Tuesday, March 15, 2011

Jason vs. Perseus? Heroics?

Who is more heroic: Jason or Perseus? Please sight at least one example from our text and use the "heroic code" terminology to defend your claims. Complete this response by Thursday, March 17th, 2011 at 2:30p.m..

12 comments:

Anonymous said...

Perseus demonstrates more heroic characteristics then Jason. One example is that he does not want to lose face, or honor, such as when it is described, "Perseus had nothing he could give. He was young and proud and keenly mortified" (200). Whereas Jason does not care that he lacks honor in abandoning his wife and son. His wife, Medea, is told to think of, "the wild passionate devotion that had brought her to this evil and this misery" (176) illustrating the large level of betrayal Jason performs. Perseus also acted beyond his limitations- his journey had a quick and lonely start and "he must have known despair" (201) before the gods aided him. On the other hand, Jason was surrounded by the greatest warriors of his time, and his foe not was not quite so terrifying as Perseus'.

timothyn said...

I would like to argue that Jason was more heroic, even if he seemed not the nicest of men. First of all he was the leader of the Argonauts, a group of many famous heroes throughout mythical Greece. That means he had to lead these strong individuals through many obstacles. Second he was helped by two more powerful gods, (compared to the ones Perseus was helped by) which were Zeus and Hera. Along with that Jason proved himself worthy of Hera when he carried her across the river. Third he had a ton more challenges and suffering to endure on his journey, “ No story proved this fact better than the account of what the heroes suffered who sailed in the ship Argo to find the Golden Fleece”, this quote continues on to talk about how many varied dangers Jason and his crew had to face. And last Jason follows a lot of the goals set in the heroic code, he wants to be recognized, doesn’t want to lose his honor, fells worthy of what he does best which is leadership and his amount of endurance, and he does follow the goal of Arete as well.

Emily B. said...

Perseus is more heroic than Jason. Jason did go on an epic journey and faced many hardships, but in the end he did not properly thank the woman that helped him and fell in love with him. Jason, however, not only went on his quest to accomplish an unselfish goal, but even made a side-journey to save a complete stranger in need.

ColtonG said...

Perseus is the founder of the Perseid dynasty, the MOST powerful state/region of the times of the Ancient Greece, and because of this, Perseus was titled as one of the first mythical heros. Not to say that Jason wasn't an important figure, in mythical literature, but it was no where near the classification of a hero as Perseus was. Jason has a more comic book type of hero ordeal, with the idea of a mission/goal, that takes him on an adventure--kind of like Indiana Jones, but it's more like an adventurer than a hero. So therefore, Perseus is more of a hero than Jason.

Anonymous said...

Perseus is presented as a hero more than Jason is. Jason sets out for one specific task not only because he was told to, but more as for his own selfish desires. In contrast, Perseus throughout tough trials is presented with no task and sets out on his own to obtain something not for himself, but for a loved one. It proves his willingness to sacrifice himself for others. He has a motivation to learn and fight to the end. I see Perseus as a young character who grows throughout personal goals, and Jason as an older character, but gains throughout pride.

sarah g. said...

Perseus appears to be more heroic than Jason. Perseus is very honorable. He has proved himself by going on long Journeys. Jason on the other hand is not nearly as honorable as Perseus, Jason fails to be honorable even with his own son and wife. Even though towards the end Jason proved himself, By crossing the river. But the difference between these two is, Perseus does the right thing in the beginning. But Jason struggles until towards the end.

Lily Frost said...

While Perseus seems to fit our modern idea of what a hero should be, Jason actually is more heroic in the classical sense. Perseus took on challenges because they were necessary and the right thing to do. If we look specifically at the "heroic code" however, Jason's actions and motivations are a better fit. "The idea of a great adventure was delightful to Jason. He agreed and let it be known everywhere that this would be a voyage indeed." He clearly had a desire to be recognized, and was in pursuit of prizes, fame, and a part of the spoils.

Anonymous said...

I think Perseus is a more heroic character than Jason. Perseus seems to be more selfless in the act of going off to battle monsters in order to save his mother from a marriage to Polydectes. Unlike Jason, Perseus is doing all of this himself where as Jason had a whole group of men with him. I think the character of Jason transforms way more dramatically than Perseus at the end. Jason's pride destroyed his own children due to his new marriage and he still refused to accept that it was his fault.

Anonymous said...
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Anonymous said...

I am inclined to agree with matt. i think that perseus is more heroic then jason because i feel he followed the heroic code more closely. For example he had a clear desire to be recognized by promising to bring back the "best gift" for his mother wedding. With this same act he also showed an excessive amount of pride. also it is a good point that he did do this journey alone when jason had all of the Argonauts to help him on his jouney.

lydiaG said...

Jason is more herioc in my eyes. He was always putting himself into dangerous situations for the glory and sometimes to help out the people. He saved future people from being killed by the minotaur, by actually killing the minotaur. By this he gained glory and honor, which is very heroic.

matt p said...

I think Perseus is the more heroic because he demonstrates more aspects of the heroic code such as doing things for others not himself. Jason does heroism for glories sake. therefore he is not as heroic. "Perseus and Andromeda lived happily ever after."