Theseus and the Minotaur
The Huger Games plays off of the myth of Theseus
and the Minotaur. In this myth, King
Minos would send seven youths and seven maidens to Crete, where they were
thrown into a labyrinth and devoured by the Minotaur, a savage half man, half
bull monster. This is an extremely
ruthless plot, but one that shows up again within the Hunger Games. In the original myth, Theseus, the son of the
king, volunteers to become one of the individuals sent to Crete, and he is able
to overcome the Minotaur by attaching a ball of yarn to the entrance of the
labyrinth, and once he finds the Minotaur, kills it with his bare hands. The daughter of King Minos, Ariadne, falls in
love with Theseus, and is thus able to devise the plan to take the yarn with
him, so he may remain safe. Theseus,
Ariadne, and the fourteen youths and maidens are able to escape from
Crete.
This myth is one of the most famous tales in Greek
mythology. Theseus is a perfect example
of a Greek hero. He uses cunning and
strength to kill the Minotaur, and once he returns to Athens, he reunites his
family and his kingdom, and becomes a benevolent monarch. This myth also plays off of the perception
that Athens was the most respectable land.
The government of justice that Theseus became ruler of became a model
for Greek and Roman culture.
"Panem" literally means "bread" in Latin. This is an important theme within the novel, as in the beginning, Katniss is struggling to provide food for her mother and sister. As the novel propels forward, and Katniss is forced into the arena, she is again dealing with the reality of starvation. After Rue dies, she is given the gift of a load of bread from District 11, and she vows to avenge Rue.
The full phrase "panem et circenses" means "bread and circuses" in Latin, but specifically the "et circenses" means "recreation by government to appease discontent." This is another important theme within the novel, as the Hunger Games are a sort of circus act, forced onto the people of the districts by the Capitol for their amusement. The Hunger Games are a spectacle. The Capitol creates these games to appease its people, and give them something to watch.
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