Minotaur And Theseus Similarities

The Hunger Games is set in the future and “Theseus and the Minotaur” is a greek myth from thousands of years ago. How are they so similar then? Theseus is a greek character and Katniss is a girl who volunteers for the 79th annual Hunger Games. The pair are similar because, the Hunger Games has an identical hero’s journeys the myth, archetype settings, and unrequited love

An aspect of the Hunger Games retelling the “Theseus myth” is similar call to adventures. The Hero in the Hunger Games is Katniss Everdeen. In the movie Katniss’s sister, Primrose, is being chosen to be the tribute in her district to go to the Hunger Games. Katniss knows that Primrose will not survive if she goes, so Katniss volunteers to take the place of Prim. This is her Call to Adventure. In the “Theseus and the Minotaur” story, Theseus is the hero. In the “Theseus myth” it states, “King Minos lifted his arm and pointed; ‘He will be the seventh’”(1). Theseus is being forced into his Call to adventure. Theseus wants to save Athens from sacrificing Athenians to Crete. Both hero’s are forced into their Call to Adventure. Katniss wants to protect Prim and, Theseus wants to protect his city from Crete.

Another detail of the Hunger Games retelling the “Theseus

myth” is the unrequited love. Unrequited love is a person loving another person, but not having that lover returned.The main love pattern is the unrequited love. According to the “Theseus myth” it states, “ ‘ Sister of a bull, ponder this as you wander the coast of Naxos, bellowing and blaring. I never loved you. I never ever loved you, and now I am free to forget you’ ”(2 and 3). This quote from the myth is Theseus telling Ariadne that he doesn’t love and her, and how he uses her. He manipulates Ariadne into giving him what he needs to survive the Labyrinth. During the Hunger Games movie Katniss convinces Peeta ,and everyone watching the Hunger Games, that she “loves” him back. In reality she doesn’t. Katniss is doing this to get sponsors. Sponsors send tributes of their choice supplies to help them. Peeta actually loves Katniss and believes that she feels the same. This is an example of unrequited love. In both Theseus and the Minotaur and The Hunger Games, there is the unrequited love. They are similar because both use the unrequited love to their advantage to survive. Katniss uses it to survive in the Hunger Games, and Theseus uses it to get out of the labyrinth alive.

One of the biggest details that involves the Hunger Games retelling the “Theseus myth” is, the labyrinth.

The Hunger Games does not actually use a labyrinth, only a figurative one. The dome that they use in the Hunger Games involves challenges such as finding food, surviving the wilderness, and making out alive. In the “Theseus myth”, there is a real labyrinth. In the first paragraph it states, “He was called the Minotaur. He is kept in a maze of tunnels, a twisting labyrinth underneath the king’s palace.”(1). A labyrinth is a maze that represents a puzzling dilemma or great uncertainty. Both of these stories have a labyrinth, whether its real or figurative. Both labyrinths challenge the hero in their road of trials and achievement of

goal.

The Hunger Games retells the “Theseus myth” because, of their hero’s journeys, unrequited love, and labyrinth. Katniss and Theseus have similar hero's journeys. The Hunger Games interprets the unrequited love from the “Theseus myth”. The Hunger Games has a figurative labyrinth with the same challenges as the real labyrinth in the “Theseus myth”. The Hunger Games retells the “Theseus myth”.