Greek Hero Characteristics

A lot of the heroes in Greek Mythology were extraordinary people back in their day because of certain traits they possessed. But would they still be considered heroes today if they were still alive? I believe that the heroes of ancient Greek times held traits that, if in our society today, would be extremely frowned upon. But, few heroes have traits that would be positive in today’s world. The three heroes that are being evaluated are Theseus, Hercules, and Perseus.
Theseus was considered a hero in ancient Greek times because of three traits he possessed that were immensely valued back then. The three traits are wisdom, bravery, and loyalty. Theseus shows these traits throughout his life. The trait that I feel like is the most important is

Those three traits are wisdom, loyalty, and bravery. One of the most important traits that he possessed was wisdom. In today’s society, he value wisdom on an extremely high scale. Theseus invented democracy on his own accord. This is what was said about Theseus after he created a democracy for Athens; “He declared to the people that he did not wish to rule over them; he wanted a people’s government where all would be equal. He resigned his royal power and organized a commonwealth, building a council hall where the citizens should gather and vote.” (Hamilton 215). This is a major indicator to Theseus’s wisdom. Democracy is something that we have in our country today, and it has allowed us to be one of the most, if not the most, powerful countries in the world. Another reason why Theseus is still considered a hero is because of his loyalty. When Theseus’s close friend steals his cattle to test their friendship, Theseus hunts the thief down and finds out it was his friend. His friend asked for forgiveness, this is how Theseus responded: “I will submit to any penalty you impose. You be the judge.” Theseus, delighted at this warm-hearted action, answered, “All I want is for you to be my friend and brother-in-arms.” And they took a solemn oath of friendship.” (Hamilton 217). This is an example of Theseus’s loyalty. Theseus is so loyal to his friend that although he does not know why his friend has stolen from him, he gives him forgiveness and stays by him. Even after he betrayed Theseus. The third trait that Theseus had was bravery. 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