Download Theseus and the Minotaur

By: Beth Cooper
10/11/12
What makes a hero?
What special qualities does a hero possess?
Is killing someone who is bad heroic or a sin?
Do heroes have to be good role models?
 Greek Mythology: divine parentage, extraordinary
talent/strength, quest, immortality.
 Hero’s Today: celebrities, acts of courage, self-
sacrifice.
 Name
 What defines you?
 What do you want to be when you grow up?
 Pretentious (Adj.)
 Procrastinate (V.)
 Prosaic (Adj.)
 Prosperity (N.)
 Provocative (Adj.)
 Prudent (Adj.)
 Querulous (Adj.)
 Rancorous (Adj.)
 Reclusive (Adj.)
 Reconciliation (N.)
 1. pretentious – assumption of dignity or importance;
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snooty.
2. procrastinate – to put off until another day or time;
delay; defer.
3. prosaic – commonplace or dull; mundane;
unimaginative.
4. prosperity - successful, especially in financial
matters; good fortune.
5. provocative – stimulating or irritating
6. prudent – wise; careful; practical
 7. querulous – characterized as being full of
complaints; peevish.
 8.rancorous – full of bitterness; resentment, hatred or
ill will; malicious.
 9. reclusive – characterized as living in seclusion or
away from society.
 10. reconciliation – agreeing, compromising,
apologizing.
 Using lyrics such as “Swag swag swag, on you/ Chillin
by the fire while we eatin' fondue,” Justin Bieber must
be pretentious.
It makes the teacher sad when students procrastinate
on their assignments.
 Some might argue that Columbus, GA is a rather
prosaic place.
 Many people play the lottery hoping it will someday
bring them prosperity.
 Lady Gaga likes to dress provocatively.
 The coach is known for making prudent decisions for
his team.
 My neighbor’s querulous ex-wife can’t find a new
husband.
 The rancorous old witch tried to kill the fair maiden.
 People tend to become reclusive while on vacation.
 After a messy breakup, the actors were reluctant to
announce their reconciliation.
 Great hero of Athens.
 City named for the goddess Athena.
 Theseus prides himself on his reason. Instead of
relying on his supernatural strength to defeat enemies,
he uses strategy and clever thinking to succeed.
 Went on several adventures, but best known for
slaying the minotaur.
 Theseus was born to the Athenian King, Aegeus.
 Before Theseus is born, King Aegeus places his sword
and sandals in a hollow under a huge stone.
 Theseus’ mother is instructed to tell her son to move
the stone and retrieve the items before setting off to
find his father.
Over time, Theseus grew stronger and eventually was
able to remove the stone and retrieve the sword and
sandals.
Before his journey, his mother urged him to travel by sea
to avoid the many monsters. Determined to prove
himself, a hero Theseus confidently chose to travel by
land.
 Theseus came across three bandits on his journey:
Sinis, Sciron , and Procrustes.
 These monsters were mean and killed travelers in
brutal ways.
 Theseus used the same methods on the bandits that
were used on their victims.
 Sinis – Tied the legs of his victims to two bent pine trees
and would then let the pines spring back into place. After
beating Sinis, Theseus would do the same.
 Sciron - Required travelers to wash his feet and would then
kick them into the sea below. Theseus hurls him into the
ocean.
 Procrustes – Inviting guests into his home and his bed, if
their legs were too long, they’d be chopped off. If too short,
they’ be stretched to size. Can you guess what Theseus did?
 For conquering the bandits, Theseus is greeted in
Athens as a hero.
 Bewitched by the sorceress, Medea, King Aegeus did
not recognize his own son. Medea wanted her son to
inherit the thrown and attempted to poison Theseus.
 Aegeus recognizes his sword and sandals and happily
excepts his son, exiling Medea.
 King Minos wanted to avenge the death of his son. At
the time, Athens was in a sickly state. Aegeus made the
difficult decision to sacrifice 7 male youths and 7 male
female youths to the Minotaur.
 The Minotaur was half man and half bull. He was the
son of Pasiphae (Minos’ wife) and a bull.
 The home built for the minotaur was called the
labyrinth, built by the great architect, Daedelus.
Saddened and angered by the events, Theseus sets out to
slay the Minotaur.
Theseus promises his father that upon his return, he
would sail a white sail if he was returning alive or a
black one should he die.
While in Crete, Theseus meets Ariadne, the daughter of
Minos, who provided him with a way out of the
labyrinth.
 Theseus is given a ball of thread to drop as he walked
so that he may find his way back.
 The minotaur is found and Theseus kills him with his
bare hands. Dragging the beasts body, he leads the
other survivors out of the labyrinth, taking Ariadne
with him back to Athens.
 Theseus abandons Ariadne on the island of Naxos.
Upon returning home to Athens, Theseus forgets to
change the sails on his ship from black to orange.
 Thinking his son has died, Aegeus leaps to his death
from a high cliff and into the sea below.
 From that point on, the sea was referred to as the
Aegean Sea.
 Once settled in Athens, Theseus learns of his father,
and inherits the throne.
 He would later set up a democracy.
 Video Clip
 Crossword
 Work on Assignment