Theseus An Epic Hero

Hero is often a person who is admired or idealized for their outstanding courage and often bravery. In the story “Theseus” by Edith Hamilton, Theseus a young Athenian boy shows his heroic side by overcoming difficult tasks on his journey to save his people from the evil Minotaur. Theseus shows his bravery by entering the Labyrinth with only his hands and a ball of thread determined to kill the Minotaur and save his people. Theseus’ actions and heroic deeds shows that he's an epic hero with the fact that he tends to put others first before himself no matter the difficulty of the task. The epic hero is often the person who has shown outstanding superhuman abilities no other can achieve. A hero is also a person who has conquered a very difficult obstacle or challenge in their early lives. In this case Theseus’ first obstacle was to be able to get the sword and shoes his father had placed under a great stone.

Not Knowing that Theseus was his son he had planned on poising him. Theseus then pulled his sword on the king, king Aegeus instantly recognized the sword and proclaimed to the city of Athens that Theseus is his son and heir. Years before Theseus had arrived to Athens the king of Crete Minos’ son, Androgeus was visiting the Athenian King Aegeus. Aegeus, “he had sent his guest on an expedition full of peril to kill a dangerous bull” (Hamilton 2. 211). Unfortunately Mino’s son had died on the expedition and Minos acted violently and invaded the country capturing Athens. He declared that he would destroy the city unless every nine years the people sent him a tribute of seven maidens and seven youths to the Labyrinth for the Minotaur to devour them. The year had came for the sacrifices for the Minotaur, Theseus at once came forward and offered himself to be one of the victims, in hope of killing the Minotaur in order to stop the sacrifices and save his