Allexa Bonner Essays (1230 words) - Greek Mythology, Mythology

Allexa Bonner English 3410 Dr. Hague 10/07/2015 T heseus Reincarnated "Man born of woman cannot outrun his fate" (Renault 332). This expressive retelling of the legend of Theseus is anything but predictable. The King Must Die both revitalizes Theseus' story as well as allows for a legitimate human connection. We are not given a modern update on an ancient tale, but we are thrown into the past. From Theseus' perspective almost everything is the hopefulness of a child . Poseidon may or may not be his father , and the Gods may or may not speak to him. For Theseus, the signs and warnings from the Gods are very much real. He is living in a world of fat e, belief , and destiny. The title itself is referring to the tradition of the year-king being sacrificed to the Gods to ensure the prosperity of the people. Renault has really brought together the enticing authenticity of the past and the down to earth reality of the present. Even when Theseus comes to learn that he may not actually be the son of Poseidon, he never really loses his connection to his beliefs. The all-encompassing religious power of the Gods and Goddesses is infused with the story though they are not, in so many words, definite characters. They are simply indications of how people interacted with the world. Renault has managed to add realism and practicality to the unfamiliar past without sacrificing the essential actuality of ancient Greece customs and the heroism of Theseus himself. Almost every aspect of daily life within Theseus' home-life feels authentic. Renault has taken objects from the Mycenae: the Cretan necklaces and face paint, the ox and the tripod, and the women. The combination of myth and fact has given the legend a new light. Though all the elements of myth are presentthe Minotaur, the declining reign of Minos, the labyrinth, and the hopeless love interestRenault has subtly transformed them into an ultimately human experience. Renault states that "a fairy-tale gloss may have disguised human actualities" (333). These changes make Theseus more plausible, understandable, and relatable as real experiences of growth; however, they do not lose their everlasting importance and impact as a mythological tale . It is natural and not much is implausible. Renault writes as if Theseus were a real individual in search of his place to belong , not a mythical being, by using history and a profound understanding of the cultures to set Theseus in a much more representative setting. Her descriptions of the lifting of the stone, the wrestl ing match in Eleusis, Theseus' arrival at the palace in Athens, and particularly his experiences in becoming a bull dancer bring the time period vividly to life in ways that are reliable with history. Theseus' devotion to and respect for Poseidon reflects his appreciation towards his own inconsequential self in comparison to the gods, and his glorification of the gods important to each of the kingdoms he visits show how Greek religion has progressively combined gods and goddesses to explain the increasingly complex mysteries of the world and of life in general . Theseus and his history are in no way incomprehensible. "A man is at his youngest when he thinks he is a man, not yet realizing that his actions must show it" (89) . Theseus is a credible and charming character. In the beginning he wishes nothing more than to grow and to be the epitome of a God's son. He feels that he is much too small and must prove himself in the most dramatic of ways. Nevertheless, h e is a fearless, natural leader that is willing to put his fate in the hands of his beliefs. Though the Gods may not expose themselves directly, they are believed to be completely authentic. Theseus himself has an electric energy about him . Pylas declares that he has "a strong life thread. Where it crosses other men's it frays them" (105). He is a strong-willed hero who seems to have a natural ability to seek out adventure and has no trouble finding companions. More than anything, this is a story about a boy coming of age. Throughout his journey, Theseus grows