Theseus or Hercules?
Theseus is most worthy of emulation. He was a great hero in Athens. 'Theseus
was, of course bravest of the brave as all heroes are, but unlike the other heroes he was as
compassionate as he was brave.' (p. 159). Theseus also was a man of bravery, intellect
and bodily strength. Hercules on the other hand was what all Greece except Athens most
admired. He was very strong but wasn't too smart. Hercules never thought of the
consequences that his actions would bring about before he followed through with them.
First, Theseus was very strong. He fought many terrible horrendous monsters such
as the Minotaur, '..a monster, half bull, half human..' (p.151), and went on many great
ventures such as the Quest for the Golden Fleece. Theseus showed his great strength in
adventures such as the one with the Minotaur. Hercules was also involved in many great
adventures in which his great strength was shown.
The Apotheosis of Hercules
Theseus with the Head of Minotaur
TheseusHercules was much stronger than
Theseus, but Theseus made up for this small loss in other ways.
Second, Theseus was very smart. Because of his great intellect the Athenians,
people who valued thought and ideas, chose him and not Hercules as their hero. Theseus
escaped from the Labyrinth and killed the Minotaur. Neither of these tasks were easy and
required someone with aptitude unlike Hercules. Theseus always thought things through
and made good decisions. Hercules' foolishness was shown on many occasions such as
when he killed his family and his music teacher. Theseus' intellect is one very valuable
quality which makes him more worthy of emulation.
Third, Theseus was very brave. In fact he went on so many great excursions that a
saying grew up in Athens 'Nothing without Theseus!' (p. 149). When it was time for
Theseus to seek his...