when daedalus is first introduced in the story, "daedalus and icarus," we immediately know that he is a skilled artificer. we quickly develop an image of this character. as the story progresses, more is revealed about daedalus' character and our opinion of him changes. write an essay explaining your impression of daedalus. identify the complexities of his character. support your ideas with evidence from the text.  e2231_e2233_daedulus and icarus. pdf

Daedalus is the desired character in this story of him and his son. From the very start, we are showcased his most wonderful skill of defined intelligence. In addition, he is also famous for the innovative mind and his understanding of sculptures and architecture. But like many intelligent beings, he has a dark-side which carries his emotions of pride, jealousy, anger, and cold-heartedness.

Originally, he belongs to Athens but subsequently enters Crete which is reigned by King Minos. The famous Daedalus is forcefully thrown out of Athens as he murdered his apprentice Perdix, who is said to be his nephew, out of jealousy. This shows his evil attributes and complexity in his behavior while indulging in anything other than his innovations and experimentation.

Although, his several successful inventions, the wax-wings become the most celebrated invention among the crowd. But unfortunately, those wings melt as soon as Icarus approaches towards the Sun, and he falls to die. This abrupt situation in the story creates a question-“Why did he risk his son’s life?”  

Daedalus is always focused on creating something without realizing what a menace the invention can bring. The quick-tempered scientist took his experiment so far, risking his son’s life, just to track the limits of his invention. However, he pays a great price for this action. His story of a great intellect converts into a moral story for us, which states not to challenge the laws made by nature.

Contrary to the famous belief, in my opinion, he is not an “epic hero”. Even though he is more intelligent, he does not showcase any leadership-skills or physical power. However, his deep love for his son can be noticed in multiple cases. Another popular theory states that Daedalus can be a wise mentor of any hero because he assisted Theseus in his conquest for the Labyrinth.

man vs. nature - first choice