Nothing Without Theseus: The Greek Hero

What does it mean to be a victorious Greek hero? In Greek mythology there are several qualities which are given to male and a few female heroes. Many of these heroes share a well mind of being clever and using their knowledge to succeed. Others show outgoing courage and are faced to encounter life changing events. The most astounding quality by far would be their unbelievable strength which is almost comparable to the Greek gods themselves. Theseus is the most beloved among the Athenians therefore the people were greatly influenced with his life, which made a saying arise from all his accomplishments: “‘Nothing without Theseus”’ (209 Hamilton). The Greek hero Theseus is commonly known only for his killing of the Minotaur, but what is actually …show more content…
Their quests are usually destined to be or are received from their actions. Theseus, by far, had the most interesting quest because his father abandoned him before he was even born, but left with a thought where they would meet again once he was grow and ready. Theseus was destined to one day meet his father who revealed the steps to succeed by telling the mother “…whenever the boy grew enough to roll away the stone and get the things beneath it, she could send him away to Athens to claim him as his father.” (210). Once he was grown he was able to retrieve the sword and the pair of shoes and begin his quest. The very eager Theseus was determined and prepared to become a great Greek hero just like his cousin Hercules, and would take any challenges head on that he encountered. He believes the only way to become a hero is to go down the challenging path so, “...Theseus refused to go by water, because the voyage was safe and easy.” (210). Seeking any danger would make him well known in Greece. He then embarked on his many year journey by land instead of water to Athens where his strength would be tested by the numerous …show more content…
On the road to Athens he found bandits who tried to kill him, but Theseus would kill them all first. Theseus believed in justice and made it very clear that those who murdered must suffer the same fate: “what each had done to others” (210). On his journey he faced the bandits Sciron, Sinis, and Procrustes. The bandits suffered horrible deaths and Theseus made sure to clear the entire land from these horrible murderers. Theseus believed his journey would come to an end once he reached Athens, but he did not realize that he still had to seek his father out of the thousands of men in the city. The king was beginning to become worried of his presence in his city. King Aegeus was given a plan by Madea to poison Theseus because she knew who he really was and made him “. . . afraid of the young man’s popularity, thinking that he might win the people over to make him king and he invited him with the idea of poisoning him.” (211). This made King Aegeus want to kill him, but then he realized that Theseus was his son because he revealed the sword before he attempted his murder. His dangerous quest seemed to be coming to an end, however brave Theseus as always volunteered for a greater task that might kill him from his sense of

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