all had wild adventures and journeys, but theres one thing they all have in common, they were all heroes in one way or another. What exactly is a hero though? Someone who always saves the day? Maybe someone who defeats the big monsters that attack cities? Or just someone who’s strong and just looks like a hero. For instance, Perseus and Odysseus. Both strong, looked up to type of men who are considered to be heros. But which one is actually the better hero? In my opinion, Odysseus is the real hero between the two, and here’s why.

In Greek mythology Perseus was considered to be heroic because he was brave and trustworthy. This is shown in his characteristics thru out Greek myths. As I will explain in the next few paragraphs.

Pericles was born in Athens, Greece in approximately 495 BCE. Because of his family’s wealth and nobility Pericles was able to pursue education. He had access to some of the best teachers. He enjoyed studying, politics, music, philosophy and ethics. He became the leader of Athens in 461 BCE until he died. Pericles died of the plague in 429 BCE in Athens, Greece. His father, Xanthippus, was a politician and a popular general. His mother, Agariste, was a member of the Alcmaeonidae noble family who were known to be very powerful and controversial. Pericles had three sons. His first two were from his first wife, ho he later divorced. They were called Paralus and Xanthippus, however the name of their mother is unknown. His third son was with Aspasia of Miletus. His son was called Pericles the Younger

Perseus was born a demigod: the child of a God and a mortal. Perseus grew up on the island of Seriphos, and was raised by Polydektes, the king of the island. Once he was grown up, Perseus was ordered by Polydektes to bring him the head of Medusa, a creature known to turn men to stone simply with her gaze. On his way to fulfill his task, Perseus was given magical items by the gods, including