Theseus, Hercules, And Perseus As A Hero In The Ancient Greek Hero

Theseus, son of Athenian king Aegeus, was raised in a city near southern Greece. His mother was told by his father that if he was born a boy and became strong enough to move a boulder that guarded a sword and a pair of shoes, he could come back to Athens and claim that he is the son of Aegeus. Theseus accomplished this task easily and was ready to set off for Athens. His grandfather had a ship prepared to take him straight to Athens; however, just like his cousin Hercules, Theseus wanted to prove himself as a great hero and take risks. Theseus walked to Athens and killed every bandit in site; killing them in the ways that they killed their victims. Upon his arrival to Athens, Theseus was treated like a hero and caused the king to worry that this hero, who he didn't know was his son,

Theseus is not a hero due the following flaws he had in life. “His idea of dealing justice was simple, but effective: what each had done to others, Theseus did to him…Sinis, who killed people by fastening them to pine trees bent down to the ground and letting the trees go, died in that way himself.” (Hamilton 210) Heroes forgive and don’t revenge others because if doing so it won’t bring back the dead. However, Theseus’ ‘justice’ is to pay back the villains and let them die the same way they make others die. This clearly shows he isn’t a beneficial role model and would lead others to learn from him, to take revenge.

In conclusion, Theseus fills the character of a hero because he was born of royal family, was born for destiny and the adventures he went on. He went on outrageous adventures. He was destined to be great. His parents of king and god made him a start. Theseus a man who kills a deadly creature called the Minotaur and still not classify as a

Everyday we pass heros and we don’t even know how they have been affecting our daily lives. A hero is someone who does things out of the kindness of their hearts and not for the attention or reward. Theseus is the best hero out of all the ones we studied because he had no godly help, he was not self obsessed, and he didn’t mean to kill anyone directly.

The Greeks valued Theseus’ nobility and bravery, and even today, his traits would be still be valued. We live in a world where so much time is spent on building a future for ourselves, that it doesn’t give us much time to be adventurous. This is seen in a number books, including Divergent and The Giver. Divergent revolves about this character who looked down on for being different in a community where all is standardized. In The Giver, everything is regulated, but one character has a special gift which makes him stand out. These books are fairly modern, which makes me believe that Theseus’ traits would still be valued. Bravery is not something that is common and sticking to your morals can be difficult when you live in such an opinionated world.

At birth, Perseus was born unexpectedly and he was the son of Zeus. However, Perseus’s grandfather Acrisius, did not want a grandson in the family. Where in, when Hercules was born, he was credit to be the son of Amphitryon but ended up to be the son of Zeus as well, so in mythology Perseus and Hercules both were the son of Zeus. Both Perseus and Hercules had their own sets of journeys that they had to go on, however both of their journeys were unique to their character. Perseus went on a journey to get the head of Medusa for his mother for a gift.

Hercules was a well known hero he had many trials which made him famous. Hercules had strength and courage.

Oftentimes, unique and significant Greek heroes are born out of fear and jealousy. In other scenarios, a hero might be born into an environment that presents its first life threatening challenge with no regard for age or experience. In any account, a hero is someone born with well-developed abilities or soon thereafter acquires them in training. Without any prior knowledge, these heroes seem to be born for a very specific purpose in life. The common ground heroes share is defeating fearsome, murderous, and wild adversaries. The heroes in reference are Heracles, Theseus, Perseus, Odysseus, and Jason. For the sake of simplicity, the focus will be on the heroes Perseus and Jason. Elixirs such as Medusa’s head of snakes or the Golden Fleece

In day to day life, society is being constantly bombarded by tales of modern “heroes”--firefighters who rescue a stray cat from a burning building, or ordinary-looking teens who save a baby from a neglected car on a summer’s day. What does it take to be a hero, or more specifically, what do these “heroes” have in common? To answer this, we must look back to the very first heroic figures who still influence our culture and media today. Perseus, among these, is a classic underdog story. Growing up in shambles and poverty, discovering his unique, godly lineage, and facing indescribable obstacles while passing through foreign lands gives him a unique and memorable edge. Similar to most heroes, he chooses what is right over what is easy. Perseus exemplifies a hero in the way that he shows bravery in the face of danger, demonstrates resourcefulness in difficult situations, and makes the ultimate use of his moral compass.

Some of the qualities of theseus are he is very strong It takes A very brave person to go and fight a Minotaur. In the text it says” the man said, shuddering. “If you were not the king’s own son, you might be chosen yourself – you are just the right age for the Minotaur.” So him not arguing and I guess going to do it is very strong. Another one is that theseus is very smart. In the story he did not ever drink that wine so he does not get drugged up in the text it states that “The boys and girls slept soundly, for their wine had been drugged that night to make sure they were rested and alert when they were sent into the labyrinth (The Minotaur preferred a little sport before his meals). But Theseus had eaten little, and had quietly poured his

The myth begins with the reveal of how the Greeks created relationship between humans and Gods. Nobody knew exactly who Theseus father was, rumors linked both King Aegeus of Athens and the God Poseidon to his mother Aethra. The link continues when Theseus proved to Minos that he was the son of Poseidon by praying and diving into the water to fetch the ring and crown. This left Minos laughing and held the myth of him being the son of Poseidon to be true. The myth also hold much truth to the human behavior. Theseus was told by his father King Aegeus not to go fight the Minotaur. Although he won, the myth still carries a lesson in follow directions. He didn’t listen to his father, and forgot an important part of his deal

Courage comes in many shapes and sizes, however; when combined with self sacrifice it is truly displays a heroes noble character. Among them, Theseus reigns supreme, always putting himself in harms way to for his fellow countrymen. Theseus’ is a forgotten Prince who is traveling to Athens to rekindle his fathers’ love. However, his family wants him to travel the safe route, yet Theseus has others ideas.“But Theseus refused to go by water because the voyage was safe and easy…The journey was long and hazardous because of the bandits that beset the road. He killed them all, however; he left not one alive to trouble future travelers” (209). Theseus risks his own life for the safety and wellbeing of others to rid the passage of bandits. Despite the obvious dangers he lays his life down so others can live. He willingly chooses the death infested path for the goodness towards others, not his personal glory. King Minos

Heroic figures in literature are often made heroes because of the enemy or greater evil they defeat; he hero is noble and righteous with the highest upstanding morals, and the enemy is wicked and malevolent with a tainted reputation. In Greek mythology, Heracles, known as Hercules in Roman mythology, was labeled heroic because he vanquished several evils, such as the vicious Nemean Lion and the mighty Antaeus. We often view the perfect Hercules and the evil Cacus as two separate characters with a definitive demarcation. However, outside of works of fiction, people’s imperfect lives help to build their character; there is a mix of good and bad. Similarly, my parents demonstrate heroic traits such as the courage and humanitarianism found in heroes like Hercules. They may not have slayed terrible beasts, but their virtuous characters are still hidden in their daily actions and words. According to ancient Greek mythology, my parents are heroes because they are valiant towards the challenges they face, altruistic towards the people around them, and god-like, because they have the strength to accomplish difficult feats.

Secondly, the ancient Greeks valued Theseus because he was very intelligent and because he was compassionate. To begin, the ancient Greeks would have valued Theseus due to his intelligence. An example of this came when Hera cast infatuation upon Hercules, who then unknowingly murdered his wife and three sons. Hercules decided that killing himself was the only punishment fit for his action. Theseus, however, convinced him otherwise by using his intelligence. Theseus was able to discern the difference between Hercules intentionally murdering his family, versus being forced into it under a spell, whereas Hercules could not discern the two. The ancient Greeks would have valued intelligence because during ancient Greece Gods would tend to get themselves into very difficult situations that could only be gotten out of by using their intelligence. For example, after Atlas had fooled Hercules into holding the heavens upon his shoulders, he was able to get out of the situation by using his wisdom and creating a lie: he said he wanted Atlas to hold up the heavens just for a second so he could put on shoulder pads, but as soon as Atlas had the heavens back on his shoulders, Hercules fled. By being intelligent, the ancient Greeks could then compare themselves to the Gods who needed their intelligence to survive. Secondly, the ancient Greeks would have valued Theseus because he was very compassionate. One example of this is when Theseus stuck by Hercules while he was contemplating

A brief look at the Iliad and the Greek hero worship that was present from about 750 BC to 325 BC. It shows many heroes that are described by their awe-inspiring feats of courage and honor in battle. “Some argue ... [this shows the high ideal] ...