Der König muß sterben (1958)

The story of the legendary Greek hero Theseus, told in exciting action-heavy prose, with a surprising eye to historical plausibility.

The myth of Theseus is particularly interesting from a historical perspective, because it was long thought that the Minoans of Crete were mostly mythological. Historical sources that tell the story of Theseus set the events in the ancient past. It wasn't until the 1920's that archaeologists dug up the palace at Knossos and documented the seat of Minoan civilization in detail.

This book, written in the 1950's, takes all of the details of the myth and imagines them through the lens of the available historical facts. There are very few anachronisms in this book. The ways that the people behave align perfectly with the world they are presented within. Theseus behaves like an ancient Greek, speaking and making decisions with the tone and priorities of a hero from the Iliad, but with the warmth and realism of a solid contemporary depiction. Theseus is bold, principled, honorable, and foolish. He is proud of himself and shamelessly absurdly horny, but with a layer of vulnerability and realistic self-awareness that comes across as charming. Theseus loves deeply and his perspective is usually generous, though some aspects of his character distance him from the modern reader: most notably his casual familiarity with death and killing.
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I've loved Greek (and Roman) myths since I was a kid. I remember fighting with a third-grade classmate over which of us got to check out D'Aulaire's Book of Greek Myths first when the school library bought it (I got to it; my friend went on to become a professor of classics... I should have let him have it first. Sorry, Paul.). I am not a scholar or a historian, but remember many of the tales well. Daniel Mendelsohn recently wrote a touching essay about what Mary Renault's novels meant to him when he was a teenager, smitten by the classics amidst personal angst. He wrote to her, she wrote back, and they sustained an affectionate epistolary relationship till her death. So I was eager to plunge in for myself, and see what Renault did to bring the ancient Greek world, its customs, beliefs, arts, and, in this case, the hero Theseus to life.

Which, for the most part, she does quite wonderfully. The writing is graceful, with a vivid feel for the country, the palaces, the mountains, and its people. It may feel a bit decorated, a bit mannered, which may date it for some tastes. I especially liked how she translated the "magical" episodes of monsters and miracles, gods and curses, into a believable, "natural" reality - Minos becomes an isolated king, disfigured from leprosy, who hides away deep in his palace, wearing a golden mask of a bull to cover his diseased countenance. The tales feel genuine, and a modern reader might easily say, yes, this could very well be how it happened.

The trouble is... Theseus. Theseus is a jerk. He is arrogant, condescending, egotistical, promiscuous, and is forever banging on about his sacred "pride." He kills without compunction, he ridicules other cultures not as macho as his. He believes in his heart he is the god Poseidon's chosen son, so whatever he does is fine because the god supposedly has approved of it. He is also smart, talented, strategic, clever, and brave. But when it comes to women.... Now, I *know* that this is fiction. I *know* that Renault's intent may have been to try to depict Theseus and his time as they were, complete with prejudices, and an appalling contempt for women everywhere he goes. Women are toys, or war booty (the "girls" are divided up along with the gold, the arms, the war horses, etc. to the victors). They are dismissed as entirely silly, selfish, cruel, superficial, cunning, helpless or just a nuisance... or childish, pretty, and f*ckable. The entire city of Eleusis is overjoyed to be "released" by Theseus from a horrible era where the government is run by women. Powerful women are either goddesses (and even then they are fickle, jealous, vengeful, and not to be trusted) or an abomination. So... I puzzle over Renault's intent. How does a woman writer - a gay woman writer - decide to depict women so dreadfully? Of course, we are being given Theseus's own thoughts and point of view throughout, but it's not clear whether this is meant to be an admiring portrait, a truthful portrayal of how women in that society were viewed and treated, or a cautionary tale. All told, I found Theseus to be very annoying company for many pages.

Well, all that said, there are some intimations of growth in the callow young hero. He gets a little smarter about persuasion and leadership. He actually learns to admire and value the skills that the young sacrificial "girls" bring to the bull arena. There are some moments when Theseus comments that now that he is old, with a string of tragedies behind him, he might not have done or said such a thing, or behaved in such a way. So perhaps, in volume 2, our hero's hubris receives its due, and he learns the hard way to be a better man. I'll stick around to find out. ( )

Unfortunately “The King Must Die” was a disappointment. I was expecting something more like [a:David Gemmell|11586|David Gemmell|https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/authors/1202771023p2/11586.jpg]’s epic re-imagination of the fall of Troy; a masterpiece recast of a legendary myth.

Part of the novel’s problem lies with its one-man cast. Theseus is neither a conflicted nor complex hero -- he’s emotionally detached, a little bit narcissistic and adheres to a strict moral code, but not in the interesting “Dexter” way. The story really suffers from the first person POV and, perhaps, could have been stronger with the addition of other characters.

The second problem was the slow-moving plot-line -- things only spiced up after the half-way point of the book! Although, the first part was necessary to explain Theseus’ actions in Crete, it was a boring necessity. And even when the plot picked up some pace, it spluttered into a halt, never really reaching a climax.

However, “The King Must Die” is not an overall failure. Moments where the myth shines through -- the Minotaur, the string, Ariadne’s fate -- were imaginative and inspirational. ( )

He wrestles, he sings,
dances with bulls, saves the girl!
Tad forgetful, though. ( )

historical, Greece ( )