“ ‘Even so, suffer and be strong,’ Theseus answered.” Theseus was one of the greatest heroes of his time, often being overlooked for his cousin Hercules. Greek mythology was full of many valiant heroes, but many tended to be shallow and vapid. In Edith Hamilton’s “Mythology” she portrays Theseus as a thoughtful hero that was intelligent and brave, although at times careless. Hamilton was a smart woman, much like Theseus in the fact that both were much more astute than the people around them. She was fluent in five languages, showing that she had a very high intellect, one of the traits that Theseus has which makes him a hero. Theseus was a hero because he has the qualities of bravery, strength, and kindness. Theseus demonstrated heroic …show more content…
After accomplishing his father’s task to earn his acknowledgement, his mother and grandfather offered him a ship so he could sail to Athens. “But Theseus refused to go by water, because the voyage was safe and easy.” Humans tend to choose the easy way out, but Theseus was determined to get stronger by choosing the tougher route by land to become a hero faster. When Theseus reached Athens he came up and offered himself to be one of the tributes to the Minotaur. “He came upon him asleep and fell upon him, pinning him to the ground; and with his fists- he had no other weapon- he battered the monster to death.” Even without weapons Theseus could still win a battle, showing the amazing heroic strength he possessed. Theseus attended the wedding of his comrade Pirithous where the Centaurs were seizing women in their drunken state causing a fight to break out. “Theseus leaped to the defense of the bride and struck down the Centaur who was trying to carry her off.” Many people would never dare fight a Centaur, but Theseus fought several to protect Pirithious’ wife showing his heroism. Strength, although something that Theseus had much of, strength alone does not define him as a