Theseus the WIse
Stories and characters from Mythology have had a huge influence on our culture, especially the heroes. We admire the courage, kindness, and smarts these heroes portray in their lives; how they put others before themselves and fight to the very end. These are all the characteristics that best represent a hero. In her collection of stories entitled Mythology, Edith Hamilton tells the story of three of the most famous heroes from mythology: Hercules, Perseus, and Theseus. All of these heroes have many of the qualities that make up a good hero. However, Theseus is the quintessential hero because, unlike the others, he makes wise decisions, treats others fairly, and is extremely courageous.
Theseus’ ability to make wise decisions during critical times proves that he is the quintessential hero. In one of his adventures, Theseus sets out to kill King Minos’ minotaur in the Labyrinth. Theseus “came upon him (the minotaur) asleep and fell upon him, pinning him to the ground; and with his fists... he battered the monster to the ground”(215). Many other heroes (such as Hercules) would have waited until the Minotaur had awoken to fight against it; wanting to seem more brave and noble. But Theseus takes a better approach by killing the Minotaur while he is asleep; he gets the job done while he has the advantage and does not risk fighting the minotaur when it is awake. Another example of Theseus’ wise ways is how he rules over the city of Athens - “he did not wish to rule over the people, he wanted a people’s government where all would be equal”(216). Theseus could have chosen to be a tyrannical ruler of Athens but instead he wisely chooses to “let the people rule.” By doing this, Theseus creates the way of government called democracy, which is extremely beneficial to all the people living in Athens and also becomes a strong and useful form of government in many other countries.
Unlike many other heroes, Theseus is kindhearted, fair, and will help anyone in need. One
Theseus’ ability to make wise decisions during critical times proves that he is the quintessential hero. In one of his adventures, Theseus sets out to kill King Minos’ minotaur in the Labyrinth. Theseus “came upon him (the minotaur) asleep and fell upon him, pinning him to the ground; and with his fists... he battered the monster to the ground”(215). Many other heroes (such as Hercules) would have waited until the Minotaur had awoken to fight against it; wanting to seem more brave and noble. But Theseus takes a better approach by killing the Minotaur while he is asleep; he gets the job done while he has the advantage and does not risk fighting the minotaur when it is awake. Another example of Theseus’ wise ways is how he rules over the city of Athens - “he did not wish to rule over the people, he wanted a people’s government where all would be equal”(216). Theseus could have chosen to be a tyrannical ruler of Athens but instead he wisely chooses to “let the people rule.” By doing this, Theseus creates the way of government called democracy, which is extremely beneficial to all the people living in Athens and also becomes a strong and useful form of government in many other countries.
Unlike many other heroes, Theseus is kindhearted, fair, and will help anyone in need. One