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What Is Theseus A Hero

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The story of Theseus, the son of King Aegeus of Athens, is very complex. At first, it seems as if Theseus’s story might be one of the more positive myths. Theseus becomes a great hero very quickly. After discovering that he is King Aegeus’s son, he leaves the small town he grew up in and travels to Athens. Along the way, he defeats many bandits that had been harassing travelers using the same methods that the bandits themselves used. Once he arrives in Athens, he claims his title as the king’s son. However, Theseus is very adventurous, and he immediately volunteers for a very dangerous mission. Every nine years, the Athenians must send seven young men and seven young women to the island of Crete, where they are sent into an endless labyrinth …show more content…

He is a very wise king, but he gives up his royal power and gives it to the people, making Athens the only place in the world where the people governed themselves. However, his adventurous tendencies remain. He travels to the land of the Amazons and captures their queen, he takes part in the Great Calydonian Hunt, and he is one of many who sails on the Argo to find the Golden Fleece. Later on in his life, he marries Phaedra, the sister of Ariadne. This is a terrible mistake. There are conflicting stories, but both agree that Ariadne was left behind on an island upon Theseus’s return to Athens after defeating the Minotaur. By marrying Phaedra, Theseus brought great misfortune upon himself, Phaedra, and the son that the Amazon queen had borne him, named Hippolytus. Hippolytus despised love, and he thought anyone who believed in it was foolish. To punish him, the goddess Aphrodite caused Phaedra to fall in love with him. When Hippolytus refused her, she killed herself. In a message she left behind, she lied to Theseus and claimed that Hippolytus had killed her. Theseus banishes Hippolytus, despite his son’s claims that he never laid a hand on Phaedra. By the time Theseus discovers the truth, it is too late. Hippolytus had been mortally wounded by a monster after Theseus exiled him. Theseus meets his own tragic ending when he is later killed by a king that he is

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