THESEUS: HEROIC MAN OR MYTH?
How the depiction of Theseus shows change and historical representation.
The portrayal of Theseus shifts and evolves in Greek literature by showing the evolution of a hero and how myth represents history. Highlights seen throughout the texts show the importance of Theseus with “indeed, “not without Theseus” [which] became an Athenian proverb, and he was called “a second Heracles” (Morford, 599). He represents virtue in Greek literature but has his flaws.
As King of Athens, Theseus is a “savior” for his people and a political figure. He was different than Heracles because he was the local hero of Athens and Attica, not all of Greece. He put down roots. Theseus shows how myth and legend can turn into history. He has the closest ties to being an actual figure in the past.
The portrayal of Theseus in literature as a “champion of the oppressed” (598) is evident in In Euripides’ Medea. He gave refuge to Oedipus. Theseus, is even mentioned in Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales and Shakespeare’s Midsummer Night’s Dream. As the King of Athens, he is a protector, helping women and people who were victims of cruelty.
Theseus and his exploits involve Helen, the Underworld, and Amazonians. He is a hero of Attica and Athens, and “the legends of Theseus have become famous largely through the genius of Athenian writers” (591).
Throughout the Greek tragedies, we become aware that Theseus does not lack moral excellence. He defeats King Minos and kills the minotaur in Attica, which ends his tyrannical rule. Theseus and his intelligence help him find his way out of the Labyrinth. Bacchylides writes about the King, questioning him and telling us how Ariadne fell in love with him.
In Euripides’s Hippolytus, the impressions of King Theseus are recognizable as a more flawed hero. He reconciles with his son but does lose him. Theseus, by the end of the 5th century B.C., is shown as humane in Sophocles and Euripides’s works. Theseus later influenced the Middle Ages and the Renaissance. Theseus protects the vulnerable and abandoned.
However, Theseus does not die in a “blaze of glory,” which shows ironic humor. Theseus’s traits of being ethically upright, and showing strength and courage, show us Theseus as a hero. He is strong and an upright person. Theseus takes risks. The timelines depicts some sketchiness of him as a historical being. However, with a political agenda, Theseus opens Athens up to the world.
Plutarch writes about him and helps us see that Theseus is both legend and history. The stories come together somewhat, but the two kings of Athens show me that Theseus was a national hero.
Theseus was the leader who unified the Greeks under a single ruler, which paved the way for the development of democratic principles in Athens. He is an essential political and heroic person, and I am happy I was fortunate to have read these stories. They make for great literature. If you haven’t read the Greek classics- I suggest you do.
A common theme: is history just mythology? see previous post for reference
Source
O., Morford Mark P, et al. Classical Mythology. Oxford University Press, 2019.
