Wednesday, October 24, 2007

"Nothing Without Theseus?"

Do you consider Theseus more heroic than Jason or Perseus? Why or why not?

21 comments:

alliem said...

No, I don't consider Theseus more heroic than Perseus or Jason. Some of Theseus's adventures seemed like they had no purpose other than a risk for himself. For example not taking the boat to Athens. That's stupid not heroic. Also Theseus did not take others into consideration. He forgot the black flag, which lead to his dads death. Also in one version he disreagrds Ariadne eventhough she helped him. This isn't heroic either.

Hannah L said...

Theseus isn’t more heroic than Jason or Perseus. Theseus seemed to do his adventures to be well known, but he also seemed to do them for his own enjoyment as well. Going by sea wasn’t exiting enough for him so Theseus went by land. Going by land just happened to make him famous because it was such a difficult task. So I don’t think that he intentionally tried to become a hero he just wanted the thrill of facing a challenge. Where as Jason wanted to become a hero and cared about what everyone else thought and had to become a hero to satisfy himself. In comparison heroic wise Theseus and Perseus seem to balance out.

alex b said...

I don't think that Theseus is more heroic than Jason or Perseus. They are all heroic according to the heroic code. Also I don't think that one person can be more heroic than another because a hero is a hero.

McKenzieM said...

At first, I believed Theseus was more heroic than Jason and Perseus. After reading other peoples' thoughts I have decided that he is not more heroic. They are right. Theseus doesn't think about anyone but himself most of the time. Also, he doesn't have any great purpose to save mankind or anyone for that matter.

LHorner said...

I actually disagree with the comments of my peers. While I can't find any reason to claim one of the heroes is more heroic than the others, I believe Theseus is extremely heroic. If you take a look at the Heroic Code, most would agree that Theseus does, in fact, "desire to be recognized", "pursues what [he] does best", "pursues prizes & fame", and "pursues excellence (Arete)

Mr. Craigo said...

I believe that Theseus and Jason are still not as heroic as Perseus because, Perseus is an all around hero he has all the qualities it takes to become a hero such as, he is out to get the Goegons head not just for him self but for everyone to live a safer life. When is comes to Jason and Theseus they are playing the hero card only to help themselfs out like when Jason is looking for the golden fleece it is only for himself and no one benefits from his finding it.

nathank2 said...

I think that Jason is more heroic than everyone else. He fits the heroic code to a t. His actions are perfectly exemplified by the heroic code, so in the sense of being a Greek hero Jason is the most heroic.

JamesE. said...

I do now believe that Theseus is more heroic than Persues or Jason because of the fact that Theseus has all of the heroic code qualities therefore he has to be a more heroic hero than the other two. He does somethings that makes you doubt his heroicness but the others don't possess alot of the qualities to be heroic.

Mumblo said...

Though Jason Perseus and Theseus are all good examples of the heroic code I still believe Perseus is more heroic than both Jason and theseus.Perseus's mission seemed the most noble compared to Theseus who seemed like he was just taking unnecesary risks.

afoyle said...

Yes, I do believe that Theseus is more heroic than both Perseus and Jason because, though he's prideful, it is not material things he pursues. He was renowned even before he arrived in Athens and revealed he was Aegeus' son (he and his father also put Medea in her place). Furthermore, not only was he noble, selfless, and intelligent, but he also stood by those no one else would. He accepted Oedipus into Athens when all others refused him and stood by Hercules when his madness drove him to kill his wife and children. Lastly, Theseus knew the boundaries of his power and, to some extent, abdicated his power. He gave up his kingship to make Athens a commonwealth and when he attacked Thebes, it was only to allow the bodies of the fallen to be buried: he didn't enter or loot the city.

adams said...

In truth Theseus really didn't really even have a point to his adventures other than to simply be adventurous. He had no one really to fight for, he had nothing to save, he merely decided it might be a fun little experiment if he put himself in danger. As many have proclaimed before me, this is not heroic, it is simply stupidity. Theseus is like the person in your family who can never sit still, and always needs to be doing something. He is just a thrill seeker.

Michael G. said...

For me I don't believe Theseus is more heroic. Yeah, he went on tons of crazy adventures, but just like Jason he shows serious signs of selfishness which is a huge problem. Definitely not a sign of a hero.

dustinf said...

At first Theseus does seem much more of a hero. He is prideful, daring, and adventurous. But, when you anyalize his quest he really does all those traits just to be a hero. He takes many out of the way risks to be more heroic. Perseus on the other hand seems to use what he needs to accomplish his mission. He therefore acts in a heroic mannor because he is trying to do what he is trying to do rather than just being a hero.

Cody C. said...

I just so happen to believe that heroes are ideas incarnated as people at the unusual birth, hence a person is uncontrolably chosen to be a hero. Theseus lacks any driving idea or cause making him just an ordinary person with a hubris or extreme sense of adventure. So I find Theseus hardly heroic.

mikee said...

I don't think that Theseus is more heroic than either Perseus or Jason. They all are considered to be, by the heroic code, heroes; however he does not have a purpose that doesn't have himself in mind. He is far to caught up in himself to be considered more heroic than either of the other heroes.

Aaron B said...

After reading the Theseus story I still believe that Jason in my eyes is still the heroic of the 3.
Theseus to me seemed more like he was doing all these things as someone would go fishing or ride a roller coaster. Thesues adventures seemed to come upon him because of his stupidy not his bravery.

scheibes3 said...

i agree with what alex b said, a hero is a hero no matter what. and i also dont think that theseus is any more heroic than perseus or jason. he does not have any more difficulut of tasks as either of them. and isnt doning anything that much better then either of them. There fore he is no more heroic then they are.

mckenna said...

I would consider Theseus more of a hero than Perseus or Jason because of his intelligence. They all have hubris and make mistakes. They all put themselves first, they all go on adventures and quests for their own personal gain. They all might not fit the defintion of 'hero' perfectly, but Theseus comes closest to it. He is smart, he knows what he wants, and her pursues that.

Snyder#5 said...

I think that every hero has a sort of idea for furtherment of themself. They all tend to have a main goal in mind that they believe will make the trials worthwhile for them to actually take part and allow them to become the hero that they transform into in the end. I think that not one of the three is more a hero than the other. They all have fatal trials that they undergoe that creates the image that they have arrived at.

Kenna Mullins said...

Jason, Perseus, and Theseus all obtain hero-like qualities. However, I don't believe Theseus is any more Heroic than Jason and Perseus. Theseus is a selfish hero, but when you think about it, so are the other two. Jason and Perseus both go on a mission for the good of other people and they are determined to complete their missions. They each want to be in good favor of the gods and they each display the elements of a hero.

chelbyc said...
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