One Murder Makes a Villain, Millions a Hero - Beilby Porteus

One murder makes a villain, millions a hero - Beilby Porteus

Some believe that people throughout history can be classified into two groups: the heroes and the villains. But there is a thin line between good and evil. History is biased; the winners write it. To some they are heroes and others, villains. Some just do not fit into one category. They may have the title of a hero but if the actions that led them to gain this title contradict everything they worked for, are they really a hero? At first look Theseus, a great King and God in Greek mythology, seems to be a your average, everyday hero, complete with good looks and a charming personality, but reading deeper into his life, this label may be questionable. His achievements go above and beyond the standard hero. He managed to defeat every villain he came across. Possessing many heroic qualities, such as, courage, strength and self-sacrifice, he saved Athens from the horrendous Minotaur. Theseus also made a great abundance of historical contributions after becoming King, which greatly contributed to the well being of Athens. Through giving an account of and evaluating the successes and failures of Theseus's life, this essay will justify his endeavors and life accomplishments and how this led to his status in society - that of a true hero or a corrupt villain.

Theseus was said to be, "one of the greatest sons of Athens, even though he was born elsewhere." (Eddy, Greek Myths, 2001.) His mother, Aethra in a small town called Troezen, brought up Theseus. No one knew whether his father was the great King Aegeus of Athens or mighty Poseidon, God of the Sea, but before Theseus was born King Aegeus told Aethra that if they were to have a boy, to tell him to lift this rock and retrieve his sword and sandals from underneath it. With that he set sail for Athens. When Theseus came of age, Aethra called him to her side and told him of the King's wishes. She led him to a small clearing where a large boulder sat, and left him. Theseus had no problem lifting the boulder, beneath it Theseus found the tokens left by King Aegeus. His mother now revealed what King Aegeus had wanted and, fueled by ambition, Theseus left Troezen and departed for Athens. Aethra begged Theseus to go by the way of the Athens Sea, as there were robbers and bandits on the road. But Theseus was bold and determined to travel down the road. He encountered many villains on his journey to Athens, but he managed to arrive at Athens unharmed. When he reached Athens Medea, King Aegeus's current wife, recognized him and knew that he was rid her, so she set out to get rid of him. Medea convinced King Aegeus that he was there to kill him, so she was going to poison his wine. When they sat down at the banquet, Theseus reached for his wine, but King Aegeus caught a glimpse of his sword and knocked the wine from Theseus's hand. King Aegeus and Theseus rejoiced and Medea fled in a carriage led by dragons. Theseus' next battle would be his most known, his battle with the Minotaur. As we can clearly see, Theseus' upbringing played a vital part in the heroic qualities that he inherited as a man.

One of Theseus's most heroic qualities was his sheer determination. Theseus was very consistent in defeating his villains. He was such a productive hero that a legendary expression was created, "Theseus Had a Hand in it," this is explained further in appendix 2. He came across many villains, both big and small, throughout his time and no matter how difficult the battle he persevered and managed to defeat every single one of them. Although he was mostly human he was often called, a match for the immortals. The majority of villains he came across during his lifetime were on his journey to Athens. The road to Athens was a rocky and dangerous one, but nonetheless Theseus insisted to travel the road, rather than sail the Athens. The first villain he came across on his journey was Periphetes. Periphetes was a rather large man and his weapon of choice was a brass club. Theseus used his cunning skill to gain the upper hand, and then knocked Periphetes unconscious with his club. Not long after encountering Periphetes Theseus saw a mighty man holding a battle-axe, standing at the edge of a cliff, Sciron. Sciron claimed to own the cliffs and demanded Theseus to wash his feet if he wanted access to the other side. Theseus, defiant as always, refused, and Sciron threatened to chop his head of with his enormous battle-axe. So Theseus sat down and started washing Sciron's feet, looking over the cliff he saw a monstrous turtle at the bottom. Theseus knew that Sciron had thrown people off the cliff where the man-eating turtle waited and when Sciron held out his foot Theseus grabbed hold of it and hauled him over the edge of the cliff. The next felon he came across was Sinis the pine bender. Sinis asked Theseus to hold down a pine tree for him, he bent a pine tree, waiting for Theseus to hold the tree. Sinis then let go of the tree expecting Theseus to be catapulted into the air, but Theseus was stronger than he first thought, and held it with no trouble at all. At first Sinis thought the tree might have been broken, so he stooped down to have a better look, but Theseus, thought quickly and clasped his arms and legs tying them to opposite trees and then he let go. Sinis was ripped in half. The last villain Theseus came across during this journey was Procustes. By now it was getting late and Procustes offered Theseus a bed for the night, claiming that even though the bed was exactly six feet long it would fit anybody, no matter how tall or short they were. The bed did fit everybody but in a rather unpleasant way, if you were too tall Procustes would chopped off your legs until you fit and if you were too short he would attach chains to your arms and legs and stretch you until you were tall enough. Theseus, having knowledge of this, pushed Procustes onto his bed and chopped off his legs. Having mercy on the man he chopped off his head as well so he would not feel anything. Theseus risked his life and protected