The+King+Must+Die

=Plot Events:=

-Theseus grows up in Troizen and believes that he is the son of Poseidon and destined to be a great king. He can sense earthquakes coming and serves in a temple. He is concerned about his small height but learns to make up for it. -Theseus lifts a stone containing his father’s sword and learns that his real father is Aigeus, the king of Athens. Theseus decides to travel to Athens to meet his father. -Theseus is forced to take place in a custom in Eleusis to fight and kill the yearly king, Kerkyon, and become the next king and marry the queen, who holds the real power. Theseus kills the king and becomes the new king but does not like his position because everyone discredits his power because they know he will die in a year. -Theseus hunts down a boar and makes friends with Pylas, the prince of a neighboring kingdom. They agree to make a war to kill all of the bandits to make the road safe. -The war is a success but the queen, Persephone, has her brother, Xanthos attempt to kill Theseus because he is growing too powerful. Theseus defeats him. -Theseus goes to Athens on the pretext of purifying himself of Xanthos’s blood. His father does not recognize him and almost poisons him at the request of Medea, who wants her sons to be kings and fears Theseus, but recognizes his sword and saves him at the last minute. -Aigeus proclaims Theseus as his son but many people suspect Theseus has made a deal to surrender Eleusis to Athens in return for being made heir. The queen believes this and sends her army to kill him when he returns. He persuades the army that he is really Aigeus’ son and convinces them to follow him. -Theseus confronts the queen, who fakes suicide by poison and then runs off, and makes men more powerful than women in Eleusis and ends the yearly king sacrifice. -He returns to Athens and offers to go on a Cretan tribute ship as a bull dancer to support his friends who have also been selected. -Theseus swears a pact with his group of bull dancers to look out for each other. They are all bought by Asterion, the heir of Minos. -Theseus falls in love with Ariadne, the goddess on earth, and he learns that Minos is dying of leprosy and was infected by Asterion so that he could be king. -Asterion needs money and places large bets that Theseus will die in the bull ring and drugs a bull to kill him. The plot fails. -Theseus senses a large earthquake coming and plans a breakout for the bull dancers. They kill the guards and rescue Ariadne from the earthquake and then start a Cretan uprising and Theseus kills Asterion and reveals Minos to be dead and is pronounced king. -Theseus, Ariadne, and the rest of the bull dancers set sail for home. On the way they stop at Naxos and participate in a holiday. Ariadne participates in a sacrificial ritual which she does not believe in which sickens Theseus and he leaves without her. -Theseus returns to Athens but does not put up the white sail which means that he is alive because he thinks Poseidon tells him not to. -As a result his father believes Theseus is dead and kills himself from grief.


 * Characters:**


 * 1) Theseus- brave, proud; hears voice of Poseidon; treats people well and looks out for them, protagonist
 * 2) Asterion- antagonist, craves power, intelligent and cunning
 * 3) Aigeus- Theseus’ father, lacks passion for life; stress wore him down from warning kingdom; older Theseus relates to Aigeus at the end of the story b/c he has seen many hardships; noble and instructive
 * 4) Araidne- Minos’ daughter, doesn’t believe in gods, falls in love with Theseus, takes part in Nexos sacrifice and Theseus leaves her
 * 5) Minos- king of Crete, sick of leprosy
 * 6) Amyntor- Bull Dance catcher, helped Theseus with support
 * 7) Grandfather- tells Theseus about moira
 * 8) Queen of Eleusis- women rule, brother is the greedy Xanthos
 * 9) Mother Dia- Eleusis, old religion
 * 10) Poseidon- all seafaring people pay tribute to him

§ All parts of the novel are parts of Ancient Greece. § Part 1 – Troizen, Theseus’ hometown. § Part 2 – Eleusis, a matriarchal part of Greece where men have little to no say in matters § Part 3 – Athens, where Theseus’ father resides § Part 4 – Crete, where Theseus and various other Bull Dancers from Athens are forced to compete against other Dancers. <span style="font-family: Wingdings; mso-bidi-font-family: Wingdings; mso-fareast-font-family: Wingdings; msobidifontfamily: Wingdings; msofareastfontfamily: Wingdings; msolist: Ignore;">§ Part 5 – Naxos, another matriarchal island where Ariadne takes on a role in a religious event that she does not understand, isolating Theseus from her forever.
 * Setting:

Key Symbols:**
 * The symbolic act of killing the king (Kerkyon) in Eleusis was representative of sacrifice for the greater good and also the difference in customs between a male-dominated and a female-dominated society. In Troizen, they sacrificed a horse instead of a king and in Athens there was no such custom. It is the first thing Theseus changes when he becomes king and overthrows Persephone as the dominant figure.
 * Bullfighting was representative of surmounting obstacles with bravery in the face of insurmountable odds.
 * The sailboats on which the Cranes and Theseus were transported to Crete and back home were symbolic of transition and freedom respectively.

Key Images:
 * Bulls were a symbol of Poseidon, and appeared frequently in the novel, in the bullfighting ring as well as Theseus's home of Troizen.

Key Themes:


 * 1) <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; msofareastfontfamily: 'Times New Roman'; msolist: Ignore;">Leadership in Theseus, Asterion, Aigeus: A good leader always tries and is willing to sacrifice himself for the people
 * 2) <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt;">Justice- Poseidon tells Theseus justice must be carried out.
 * 3) <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt;">Belief- Theseus tries to be worthy of the gods
 * 4) <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt;">Honor- Theseus values his honor more than his life
 * 5) <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt;">Moira- Finished shape of our fate, destiny, freedom to live life


 * Key Structural Elements:**

In much the same way as Portrait of the Artist, The King Must Die is divided into 5 sections, each highlighting one kingdom which Theseus visits. Theseus also learns a new lesson at each city that helps him to become the great leader he is destined to become. The test he faces at each kingdom also helps to format the novel as a coming-of-age story, where Theseus starts as a young boy and, fulfilling his moira, morphs into a great leader. Theseus’ tests include: Troizen: overcoming self-doubt when determining a way to lift the stone under which his father’s presents lie Eleusis: killing the she-boar Phaia and winning the much desired respect of his cousin, as well as establishing in Eleusis a new, sustainable culture after abolishing the women-led society. Athens: giving himself up to the lottery for the good of the people and trusting in Poseidon to return him safely Crete: becoming the leader of the Cranes and a leader in the bull ring by his own merits, not through his favorable birth Naxos: sacrificing a life with Ariadne to return to his country where he can rule