Download Perseus - mssiciliano

Shreya Nandi
Sean Tait
Arely Johnson
Michael Senatore
Reeves Moore
PERSEUS’
CHARACTERISTICS
HEROIC QUALITIES






Courage
Bravery
Adventurous
Strength
Intelligence
Prideful
FLAWS



Gullible
Has hubris
Dependent
PERSEUS’ QUEST
 King
Acrisius had a daughter named Danae
 He’s told by Apollo’s Oracle that his
grandson would kill him
 Fearing the gods, Acrisius didn’t kill his
daughter but forced her to live in a brass
box in the ground
 Zeus visited Danae which ends with her
giving birth to Perseus
 Acrisius
finds out about the son, Perseus,
then proceeds to throw Perseus and
Danae into a chest and throws them into
the sea
 They drift onto an island and were found
by a fisherman named Dictys
 Perseus and his mother lived with Dictys
and his wife for many years
 King Polydectes, the brother of Dictys,
discovered Perseus and Danae and then
fell in love with Danae
 But
King Polydectes did not want Perseus
as his son so he set up a plan to get rid of
Perseus
 King Polydectes told Perseus that he
wanted the head of a Gorgon
 King Polydectes threw a wedding party
and invited Perseus, who could not supply
a gift for the bridegroom
 Perseus, who was prideful, declared he
would bring back the head of a Gorgon
which was an impossible feat for a mortal
Fortunately, the gods favored Perseus (specifically
Athena and Hermes)
 Perseus was visited by Hermes and was told to
seek the nymphs of the North so he could be
properly equipped
 To find these nymphs he had to find the Grey
Women (also known as the Fates or the Graeae)
and get the information he needed from them.
 Before setting out on this part of his quest,
Perseus was gifted a sword strong enough to
penetrate Gorgon scales by Hermes, and Athena
gave Perseus a shield with which Perseus could
use reflections to fight the Gorgons with.

 Perseus,
with the help of Hermes, then
found the Grey Women and, after stealing
their eye (Hermes’s plan) demanded he
be shown the way to Nymphs of the
North
 He follows their directions and reaches
his destination with the help of Hermes
who’s known to have the title of being a
guide.
When Perseus arrived, he was given winged
sandals, a wallet that could expand to hold
anything, and a cap of that could make the
wearer invisible.
 Now, with the gifts of the nymphs and of
Athena and Hermes, Perseus was ready to face
the Gorgons
 Hermes knew that the three Gorgon sisters
lived on the Terrible Sisters’ island and flew
Perseus to the location.

When Perseus reached the island, the Gorgons
were asleep
 With Hermes and Athena next to him, they
told him which Gorgon was Medusa because
only she could be killed.
 Perseus hovered over the sisters (using his
winged sandals) and while looking at the
shield, with Athena guiding his hand, Perseus
beheaded Medusa.
 The other two sisters woke up, but Perseus got
away using his cap of darkness with Medusas
head in tow inside his expanding wallet.

On his way back, in Ethiopia Perseus found a
beautiful maiden named Andromeda who was
being sacrificed to a sea serpent.
 Andromeda’s mother, Queen Cassiopeia
boasted her beauty so much that the gods
detested her so heer people were destined to be
devoured by the sea serpent. In order to save
her people, the queen found out, via the
Oracle, that she needed to sacrifice her
daughter.
 Perseus ended up saving Andromeda and
asking for her hand in marriage

Perseus and Andromeda sailed back home to
his mother.
 Perseus found that the fisherman Dictys and
Danae had to hide from King Polydectes’ rage
because he was furious that Danae wouldn’t
marry him.
 As revenge, Perseus crashed a banquet held by
Polydectes and unleashed Medusa’s gaze upon
the men there, turning the men to stone
 When the islanders heard that they were free of
the tyrant, it was easier to find Danae and
Dictys

Perseus made Dictys king of the island and left
with Andromeda and his mother to go back to
Greece and see if King Acrisius had a change
of heart.
 Upon reaching there, Perseus learned that
Acrisius had been driven out of town to an
unknown location.
 Soon after Perseus went to participate in a
discus-throwing athletic contest held by King
Larissa in the North.
 As the Fates would have it, King Acrisius was
there and suffered a fatal blow from a discus
thrown by Perseus.

PERSEUS
ANALYSIS
THEME

Theme - Perseus’s story
exhibits the inescapable
nature of fate and
prophecies. This can be
seen when the prophecy
foretelling Acrisius’s death
at the hands of Danae’s son
came true. King Acrisius
did everything humanely
possible to stop his death
from happening, however,
in the end Perseus manages
to kill Acrisius with a fatal
blow with a discus.
MOTIFS

Motif - Human ingenuity can also be found in Perseus’s
quest. It can be seen when Perseus, with the help of
Hermes, takes the Gray Women’s eye as leverage to gain
information on the whereabouts of the gorgons. It can
also be seen when Athena (or logic) helps Perseus in
slaying the gorgon Medusa.
Motif – Beauty is a major motif in Greek myths. In Perseus,
Danae’s beauty draws in Zeus which results in the birth of
Perseus. Danae’s beauty also brings forth King Polydectes
which manages to launch Perseus’s quest. The gorgon Medusa’s
lack of beauty is reflected with her poisonous gaze which turns
those who look at her to stone. Lastly, Andromeda’s beauty
causes Perseus to fall in love with her on the spot which results
in Perseus saving Andrmeda from Cetus, the sea serpent.
MAJOR ARCHETYPES - CHARACTERS

The Hero - Perseus: He is
the obvious choice for hero
because he is the story’s
main character; he also
embodies Greek culture and
is the one to go on the
quest.
The Villain - Polydectes:
Though a case can be made for
the Gorgons but ultimately he is
the best choice for villain
because of his insidious plot to
get rid of Perseus.
MAJOR ARCHETYPES - CHARACTERS
The Damsel in Distress Andromeda: When Perseus found her
she was at the mercy of a giant sea
serpent.
The Temptress - Andromeda: Though
she had no intension of doing this she
did get Perseus to fight a giant sea
serpent for her.
Scapegoat or Sacrificial Victim Andromeda… Again: The only
reason she was anywhere near that
sea serpent was because her people,
the Ethiopians, decide to sacrifice
her to save their own hide.
MAJOR ARCHETYPES - SETTINGS

Islands - Perseus’ Island:
This is a small place off the
mainland where Perseus
and Danae are isolated
from Acrisius.
The Sea – The domain of the sea
serpent. It seems as though the sea
is giving life to dangerous and
chaotic beings that takes the lives
of the village folk on the coast of
Ethiopia.
MAJOR ARCHETYPES - SYMBOLS

Serpent – The sea serpent that
Perseus saves Andromeda
from. The sea serpent is a pure
force of evil which was
devouring the Ethiopians.
Three - The Gorgons, The
Grey Sisters - The unholy
Trinity.
Supernatural Intervention - Hermes
and Athena: They are gods and they
help Perseus, nothing more to say.
MAJOR ARCHETYPES - SITUATIONAL

The Quest - Perseus had to
retrieve a gorgon head in
order to restore his honor.
The Task - Perseus had to slay
the sea serpent in order to win
the fair maiden.
MAJOR ARCHETYPES – MOTIFS AND THEMES

Rags to Riches - Perseus go
from an unknown fisherman
to a hero in the eyes of the
Islanders and Dictys goes
from a fisherman to a king.
What Goes Around Comes
Around - Polydectes gets turned to
stone after sending Perseus to his
death and King Acrisius is killed
after he casts his daughter and
grandson into the ocean.
INVERSE FAIRY TALE

This story is good example of a Inverse Fairy Tale because, even though
he is the hero in this story, Perseus needs a lot of help. The two main
characters that the help comes from are Athena and Hermes (his “fairy
godmothers”), for without their help he probably would have died of old
age searching for the place. He also gets some more help from the
Nymphs (picture helpful woodland critters) who give him items essential
to his quest. This turns the common fairy tale, the princess is in trouble
and its up to a higher power to help, by putting a male hero in the role of
a female princess.
STORY SUMMATION


Perseus learns many concepts on his quest. One main lesson he
learned was that fate is inescapable no matter how hard you try to
change it. This can be seen when the prophecy about Acrisius’ death
comes true at the hands of Perseus even after Acrisius’ drastic
efforts to divert his destiny.
Another lesson that Perseus learned was that everyone needs help no
matter how big or small their actual or metaphorical quest is. Perseus
would never had retrieved the Gorgon’s head without the help of
Hermes and Athena. From Hermes and Athena gifting Perseus
weapons to Hermes giving safe passage to Perseus, Perseus would’ve
never been able to complete his quest without the help of these
gods.
CULTURAL VALUES


Good hospitality seems to be a recurring theme throughout Greek mythology.
In Persus’s story, Dictys, the fisherman, took in Danae and Perseus and
housed them for many years. Dictys’s role as a good host is seen to be
rewarded by the gods when Dictys is crowned the king of the island. This
event also supports the concept that the gods reward humble beginnings with
material wealth.
Perseus’s story exhibits the inescapable nature of fate and prophecies. This
can be seen when the prophecy foretelling Acrisius’s death at the hands of
Danae’s son came true. King Acrisius did everything humanely possible to
stop his death from happening, however, in the end Perseus manages to kill
Acrisius with a fatal blow with a discus.
The incorporation of these specific themes in Perseus signifies that these lessons
are important enough to be written inside a popular myth. The recurring
concepts of hospitality and fate in popular stories show that they were common
knowledge in society and were easy to relate to and use in every day life.
CULTURAL VALUES

Perseus is the perfect example of Greek heroism. He defends his family and gets
revenge while climbing over various obstacles on his quest. Perseus proves to be
courageous, clever, and determined on his quest to prove his honor and to gain
respect from others. These qualities are seen throughout this popular story and
were sure to be respected in society and valued above all.
THE END