The Bull from the Sea (Masterplots II: Women’s Literature Series)
At a glance:
- Author: Mary Renault
- First Published: 1962
- Type of Work: Novel
- Type of Plot: Historical realism
- Time of Work: Preclassical Greece
- Setting: Greece
- Principal Characters: Theseus, Hippolyta, Phaedra, Hippolytos, Akamas, Pirithoos, Aithra, Old Handy
- Genres: Long fiction, Psychological fiction, Historical fiction, Mythological literature, Adventure
- Subjects: Mythology or myths, Power, personal or social, Politics, Love or romance, Suicide, Gender roles, Religion, Jealousy, envy, or resentment, Obsession, War, Kings, queens, or royalty, Gods or goddesses, Truthfulness and falsehood, Heroes or heroism, Rites or ceremonies, Greek or Roman times, Greece or Greek people, Hellenism, Princes or princesses, Royal courts or courtiers
- Locales: Greece, ancient
Form and Content
The Bull from the Sea is the sequel to Mary Renault’s earlier novel The King Must Die (1958), which concludes as Theseus, the young prince of Athens, returns triumphantly from Crete. Theseus narrates both novels in the first person, and as with The King Must Die, the plot of The Bull from the Sea unfolds chronologically, arranged in sections named for the geographical settings of the action.
In the first section, “Marathon,” Theseus’ return is marred by the death of his father, Aegeus, who, believing that his son is...
[The entire page is 2109 words long]
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