Wednesday, October 22, 2014

Jason vs. Perseus?

Who is more heroic: Jason or Perseus? Please sight at least one example from our class text, the Myth and You text, and use the "heroic code" terminology to defend your claims. Complete this response by 2:30p.m. on Thursday, October 23rd.

29 comments:

Anonymous said...

I believe that Jason was more heroic than Perseus. Perseus had way more help from the gods than Jason had. The only help Jason received was a good luck and the idea to have the and play his instrument to put the dragon to sleep. With Perseus the gods gave him winged sandals, a great shield to avoid turning to stone, and a bag to hold Medusa's head. I do believe that there was an equal amount of danger in both situations but Perseus had a much easier time with all his new tools. That is why i believe that Jason is more heroic than Perseus.

Anonymous said...

I think Jason is more heroic than Perseus. Jason had to escape an army by turning them against each other. Then, he had to go get a fleece from a dragon. He chose instead of killing the dragon, to just lull it to sleep by playing a lute. Perseus is a hero as well, but Jason helped an old lady across a river.

Anonymous said...

I think that Perseus is more heroic because he was dealing with a very powerful woman that could of tuned him to stone. Jason just put a dragon to sleep by playing music, he easily could of just killed the dragon.

Anonymous said...

I think Perseus is more heroic than Jason. It's because in Jason's story he is doing his "heroic" deed in spite of getting back the throne that was once his. But in Perseus's story he is doing it for his mother, as well as defeating Medusa was for the common god. He stopped her from turning anyone else into stone.

Anonymous said...

Jason is more heroic than Perseus because Jason had to undergo way more challenges. Perseus had to get one thing and it was pretty easy for him because he had so much help from the gods. Jason had no help from the gods and still managed to retrieve the fleece. This is why Jason is more heroic than Perseus. In the text it makes it seem like Perseus swooped down and cut the head and then flew away.

Anonymous said...

Bryan H.- I believe that Perseus was more heroic than Jason because Perseus did everything for a greater good. To save his love and to protect his family. Jason used his skills and abilities to do wrong and to harm others. The power he had drove him to become an angry individual and to commit cruel and harsh acts on people he had once stood with. Perseus shows no fear when fighting Medusa and after beheading her, uses her eyes to turn the king and his supporters who took his family into stone.

Anonymous said...

I think that Jason is more heroic than Perseus. I say this for two main reasons. The first reason is because Jason had to overcome more obstacles or challenges. Jason ran into 13 problems while Perseus only had one main battle. In Jason's myth is says, "Great perils lay before them..." which shows that they are going to run into many problems. The second reason why I think Jason is more heroic is because he did not have as much help from the gods. Jason received help but it was not even close to the extent of help that Perseus received. In Perseu's story it says that "...Athena guided his hand". This quote shows that Perseus could not have completed his mission without the help of the gods while Jason could have completed his goal.

Anonymous said...

I believe that between Jason and Perseus Jason was more heroic. My main reason for that is because Jason's quest was actually for his family and Perseus' quest was just to bring back the head of Medusa to make up for his embarrassment. As well as Perseus had so much help from the gods like Pallas Athena and Hermes. "Athena was beside him now as well as Hermes." Jason did not have any godly objects either, while Perseus had a sword, a shield, a wallet, and a helmet. When the two are compared with the heroic code, their elements are very simlar. But the one downfall of Jason is him leaving Medea for another woman. But it does not say that in the heroic code, it only says "Hero does not want to lose face or honor." In the Myth And You text is states "his life is more influenced by conduct than by chance." I agree with this statement because Jason didn't have to retrieve the fleece, no one was making him. But with Perseus the gods actually got involved and that is a very rare thing in the mythology human world, so I think Jason's conduct was more hero like then Perseus' luck.

Anonymous said...

Between both heroes, Jason and Perseus, I believe Perseus is the more heroic because he was on the set mission that he claimed himself. To be a hero you must be brave. In my eyes, what is braver than bargaining your life the the pleasure of one other just to prove them wrong. It may seem irresponsible, but it was undoubtedly brave. On his journey he had help from two gods, Hermes and Athena, which in the heroic code gives him "Supernatural help". The two gods gave him a golden reflective shield, winged boots, indestructible sword, and a pouch to safely keep the head in. He was blessed for his heroic journey. Not only did he choose the journey, but he traveled a great distance to a place where he doesn't even know. Aimlessly wondering until he finds his journeys end. The main thing that makes him a hero was that he returned with what he said he would. Thus proving the king wrong and killing him. Perseus is the real hero.

Anonymous said...

Jason is more heroic because he depends less on divine magic, "...exclusively depend on divine magic for their success." Jason actually has to use what is around him to complete his quest, he is not given much help from the gods although he is favored. He must depend on the kings daughter for help since the king has made plans to try and kill him. Jason must also overcome more challenges to achieve his goal. Both go on quest for similar reasons that are both designed to make themselves better although these quests just happen to help others, that was not the true intent behind them. Overall Jason is more of a hero because he has to have more skill since he received less help from others.

Anonymous said...

I believe that Perseus was more heroic. He was able to do what others have only dreamed of doing. He slayed the dreaded Medusa and by doing so, he was able to lift a weight off of his, and all of the other soldiers, shoulders. Without the help from Hermes and Athena, however, he would not have been able to kill her. Because he received this help, he was clearly a special person. "He represented the patriarchal Mycenaean conquest of scared shrines of the native earth-worshiping culture." The gods aren't willing to just help anyone, you would have to be really special. Clearly, Perseus was and they saw something in him that they were willing to enlist their help. Because he got the help that he did, he was able to complete his quest and kill Medusa. I believe that Jason is still a great hero, but because Perseus saved the lives of many people yet to venture to Medusa's layer, he is clearly more heroic.

Anonymous said...

I honestly think that Jason is more heroic than Perseus. Jason had to work in order to get help from the Gods, while Perseus just had to show up to get the Gods to help him. Also, Jason had good reason, he had to take back his Kingdom because it his is rightful Kingdom.Perseus just seems to be big headed and that is how he got the Gods assistance. In the text it even said "Perseus was saved by his folly."
This is why I think Jason is more heroic than Perseus.

Anonymous said...

I think that Jason was more heroic than Perseus because in both myths there is help given to each of them. However, when you look back at the myth of Jason, the gods weren't there to aid him, the only real help that he received was luck. This compared to Perseus who received aid from multiple gods just so he could kill Medusa.

Unknown said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Anonymous said...

I believe Jason is more heroic than Perseus. Perseus had most of his help from the Gods and Jason had less help from the Gods. Jason had the help of his men to destroy the army to get the golden fleet. The only help Jason needed and got was luck. Perseus on the other hand was given magical items from the Gods and without there help, I believe that Perseus would have failed.

Anonymous said...

In my opinion I believe that Jason was more heroic than Perseus because of the aid Perseus received from the gods. Jason still had help but it wasn't to the extent that Perseus had. Perseus is still very heroic for the actions that he did but Jason had a bit more of a challenge to face because he didn't have many weapons and tools. These reasons show why Jason was more heroic than Perseus.

Anonymous said...

I believe that Jason is more heroic than Perseus. Perseus got more help from the gods, he got a weapon, a shield, a wallet, and a pair of flying boots/shoes. When Jason got help from the gods, they just said that he is favored by the gods during his quest. Since they aren't the same quest I don't think you can accurately compare the two, but I believe that Jason was more heroic considering the help he was given.

Anonymous said...

I think that between the heroes Jason and Perseus, Jason is the more heroic of the two. According to some of the elements of the Heroic Code, a hero has the desire to be recognized, the pursuit of prizes and fame, and to feel worthy at what they do best. Jason wants to take his rightful place on the throne of Lemnos (pursuit of fame and the desire to be recognized). To do this he needed to find the Golden Fleece and bring it back to the king Pelias (pursuit of prizes), and when Jason brought it back Pelias gave the throne and his kingship to Jason. Jason was good at fighting and going on quests, and this quest for the Golden Fleece was right up his alley, so after it he felt worthy of doing something he did best, which is being a hero and going on a quest. Perseus, on the other hand, fits into some of these categories, but not all of them. He did pursue a prize, the head of Medusa, but he did not want to be recognized as anything and he did not want to pursue fame. Perseus simply wanted to give this gift to the King, and he did not want to become King or anybody of a higher class than what he already was.

Anonymous said...

I think Jason is more heroic because his journey was more difficult and he had less assistance from others. On page 129, the book talks about one event in Jason's journey, when the king tells him he need to plant the teeth of the dragon, he is able to overcome it because of the information that Medea had told him, which means he had to let himself trust another. Also, according to the Heroic Code, I think Jason was very much the role of a warrior after his quest, and by going on this quest he was determined to succeed because he didn't want to lose his honor and image.

Anonymous said...

I believe Jason was more heroic than Perseus. Perseus had a lot of help from Gods. He was given winged sandals, a reflective shield, and a bag to put Medusa head. Jason did a lot by himself and had to go through more obstacles and challenges.

Anonymous said...

I think that Jason is more heroic that Perseus, because Jason had to do almost everything on his own. He got little help from the gods, and what he did get did not help him as much as the help Perseus got. Where Jason got the god's blessing for good luck, Perseus got winged sandals from Hermes, a shield that he could use to avoid being turned to stone, and a bag that he could put Medusa's head in so that he didn't have to look at it. Also, Jason got the golden fleece for the benefit of getting the kingdom back for his father. This is much better than Perseus getting Medusa's head as a gift. This is why I think Jason is more heroic.

Anonymous said...

I don't think there was really a difference between either of the heroes. They both bore courage, they both accomplished their tasks and they both got revenge at the end of their journey. They both a noble causes too.
Jason accomplished his task by the help of the goddess, Hera,and many others that Hera acquired, while Perseus had the help of Hermes and Pallas Athena.
"So Aphrodite went to Cupid and told him she would give him a lovely plaything, a ball of shining gold and deep blue enamel, if he would do what she wanted." pg. 128 Mythology Text
Jason had many heroes to help him on his quest, while Perseus had only himself.

Anonymous said...

Jason and Perseus are equally as heroic. The Mythology and You book states, Perseus “depended exclusively upon divine magical aid for success.” Perseus was given a magical tool that the task of killing medusa seems impossible without. But what makes Jason truly more heroic that Perseus is that Perseus had Athenas help in cutting off Medusas head. He did not even perform the task on his own. However; Jason did get many suggestions from the girl that fell in love with her. If she hadn’t overheard the men talking about their plan against Jason, he would have died early on, before even reaching the dragon. Perseus and Jason may be viewed as not being heroic due to all of the help they got on their seemingly impossible journeys. What does make them both heroic is that they have achieved great things, they are brave, and they have achieved great honor.

Anonymous said...

After reading the Myths about Jason in Perseus, it appears to me that Jason is more heroic than Perseus. Jason is more heroic than Perseus because of the certain things he does for him to gain the title of being more heroic. For example, Jason had to cross a raging river. If that wasn’t hard enough for him, he also had to carry an old woman with him on his back. Jason also had to use strategy while receiving the golden fleece. He had to pay close attention to Medea, and listen to her instructions in order to be successful in getting the gold fleece. Jason had to plant Dragon teeth, and then deal with the skeleton soldiers. Although he did not have to fight off every single skeleton, he had to use great skill to turn them against each other so they would destroy each other and not Jason. Jason also had to deal with the dragon guarding the golden fleece. Jason also had to put the dragon to sleep, but this took great skill and details to put the dragon to sleep the correct way. Perseus however had a lot of help from the Greek Gods, and didn’t have many tasks to complete. The Gods gave him materials including a sword, a shield, a wallet, and a helmet. Although Perseus’ task was difficult, I think that Jasons was just as difficult if not more difficult than Perseus’ task. Jason uphold the heroic code and is defined as a hero through his difficult tasks that he completes.

Anonymous said...

I believe that Jason is more heroic than Perseus, because his quest was much more difficult because he had less help from the gods and had to fight multiple enemies instead of just one Medusa. He had to fight the harpies and rough seas, those are a just a couple things he fought. Also Perseus was heavily backed and helped by the gods. Perseus was given a sword, shield, and flying sandals.

Anonymous said...

I believe that Jason is more Heroic than Perseus. Jason didn't have as much guidance and service as Perseus did. Jason did it on his own and was only wished good luck. Perseus had no problem with his tool where Jason had less than him.

Anonymous said...

When Jason and Perseus are compared side by side, Jason, captain of the Argonauts, is found to be more heroic than Perseus. Jason’s goal was to overthrow the king, and collect the Golden Fleece from a dragon. By wanting to set forth on a dangerous adventure, Jason proved his longing to be apart of a warrior society. “The idea of the great adventure was delightful to Jason.” (124 Hamilton). Along with his craving to be apart of a warrior society, he also wants to keep his honor, and feels worthy to pursue prizes because he is the rightful heir. While Perseus has elements of the heroic code identical to Jason’s, he is less heroic than Jason. Because Jason and Perseus are identical in their heroic code, they should be equal in their heroism. However, the one thing that separates them is the God’s favoritism. Jason is more heroic than Perseus for the sole reason that Perseus received help from the Gods, and Jason did not. This makes Jason more heroic because he had to complete the tasks only using his skills as a mortal. Jason did accept help from Medea but it was not at a level of help from a God. Because Perseus received help from the Gods, and Jason did not, Jason is more heroic.

Anonymous said...

I think Jason would be considered way greater of a Hero. It seems as though Perseus had a lot more interference from the Gods in his journey for Medusa’s head. The God’s gave him winged sandals, the shield, and the bag to hold the head, in order to complete the job. Everything was given to him, all he had to do was be the body to walk there, cut the head, and bring it back. Perseus on the other had to come up with a plan and take the lead on his own; he was the one who turned the army against himself and he was the one who thought of the idea to play the music to make the dragon fall asleep.

Anonymous said...

Between both heroes i would have to say that Jason is more heroic and here are some reasons why. The reason why i said Jason was more heroic than Perseus is that i kinda feel like Perseus relied to much on his magic and with out it im not sure how much of a god he would be. Jason actually has to use what is around him to complete his quest, he is not given much help from the gods although he is favored. From him doing this i feel like he has more logic than Perseus because hes always thinking. He must depend on the kings daughter for help since the king has made plans to try and kill him. Jason must also overcome more challenges to achieve his goal. Both go on quest for similar reasons that are both designed to make themselves better although these quests just happen to help others, that was not the true intent behind them. Overall Jason is more of a hero because he has to have more skill since he received less help from others.