Theseus - End of the Story

As his own father had abandoned his mother and her baby, Theseus abandoned his new wife, Ariadne.  He and his companions sailed away from the island of  Naxos, where they had stopped for a rest, while Ariadne was still asleep.

When she realized that Theseus was gone, and had abandoned her on the island, Ariadne erupted in anger.  She hurled curses across the water, as Theseus was sailing home, toward Athens.

Waiting for his son, at the top of a mountain, King Aegeus could barely see a sailing ship on the horizon.  Believing it to be his son, he strained to see whether  the sail was black (which meant Theseus was dead) or white (which meant Theseus was alive).

Theseus, however, had neglected to change sails.  Still flying the black one, he inadvertently signaled to Aegeus that his son was not coming home.  Overcome with grief, Aegeus - who was standing at the top of Sounion - fell to his death.

While Theseus was a hero - first volunteering as a Tribute, then killing the opposition to save the lives of all the other Tributes - he did not act like a hero in all of his future activities.  Greek mythology takes him on various twists and turns, including four miserable years in Hades.

Credits

Clip from a series known as "The Storyteller" - episode "Theseus and the Minotaur" - an American/British co-production. Copyright, Henson Associates and TVS Television, all rights reserved. Clip provided here as fair use for educational purposes.

The series was created by Jim Henson (creator of The Muppets) and developed by Anthony Minghella. It originally aired in 1988. The series ended after the second season. "Theseus and the Minotaur" is from the last season.

This clip features:

Director -  John Madden

Screenplay - By Nigel William

Producer - Duncan Kenworthy

Michael Gambon - The Storyteller

Brian Henson - The Storyteller's Dog