REWRITE
Act of Treachery in The King Must Die
The King Must Die, by Mary Renault, is a historical novel which outlines the adventures and life of a Greek mythological hero named Theseus. The novel is set in different cities of Ancient Greece around 1450 B.C. The novel began in the city of Troizen while Theseus was still a child. From a young age, Theseus believed that he was the son of the water god, Poseidon. He worshiped Poseidon and was able to predict earthquakes, which reduced people’s doubt that he was in-fact the son of Poseidon. Theseus set his mind to be better than the other boys at everything and he achieved his goal. Later on, he drifted to sea and returned to an island unknown to him where he decided to go to war in aid of the natives. When he returned home, he was surprised to figure out that his father was a mortal, King of Athens, a fact which faintly disappointed him. Afterwards, Theseus left to find his father and arrived at Eleusis. To his surprise, he ironically arrived on the day “the King must die.” (p. 64) Consequently, he killed the King of Eleusis, Kerkyon, and became the new king. Due to the fact that he did not agree with some of the traditions of the Eleusinian, he began to change things around.
He went to war to aid his allies, when a king was not allowed to go to war, and during this time an act of treachery happened to him. Moreover, he reached Athens and met his father, Aigeus. He was told that the Athenians need help in a battle; thus, he agreed to help them. He went back to Eleusis and returned with his companions to help support Athens. They went to war and came back victorious. Then, Theseus volunteered as a bull dancer and was taken away to Crete. He assembled his people and trained them extremely well to stick together all the time. Therefore, they all managed to survive; and as a result, after several months they conquered Crete, and yet again Theseus became a king, the King of Crete. Everyone celebrated Theseus’s victory and their freedom from Asterion, who was the son of King Minos. They all left Crete and arrived at the island of Dia, which was the capital of Naxos. After they finished the celebration, Theseus and his people sailed home. Finally, he found out that his father has killed himself. The title of the novel comes from the context of the book itself. As mentioned before, in the Eleusinian tradition the previous king must be scarified in order for a new king to take his place. Since Theseus was uncertain about killing the king, the queen tells him that “the King must die.” (p. 64) and thus Theseus killed the king.
The Term Paper on King Philip’s War: America’s Most Devastating Conflict
King Philip’s War (1675-76) is an event that has been largely ignored by the American public and popular historians. However, the almost two-year conflict between the colonists and the Native Americans in New England stands as perhaps the most devastating war in this country’s history. One in ten soldiers on both sides were wounded or killed. At its height, hostilities threatened to push the ...
An act of treachery occurred in book two of the novel, and it involved Xanthos, the brother of the queen of Eleusis. Due to jealousy, Xanthos decided to kill Theseus because Theseus gave a speech in which he glorified all of his troops and as a result angered Xanthos. While fighting with the enemy, Theseus’s chariot unexpectedly flipped over, and he was thrown off. With the help of his companions, he managed to survive and returned triumphant from the battle. Then, Theseus realized that something was not right because Rizon, his charioteer, was unharmed from the so-called misfortune. When they questioned Rizon, he confessed and told them that Xanthos had replaced the linchpin with one made of wax and forced him to comply with his plan or else Xanthos would kill him. “I did not choose to do it. I never hated you. It was Xanthos threatened me. I did it for my life’s sake. He put me in fear.” (p.104) In order to show that he will not forgive betrayal, he has Rizon killed. Theseus also decided to fight Xanthos for committing such an act of treachery. When he returned, he confronted Xanthos and provided the linchpin proof that had been made of wax as evidence. This made everyone furious at Xanthos which resulted in Xanthos losing his temper. “I saw Xanthos’ face go bright crimson with anger, in the way of red-haired men. He was cold, as a rule. Now he strode forward shouting.” (p. 106) On the contrary, Theseus stayed calm and offered Xanthos a battle as the solution to the problem. They began to duel; and after a little while, Theseus managed to kill Xanthos when he threw his spear and it penetrated Xanthos’s chest. “He was getting ready to throw, so I threw first. It sank between his ribs, and he dropped his spear, and fell.” (p. 109) Nevertheless, this showed that Theseus was truly a king because he made a tough decision to punish those who are disloyal.
The Essay on Who Killed The King?
King Philip II of Spain was murdered, but by who? With a sum of at least 20 suspects that would have strong reasoning to kill him, who did it? He was found poisoned in bed early one morning, his murderer escaped his castle never to be found. However, upon further investigation, 10 highly interesting clues were found in a burlap sack stuffed behind a statue of the Virgin and Child. Those clues ...
The King Must Dies, even though a slow progressing novel, managed to captures the reader’s attention with the exciting events that take place throughout the novel. It impels the reader to read more and more. In addition, the novel is an attention grabbing piece of writing and thus keeps the reader turning the pages. The King Must Die will surely interest those who enjoy reading about Greek mythology.
