Perseus: A Greek Hero

Heroism is something that is universal and has been around for a very long time. Allowing the present day world to connect with the past through literature, these connections would not exist without the stories of heroes. Although, written and verbal hero stories were around before the Greeks but the Greeks created a effective style to portray the journey of the hero. In the Greek world there were many documented stories of heroes, one of which included the heroic acts of Perseus. Perseus underwent a series of events that proved to the Greeks that he was a hero. The story of Perseus and the style in which it was written in has had influences on the present world today and continues to be passed on through generations. Perseus was a great hero …show more content…
The Greek style consisted of a hero taking a trip to the underworld and as a result of this journey transforming either physically or mentally. This style appeared in many other Greek stories such as the Odyssey, when Odysseus went to the underworld to collect information and then traveled to the far north. The style even appeared in areas out of Greece such as the Epic of Gilgamesh, when Gilgamesh traveled to the end of the world hoping to gain immorality. ("The Hero Perseus: Perseus: A Universal Hero of Transformation.") In the beginning of Perseus's life, he is immediately faced with hardships after being sent out to sea in a wooden box by Acrisius. Eventually, they were found by a fisherman who rescued them. This difficult and interesting start to the story grabbed the Greeks attention and made the people feel sympathy for Perseus ("The Hero Perseus: Perseus: A Timeless Hero.") While Perseus and Danae are living on the fisherman's island they washed up on, Seriphos, the King Polydectes falls in love with Danae but, because of Perseus, King Polydectes cannot completely fill his desire. So, King Polydectes moves on and …show more content…
The Greeks believed in a set of "core qualities of heroism; these were virtues such as courage, cleverness, piety, and respect for traditional mores and law" (James B. Tschen Emmons.) As Perseus went through his journey he proved that he possessed these qualities and was a hero. Perseus showed courage when he accepted the quest to retrieve Medusas head, most would be afraid they would be turned to stone by her horrid looks and turn down the offer but Perseus knew he had to save Danae so he proceeded. Also, he showed courage while rescuing Andromeda, he could have just kept on going home when he saw her or found out she was going to be killed by a sea monster but instead he was courageous and killed the sea monster so Andromeda could live and they could get married. Perseus was very clever and used his knowledge well during is journey. Because Perseus was liked by all the gods he was able to receive help but Perseus used the help he got very carefully and in the most effective ways. For example, when he was on his way to retrieve Medusas head he met up with her sisters and escaped them with the invisible cap he was given. This was wise and clever because he could have used the cap in many different ways that would have not been as effective and may have prevented him from completing his quest. As said in Perseus: A Timeless Hero, Perseus has the trait of piety