ipl-logo

Circumstances Behind Visualizing Theseus Pursuing Helen Analysis

1424 Words6 Pages

The Circumstances Behind Visualizing Theseus Pursuing Helen. What may come to mind when discussing Theseus are his Isthmian deeds, such as slaying the minotaur and battling the Amazons (“Theseus”). In general, Theseus was regarded as an Ionian-Athenian hero whose legendary adventures have stood the test of time in the forms of vases, metopes, and friezes (Hornblower et al., “Theseus”). However, Mixing Vessel with Theseus Pursuing Helen (ca. 460-450 BCE) (Fig. 1. The museum, located in the Chazen Museum of Art and attributed to a follower of the Niobid Painter, shows a different side of Theseus (“Mixing Vessel”). The Theseus depicted shows him in pursuit of one of his loves, Helen, versus in pursuit of the beasts he grapples with in the myths. In fact, instead of being shown accomplishing a great deed, he is portrayed pursuing …show more content…

The Routledge Handbook of Greek Mythology by Robin Hard and H.J. Rose describes different accounts of Theseus abducting Helen (360-361). The commonality in all versions is that Theseus, along with his friend Peirithoos, want to take daughters of Zeus as wives after their previous wives died. In Hellanicus’ story, he stated that both felt entitled to wed with Zeus’ daughters because they came from Zeus’ lineage (Hard and Rose 360). They began by taking Helen from Sparta. Plutarch specifically states in his rendition that the two took Helen when she was dancing in the temple of Artemis Orthia (Hard and Rose 360). Once Helen was abducted, she was taken to Aphidnai and left with Theseus’ mother, Aithra, while Peirithoos and Theseus went to the underworld to abduct Persephone. Helen’s brothers, the Dioskouroi, came and attacked Aphidnai to recover her. Once Helen was found, she was taken back to Sparta, along with Aithra, who would be her maid (Hard and Rose, 360-61). Altogether, this summarizes Theseus’ pursuit of Helen across different textual

Show More
Related
470 Words | 2 Pages

Odysseus is the king of Ithaca, who has been away from home for more than twenty years. After the Trojan War, which lasted ten years, Odysseus is captured by the daughter of Atlas, Calypso. He is trapped on Calypso’s island for seven years, and then Calypso frees him and gives him a ship and crew to get home to his country, wife Penelope, and son Telamachus. Throughout Odysseus’s journeys he is unlucky, displays loyalty, and cleverness. Odysseus is extremely unlucky throughout this epic.

Read More
1570 Words | 7 Pages

A woman kidnapped young Eumaios to get back to her father. “She took my hand and led me through the court into the portico. ”(XV, 561-562) and “All went aboard at once and put out to sea,... ”(XV, 572) The woman was so selfish that she took the boy from his family to give to pirates as payment for a ride home.

Read More
1194 Words | 5 Pages

When Odysseus was arriving home Athena sets out to Sparta to tell Telemachus about his father's arrival, as well as the awful plan the suitors were planing for him. When she arrived in Sparta she finds Telemachus talking with his friend which is the son of Nestor. Athena tells Telemachus that he must go back home because the suitors were trying to persuade his mother to marry one of them, but something she did not tell him was that his father was home. She also warns him about how the suitors were trying to ambush and kill him. She tells him to avoid going the regular path that he would normally go through because some suitors were “staying in the strait of Ithaca”, ready to attack him (114).

Read More
522 Words | 3 Pages

“The Odyssey,” written by Greek poet Homer is an epic tale depicting the brutally enduring quest home of the Greek hero, Odysseus. Within this heroic story, women play a very large and pivotal role in Odysseus’s trip home from the Trojan War. In his attempt to get back to his wife, Penelope, Odysseus’s progress is constantly hindered by the intervention of women who will do anything in order to either convince the heroic figure to stay with them or have him killed. The intentions of the women in the epic are all very different but one of the most prominent roles lies in the seductresses and the alluring women who will deeply influence Odysseus. Most importantly, Penelope plays a large role in portraying the importance of women’s roles in the story.

Read More
564 Words | 3 Pages

Odysseus wanted to leave and told her and she let him go. Odysseus although he went through all his journey he desired to get home very badly. He found out his son was in trouble and that his wife was going to

Read More
512 Words | 3 Pages

Odysseus, just like the woman, has to live with the losses and the suffering of the war, while his dead comrades, like the widow’s husband, do not. In this instance, the woman is representative of all the women in the Trojan War who lost their husbands due to Odysseus’ wrath. He does not cry for his own glory, but rather he empathizes with the widow, and therefore, identifies with all of his victims. Alcinous, through this similarity between Odysseus’ tears and the tears of the female victims of war, is able to see that Odysseus’ connection to the Trojan War is one filled with the pain of losses and guilt, but also the pain of having to carry these memories. These two aspects of pain can only coexist in a person if his identity is the Odysseus being portrayed in these songs.

Read More
636 Words | 3 Pages

As any reasonable person would guess they ran for the hills. All of them scattered except nausicaa who had been given courage from minerva. Odysseus from afar pleads his case “I implore your aid-but tell me are you a goddess or are you a mortal woman? If you are a goddess and dwell in heaven, I can only conjecture that you are Jove's daughter Diana, for your face and figure resemble none but hers; if on the other hand you are a mortal and live on earth, thrice happy are your father and mother—thrice happy, too, are your brothers and sisters” (6.149-155).

Read More
528 Words | 3 Pages

The last stop Odysseus makes before going back to Ithaca, is to Alcinous, who adores Odysseus (Book 13, Lines 1-96). Here, Alcinous willingly gives him a magical ship that sails him straight to Ithaca (Book 13, Lines 79-96). This strong bond has payed off for Odysseus, seeing that this is the way he got home. Another bond made was with Helen and Menelaus, King and Queen of Sparta with whom he fought side by side with in the Trojan War. Telemachus travels to speak with them about Odysseus’ whereabouts, and they treat him like an honored guest (Book 15, Lines 81-95).

Read More
739 Words | 3 Pages

Helen was able to run away from Menelaus and go back to Troy with Paris. After a few years of her being said that she was kidnapped, she came back and had to suffer however Menelaus treated her. Helen found her own strength and told the truth of where she had been and how it was her choice to leave Sparta. Helen and Penelope are powerful greek women, but only Penelope is viewed as perfect for staying loyal to her husband. While Penelope was viewed as perfect for her loyalty to Odysseus, Aphrodite was able to sleep with whatever men she wanted to

Read More
554 Words | 3 Pages

Theseus conquers The Amazon and captures Hippolyta to be his future wife. During this story Hippolyta is put into a position where she does not have control. Theseus views her as a piece of property rather than as a human being. Shakespeare sets up this relationship to make the reader feel sympathetic towards the female character.

Read More
1957 Words | 8 Pages

In the world today a lot of people are afraid to try things that have never been done before, or things that are not done often but admire people that do. Theseus was one of the people that took those risks. For example; Theseus went to battle the minotaur by himself, which had never been tried, he gave Athens democracy, which had also never been

Read More
1401 Words | 6 Pages

These women influenced the conditions of the journey by guiding Odysseus in different directions, and aiding him crucially. Their authority showed the idea behind an old proverb, which states, “Behind every great man there’s a great woman”. Throughout The Odyssey, the women exemplified their power during the course of Odysseus’ journey.     Odysseus’ wife, Penelope, bravely held down the front in Ithaca while her husband struggled to find his way back home. In Book 18, Penelope spoke to the ever-so-desperate suitors about what Odysseus “told” her before he left.

Read More
333 Words | 2 Pages

Hercules and Theseus, two great heroes from mythology, seem to be similar in many ways. Both extremely brave and noble; with a love of danger and adventure mixed with compassion, creates the perfect heroes. Their stories intertwine with one another’s when Hercules has to save Theseus from the chair of forgetfulness in Hades. Theseus saved Hercules when he was distraught with intent to kill himself. In a similar way, they both stood by their friends no matter the cost.

Read More
1313 Words | 6 Pages

Many feel that climate change is not real or doesn't have anything to do to the rising temperature in our world. That the world has done this on different occasion and will continue to do this. It’s nothing new that politicians, religious believers and some scientist have come to the conclusion that there is no climate change and that the rising temperature is not due to human activity. Prokopy, Morton, Arbuckle, Mase and Wilke conducted a survey and found that, “A 2012 Purdue University survey found that 47% of climatologists challenge the idea that humans are primarily responsible for climate change and instead believe that climate change is caused by an equal combination of humans and the environment (37%), mostly by the environment (5%),

Read More
879 Words | 4 Pages

Throughout mythological stories Theseus proves that he is a hero by going on many journeys, while still showing his humility to others and expressing his courage. One of Theseus’ hero qualities is that he goes on many journeys each to achieve different goals. Theseus was the son of King Aegeus, but grew up in a small town with his mother. Once Theseus grew strong enough; his mother

Read More

More about Circumstances Behind Visualizing Theseus Pursuing Helen Analysis

Open Document