Different Heroes, Same Result

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Everyone wants to get fame and fortune for doing something no one else dares to do. “Perseus” and “Psyche and Eros” are two very famous myths in Greek lore that include most of the aspects of the hero’s journey. Perseus and Psyche are similar because they are both naïve. However, they are different because Perseus shows bravery and Psyche shows curiosity. Perseus gets manipulated and volunteers to kill Medusa in an act to offer his services to King Polydectes. Similarly, Psyche gets tricked by her evil sisters to go against her husband’s wishes, but through her curiosity, she insists to find out who her husband actually is.
Both Perseus and Psyche portray similar characteristics in their own myths; one example of their similarities is that they are both naïve. Perseus falls straight into King Polydectes’ plan to get rid of him and marry his mother. As it states in the myth, “Perseus had foolishly permitted himself to be manipulated into volunteering to die” (200). This states that Perseus is very naïve because he gets tricked by King Polydectes into doing a suicide mission. This also proves that Perseus is naïve because he falls perfectly into the plan of Polydectes as he asks Perseus to give him a horse as a gift for his marriage, but his poverty stops him from doing that. So to prove himself, he agrees to kill the dreadful Medusa. Likewise, Psyche shows herself as a naïve person in her myth, just like Perseus. As stated in the myth, “‘With the knife in your right hand, cut off the head of the poisonous serpent. After he is dead, we will marry you to a handsome man’” (259). This proves Psyche is naïve because her sisters are jealous of her and they do not want her to live her life with a perfect husband. So they decide to form ...

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In conclusion, naïve is a characteristic that is similar in both Perseus and Psyche, yet they do not share the characteristics of bravery and curiosity as Perseus is brave and Psyche is curious. Perseus and Psyche present themselves as being naïve in similar ways as they both get manipulated by the archetypical villain of the myth. However, Perseus shows bravery when he volunteers to kill Medusa and Psyche shows curiosity when she wants to find out who she is married to. Heroes are not always perfect; they can achieve their goals in many different ways while succeeding or getting perished.

Works Cited

“Perseus” Mythology and You. Ed. Donna Rosenberg and Sorelle Baker. Columbus: Glencoe McGraw – Hill, 2006. 198 - 208. Print.
“Psyche and Eros” Mythology and You. Ed. Donna Rosenberg and Sorelle Baker. Columbus: Glencoe McGraw – Hill, 2006. 255 – 263. Print.

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