Tuesday, March 12, 2013

Perseus Vs. Jason?

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 2:30p.m. on Tuesday, March 12th.

24 comments:

Anonymous said...

In my opinion Perseus is the more heroic figure not because of his own actions but because of Jason's lack there of. Jason really accomplishes nothing on his own and even uses people to gain all of the glory. He doesn't defeat the dragon tooth warriors, it was Medea that truly defeated them. He doesn't lure the serpent to sleep or fight the Harpies, those tasks were done by his men. Perseus had plenty of help too but he still had to dace his tasks and his trials by himself which I think makes him more heroic.

Anonymous said...

Arguably, Jason is more heroic. While Jason had many qualities that were less than noble about him, He still was a better example of the heroic code. Jason was in it for glory, spoils, and immortality more than Perseus was. Perseus was a hero through necessity more than personal interests, and went on his journey for his mother. As such, Jason is (by the code) more heroic than Perseus.

Anonymous said...

i would argue that Perseus is more of the hero because, yes Jason goes on his journey for his father but the benefits are for him like becoming king. Perseus goes on a journey to save his mother from the man who has stolen her, the man requests that Perseus go and retrieve Medusa's head and if he does so then the woman would be returned to him. With the fate of death staring him right in the face he goes on to kill Medusa and and bring her head back to the man. Heroic code is all about advancing ones self, but i believe that it should be about helping others and doing what is right. That's why i believe that Perseus is more of a hero than Jason.

Anonymous said...

Jason is more heroic because he doesn't get as much help from the gods on his quest. Perseus needed Hermes and Athena to make his quest possible. The only help Jason received was cupid caused Medea to fall in love with him. Jason also went through a lot more trials to achieve his goal. Everything was basically given to Perseus.

Anonymous said...

In my opinion Perseus is more heroic. Perseus desired to be recognized by giving the wedding gift of the head of the gorgon Medusa. Jason desired to be recognized but for meeker reasons. Jason also possessed great hubris which is contrary to the Heroic Code. Perseus possessed little to no hubris for he only desired to please, he was not consumed by his own selfish desires. Perseus was a great lover as well. Jason abandoned his love Medea once he found a prettier woman while Perseus rescued his wife and loved her forever. Both heroes pursue excellence but Perseus accomplished excellence with greater grace and honor.

Anonymous said...

Overall I believe Perseus is more heroic even if his journey may not be as long as Jason's. Perseus shows little trickery and deception compared to Jason. I think that shows heroic quality compared to Jason and his lying to Medea in order to use her. Perseus however was favored and received more help from the gods but that did not mean he could not fail. Jason perhaps had more danger than Perseus but Jason did little to contribute to the voyage, he was only after the fleece and to be king like in the heroic code he's after fame. Perseus showed much more noble qualities than Jason.

Anonymous said...

I thought Jason was a decent hero. He had encountered a lot of tasks in which he had completed all of them, retrieving the golden fleece. To a lot of people back in the day, Jason would be considered a hero for all theses tasks he was put up against.
Not only that, he had to put up with his uncle, who wanted him dead. When it comes down to being a real hero, Jason needs a lot of work and help to becoming a real hero. Jason had a lot of help during his travels and adventures of the Golden Fleece. Jason needed to think more when going to get the head of Medusa and also he was scared. Hero's aren't scared of retrieving artifacts and being scared of death. Jason needed to man up,and once he was reminded about his shield, that helped him out. He still has a lot to learn. -Luke Albrook

Anonymous said...

I think Jason is more heroic because he follows the Heroic Code more than Perseus does. Jason, with his Argonauts accomplish more than Perseus does in their quest. Also even though the quest for the golden fleece was a bloodbath they seemed to have a better reason than Perseus. But with the code comes tragedy and there is a lot more in the golden fleece quest than the quest for Medusas head. Hylas dies and Hercules becomes distraught, even Jason's own bride dies. Thats why it seems thatJason is more of a hero.

Anonymous said...

I consider Perseus to be the more heroic of the two, mainly because he seems more selfless than Jason, in helping his mother and Andromeda rather than merely trying to complete a task. Also, Perseus completed all of his own goals, while Jason often had other heroes or Medea do his work for him, which shows that Perseus feels less entitled, and is willing to lay the burden of work upon himself. Although he wasn't part of a warrior society, and didn't seek fame or immortality as much as Jason, Perseus still did his own tasks, and had a prideful air about him which I think makes him more of a hero.

Anonymous said...

I thought Jason was a decent hero. He had encountered a lot of tasks in which he had completed all of them, retrieving the golden fleece. To a lot of people back in the day, Jason would be considered a hero for all theses tasks he was put up against.
Not only that, he had to put up with his uncle, who wanted him dead. When it comes down to being a real hero, Jason needs a lot of work and help to becoming a real hero. Jason had a lot of help during his travels and adventures of the Golden Fleece. Jason needed to think more when going to get the head of Medusa and also he was scared. Hero's aren't scared of retrieving artifacts and being scared of death. Jason needed to man up,and once he was reminded about his shield, that helped him out. He still has a lot to learn. -Luke Albrook

KarynH2014 said...

I think Perceus is more heroic than Jason because Perceus does not turn on anyone who helped him during his quest. While Jason turned on Medea and only used her for her magic to obtain the golden fleece Perceus tried to return to his grandfather in hopes that his grandfather would accept him. In the myths Perceus only killed Medusa in order to save his mother and Jason wanted to get the golden fleece to secure a kingdom for himself. Jason was very selfish and Perceus was not. Perceus accidentally killed his grandfather while Jason had Medea kill many people in order to get what he wanted. According to the heroic code both are heroes because Jason exhibited that he wanted prizes and to be recognized however Perceus is a hero because he was protecting his own identity which involved protecting his mother. In my opinion Perceus is a greater hero because he is focused on others and not just himself.

coltonn13 said...

Jason is fits into the heroic code category more so than Perseus does because the reason Jason went on dangerous tasks such as trying to kill the dragon or kill the Harpies was for glory, immortality, and spoils. Perseus however, is more honorable of a man and completes more tasks on his own but is not in it for the glory, spoils, and immortality

Anonymous said...

Perseus is more heroic than Jason because he displays the heroic code only, while Jason displays hubris along with the heroic code. "It was a splendid marriage, and he thought only of his ambition, never of love or of gratitude." (133) Eventually Jason's pride was his downfall, which is the biggest element in hubris, and Perseus never displayed hubris at all, if he didn't display all of the heroic code.

Anonymous said...

I think that overall, Perseus is more heroic than Jason. I think this because in the end Jason ended up betraying the woman who had saved his life and married someone else. Perseus did kill his grandfather but it was entirely accidental and his grandfather had tried to kill him as an infant. In both stories the gods meddle however in the story of Perseus, Athena and Hermes give him gifts while in Jason's story they cause a girl to fall in love with him. They also both posses heroic elements but only Perseus keeps his promises and does his best to aid his family.

LivvyW said...

I believe that Perseus is more heroic than Jason for he has more qualities of a hero. Even after he has come to terms with the fact that no one could possibly kill Medusa, he still sets out to do just that. He pursues his excellence, but still boasts about it. "it seemed that Perseus had been led by his angry pride into making an empty boast. no man unaided could kill Medusa." (pg 149) With the help of two greek gods he heads for his own quest of immortality of fame and love.

Anonymous said...

Jason is more heroic than Perseus, because he is more concerned with the quest for immortality than Perseus is. Even though Jason ended up being pretty despicable towards Medea, the heroic code never says the adventurer must be a gentlemen. Other than the desire for immortality, both Perseus and Jason uphold the heroic code pretty well.

Unknown said...

Although Perseus and Jason are both great hero's, I believe Perseus is the greater one. Perseus is the greater hero because he is less selfless. Jason goes to retrieve the crown for himself whereas Perseus goes to rescue his mother. They both go on successful quests but motive behind Perseus is more heroic than Jason's.

Anonymous said...

I think that Perseus is more heroic than Jason in that he alone is the hero and doesn't use other characters to help him complete his heroic tasks. Jason is constantly seeking help from other heroes like Madea and his men.Perseus killed Medusa to prove his worth to his father, and encountered many dangerous things which he handles by himself. Being selfless and strong by himself is what makes him the greater hero.

Anonymous said...

I think both Jason and Perseus can be considered very heroic. I believe, however, that Perseus is the more heroic of the two in multiple ways. An example of why he is heroic is shown at the beginning of Perseus's story, when the king, Polydectes, invites Perseus to his wedding feast. Perseus's lack of a gift drives him to try and save his honor by bringing the head of the Gorgon Medusa back to the king, a characteristic of the heroic code.

Anonymous said...

I believe that Perseus was more heroic in stories told of the two. Perseus was more Innocent then Jason. It seemed more that Jason sought out to be seen as a hero while Perseus was basically forced to do the things he's known to be a hero for. Jason also was not far and just to the woman he "loved" and left her.

Anonymous said...

I believe that Perseus is more heroic than Jason in our readings because he didn’t want to lose honor by turning down this quest, he became a warrior in his society, and he had a desire to be recognized in the end. First off, Perseus didn’t want to lose face or honor from anyone by turning down the quest from the king. He also didn’t want to lose honor from his mother. Next, he became an individual warrior in his society by killing one of the gorgons. He killed Medusa, and brought her head back Polydectes. Lastly, Perseus had a desire to be recognized when he got back. “The king was holding a banquet in the palace and all the men who favored him were gathered there. He went straight to the palace and entered the hall.” (Mythology 153) In this passage, Perseus has a desire to be recognized by freezing all of the king’s men and the king himself using Medusa’s head. In our studies, I believe that Perseus is more heroic than Jason due to his heroic characteristics.

Anonymous said...

When it comes to being a Greek hero or just a hero in general, there are certain requirements and many of them have to do with personal morals, but more specifically, compassion versus self preservation. A hero is someone who completes some impossible task, but its not just anyone, what makes these people special is that they do these things for other people. Whether it’s someone they know or a complete stranger there is a motive aside from self preservation. Two famous Greek heroes, Perseus and Jason, both struggled with this battle of compassion vs self preservation. While Percy is capable of breaking that barrier, Jason does not, cannot, therefore Percy is the real hero and not Jason. Throughout Jasons myths there are huge body counts, like his journey with the Argonauts. Jason has too much hubris or pride that does not allow him to see the wake that he leaves making him close to a hero but he never will be one because he has no compassion and that is part of the prerequisites.

Anonymous said...

I think both Jason and Perseus can be considered very heroic. I believe, however, that Perseus is the more heroic of the two in multiple ways. An example of why he is heroic is shown at the beginning of Perseus's story, when the king, Polydectes, invites Perseus to his wedding feast. Perseus's lack of a gift drives him to try and save his honor by bringing the head of the Gorgon Medusa back to the king, a characteristic of the heroic code. Throughout the myth he never allows his pride to harm those around him or himself, which is unlike Jason who hurts many around him.

Anonymous said...

Pereus is more heroic because he did not want to lose his mothers honor, so he set out to bring back Medusa's head as a gift. He did not feel worthy without a gift so he was going to get the best gift there was and become worthy and be recognized. Jason has too much pride. He took credit for his tasks even when it was Medea who helped him. He denied that it was Medea but Aphrodite who caused her to fall in love with him. Even though Jason was pursuing fame, he did so for his own personal gain. He sought revenge on Pelias. His excessive pride is what caused his downfall. Perseus has most elements of the heroic code and Jason has more hubris elements and therefore Perseus is more heroic.