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    Final Mythology Paper

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    1) The document analyzes Theseus' journey to slay the Minotaur from the story "The Storyteller: Theseus and the Minotaur". 2) It argues that while Theseus completes a heroic act by slaying the Minotaur, his motivations were driven by pride and a desire for recognition rather than a true heroic spirit. 3) In contrast to other heroes like Perseus, Jason, and Hercules whose quests were intended to right wrongs, Theseus acted primarily out of self-interest to elevate his status rather than lift the curse brought by the Minotaur.

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    Final Mythology Paper

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    api-437227706
    70 views2 pages
    1) The document analyzes Theseus' journey to slay the Minotaur from the story "The Storyteller: Theseus and the Minotaur". 2) It argues that while Theseus completes a heroic act by slaying the Minotaur, his motivations were driven by pride and a desire for recognition rather than a true heroic spirit. 3) In contrast to other heroes like Perseus, Jason, and Hercules whose quests were intended to right wrongs, Theseus acted primarily out of self-interest to elevate his status rather than lift the curse brought by the Minotaur.

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    1) The document analyzes Theseus' journey to slay the Minotaur from the story "The Storyteller: Theseus and the Minotaur". 2) It argues that while Theseus completes a heroic act by slaying the Minotaur, his motivations were driven by pride and a desire for recognition rather than a true heroic spirit. 3) In contrast to other heroes like Perseus, Jason, and Hercules whose quests were intended to right wrongs, Theseus acted primarily out of self-interest to elevate his status rather than lift the curse brought by the Minotaur.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as docx, pdf, or txt
    70 views2 pages

    Final Mythology Paper

    Uploaded by

    api-437227706
    1) The document analyzes Theseus' journey to slay the Minotaur from the story "The Storyteller: Theseus and the Minotaur". 2) It argues that while Theseus completes a heroic act by slaying the Minotaur, his motivations were driven by pride and a desire for recognition rather than a true heroic spirit. 3) In contrast to other heroes like Perseus, Jason, and Hercules whose quests were intended to right wrongs, Theseus acted primarily out of self-interest to elevate his status rather than lift the curse brought by the Minotaur.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as docx, pdf, or txt
    of 2

    Madeleine Bellard

    Greek Mythology

    Professor R. Ziomkowski

    May 9, 2018

    Theseus

    Throughout Greek mythology, it is evident that there is a type of social hierarchy: first

    gods, then heroes, and finally, mortals. Though this hierarchy is in place, it is the divinity that

    separates them, not necessarily their actions or nature. The king of the gods, Zeus, and a mere

    mortal will feel the same anger, express rage, act irrationally, behave impulsively- no one is free

    of imperfection regardless of their rank. This truth and these negative qualities can be seen in

    Theseus on his journey to slay the minotaur. When analyzing The Storyteller: Theseus and the

    Minotaur and Jeanette Winterson’s ideas on the hero, it is evident that while he commits heroic

    acts, his nature does not allow him to conform to the stereo typical hero.

    In The Storyteller: Theseus and the Minotaur, it is Theseus’s pride and desire for the

    recognition that will come with killing the minotaur that drives him to kill. Despite Ariadne’s

    pleas to allow the minotaur to live, Theseus plunges his sword into the creature, delivering the

    final blow. As the narrator says, “Theseus saw only the beast, saw only the moment when he

    could hold the horns aloft on the quay at Athens. His father’s face, the pride, the hero’s

    welcome,” and this desire for pride won out over Ariadne’s pleas (18:10-18:20). His actions

    grow more and more troublesome and while he ultimately becomes king, he loses his father in

    the process and goes mad with visions of the monsters face and the dreams of killing his loved

    ones. Though Theseus had a quest to complete, it is tainted by his lust for glory, that in the end

    would be unfulfilled, that negates its heroic nature.


    Jeanette Winterson explains that the hero is neither good nor bad, but somewhere in the

    middle. Winterson states, “[the heroes] are double-faced. It is though they are hinged in the

    center and the good are folded back, touching each other in each person…” (16:22-16:30). This

    can be seen with many heroes: they commit heroic deeds but have overwhelming character

    deficits. The difference between Theseus and other heroes, such as Hercules, Jason and Perseus,

    seems to be that while he may have committed a heroic act, it was not done in a heroic spirit. He

    kills the minotaur not to lift the curse and misfortune it brought but to lift his standing, elevate

    his pride and gain recognition. This makes the task less than heroic.

    While each hero seeks some form of pride and recognition, the tasks of heroes other than

    Theseus are done with more pure intention. Perseus slays the gorgon to marry Danae, Jason

    fetches the golden fleece to restore the throne that is rightfully his, Hercules completes his labors

    to be absolved of guilt and achieve immortality; with each action, there is some personal gain but

    the overwhelming intent of their quests is the desire to right a wrong. The depiction of Theseus

    in The Storyteller: Theseus and the Minotaur is that of a self-interested individual who, despite

    Jeanette Winterson’s assessment that all heroes have good and bad in them, is far too corrupt in

    nature for the good to be commended.

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