Characters Ariadne Jennifer Saint

Theseus in Ariadne: Hero, Betrayer, and the Cost of Glory

Overview

In Jennifer Saint’s Ariadne (2021), Theseus, the Athenian prince, appears first as a shining hero—strong, charismatic, and determined to end the Minotaur’s reign of terror. Yet the novel slowly strips away that heroic veneer, revealing a man driven by ambition for glory, willing to use and discard those who help him. His actions—volunteering as tribute, killing the Minotaur with Ariadne’s aid, then abandoning her on Naxos, and later marrying her sister Phaedra—form the backbone of the sisters’ intertwined tragedies. Theseus embodies the novel’s critique of traditional heroism: his “great deeds” come at a profound human cost, and his self-serving nature contrasts sharply with the female characters’ search for agency and voice.

Plot Role

Theseus serves as the catalyst for both Ariadne’s and Phaedra’s stories. His arrival in Crete as a volunteer tribute (Chapter Four) offers Ariadne a chance to escape her oppressive life under King Minos. She engineers his victory in the Labyrinth, and he promises her marriage and a new life. However, after the escape, he abandons Ariadne on Naxos (Chapter Eleven), a betrayal that shatters her trust and sets her on a path toward Dionysus. Later, he marries Phaedra as part of a political truce (Chapter Eighteen) and lies about Ariadne’s fate, claiming she died from a snake sent by Artemis. This deception haunts Phaedra and fuels the novel’s later conflict. Theseus is also responsible for indirectly causing the tragedy of Hippolytus: when Phaedra’s false accusation (or the truth of her obsession) leads him to call on Poseidon for vengeance, he kills his own son (Chapter Thirty-Six). In the final chapters, when Ariadne returns to Athens, Theseus is a broken, grieving king, unable to face the consequences of his actions.

Motivations and Traits

Theseus is driven by an insatiable desire for immortal fame. From his youth, he idolizes Heracles and chooses the “rocky path of Virtue” (Chapter Seven) because it leads to glory. He perceives himself as a purifier of evil, killing bandits like Periphetes, Sciron, and Sinis with a sense of righteous conviction. Yet his belief in his own heroism blinds him to the humanity of others. When he tells Ariadne about Medea, he uses language that conflates womanhood with poisonous evil, revealing a misogynistic streak. He is also deeply manipulative. He proposes marriage to Ariadne (Chapter Eight) not out of love but as a practical tool: “Ariadne will be with me” because she cannot stay in Crete. He uses flattery to control Phaedra in Athens, sending her on errands to keep her occupied while he pursues glory (Chapter Eighteen). Most damning, his abandonment of Ariadne is a calculated act; he sails away while she sleeps (Chapter Eleven), leaving her with minimal provisions. The novel strongly suggests that his heroism is a performance, designed to earn the admiration of others, not rooted in genuine compassion.

Chronological Arc

  1. Arrival in Crete (Chapters Four–Eight): Theseus appears as a tribute, wins the funeral games, and gains Ariadne’s trust. He shares his backstory: raised in Troezen, his claim to Athens, his journey clearing the Isthmus of criminals.

  2. The Labyrinth and Escape (Chapters Nine–Ten): With Ariadne’s help, he kills the Minotaur and flees with the other tributes. He promises to return for Phaedra but sails directly to Naxos instead.

  3. Abandonment of Ariadne (Chapter Eleven): On Naxos, Theseus abandons Ariadne while she sleeps, setting her up for a new life with Dionysus.

  4. Marriage to Phaedra (Chapters Eighteen, Twenty): Years later, Theseus marries Phaedra as part of a political alliance. He lies that Ariadne died, and when Phaedra learns the truth, he gaslights her.

  5. Reign in Athens (Chapters Eighteen–Twenty-Six): Theseus neglects ruling, preferring quests. He brings his son Hippolytus (from the Amazon queen) to court, setting the stage for Phaedra’s obsession.

  6. The Tragedy of Phaedra and Hippolytus (Chapters Thirty-Two–Thirty-Six): Phaedra confesses her love to Hippolytus, who rejects her. She falsely implicates him in a suicide note, and Theseus calls on Poseidon to kill his son.

  7. Final Encounter with Ariadne (Chapter Thirty-Four): When Ariadne comes to Athens, Theseus tries to avoid responsibility. After Phaedra’s suicide, he is left alone in grief.

Relationships

  • With Ariadne: Theseus views Ariadne as a means to an end. He takes her help, makes promises he intends to break, and abandons her without a backward glance. Later, when she confronts him, he shows no remorse.
  • With Phaedra: He marries Phaedra for political advantage and controls her through flattery and deception. He never truly values her, and his indifference contributes to her despair.
  • With Minos: Theseus is a direct challenge to Minos’s authority. He kills the Minotaur, which is both a symbolic defeat of Minos’s power and a personal humiliation.
  • With Daedalus: Indirectly, Theseus benefits from Daedalus’s help (the twine and key), but he never acknowledges the risk Daedalus took.
  • With Hippolytus: Theseus is a negligent father, grudgingly accepting his son. He is quick to believe the worst and uses divine power to kill him, showing his lack of justice.

Key Decisions and Consequences

  • Volunteering as tribute: Allows him to infiltrate Crete and gain Ariadne’s aid. Consequence: kills the Minotaur but also destroys the fragile peace between Athens and Crete.
  • Abandoning Ariadne: This decision ruins Ariadne’s trust and sets her on a path to Dionysus. It also plants the seeds of Phaedra’s later suspicion.
  • Lying to Phaedra about Ariadne’s death: This deception erodes Phaedra’s trust and leads her to question his character, ultimately contributing to her rebellion.
  • Calling on Poseidon to kill Hippolytus: The most extreme decision. Theseus’s rash, vengeful act kills his innocent son and leaves him utterly alone.

Theme and Symbol Connections

Theseus is central to multiple themes in Ariadne:

  • Female Agency and Voice: His abandonment of Ariadne directly contrasts with her later agency with Dionysus. The epigraph from Ovid’s Heroides has Ariadne instructing Theseus to “describe the Labyrinth, and how, taught by me, / you scap’d”—framing his heroism as dependent on her. The novel reclaims her voice after he silences her.
  • Betrayal and Trust: Theseus’s betrayal of both sisters (abandoning one, lying to the other) is the emotional core of the story. His actions show how “heroic” men can be untrustworthy, while the sisters must navigate their own code of loyalty.
  • Monstrosity and Humanity: Theseus positions himself as a monster-slayer, but the novel questions who is truly monstrous. His coldness, his willingness to sacrifice others for glory, and his lack of empathy mark him as more monstrous than the Minotaur in some ways.
  • Divine Cruelty versus Human Suffering: Theseus claims divine parentage (possible son of Poseidon) and uses that connection to call on the god for vengeance. Yet the gods treat him as a pawn, showing that even heroes ultimately suffer from divine cruelty.
  • Sisterhood and Family Loyalty: Theseus is a wedge between Ariadne and Phaedra. His lies separate them for years, and his actions eventually lead to Phaedra’s suicide and Ariadne’s grief.

Five Questions and Answers

1. Why does Theseus abandon Ariadne on Naxos? Theseus abandons Ariadne because she has served her purpose; he has her help to kill the Minotaur and escape, but marrying her would tie him to Cretan scandal. He likely also fears her knowledge of his deception regarding Phaedra. The novel implies he values political maneuvering over personal loyalty. (Chapter Eleven)

2. Does Theseus truly love Ariadne at any point? The evidence suggests he is infatuated with her usefulness rather than her as a person. He proposes marriage impulsively, but his later actions—leaving her with only a few days’ provisions and sailing away—show no affection. His love is self-serving.

3. How does Theseus’s treatment of Phaedra compare to his treatment of Ariadne? Both women are used and deceived. With Ariadne, he abandons her physically; with Phaedra, he abandons her emotionally and lies about her sister’s fate. He controls Phaedra through flattery and neglect, treating her as a political ornament rather than a partner.

4. What does Theseus’s response to Phaedra’s suicide reveal about him? He immediately believes the false accusation against Hippolytus and calls on Poseidon to kill his son without investigation (Chapter Thirty-Six). This shows his pride, his inability to listen to women (Ariadne tries to tell him the truth), and his reliance on divine violence rather than justice.

5. Could Theseus be considered a tragic figure? Interpretation: Some readers may see him as tragic because he loses his son and is left alone, but the novel frames his downfall as earned. Unlike the sisters, he never learns or changes. His end is not tragic in the classical sense because he lacks self-awareness. He remains a figure of blame rather than pity.

For further discussion, see the themes overview and the ending explained.