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Many, many years ago, in Ancient Greece, there lived a young boy called Theseus. Theseus
was the son of Aegeus, the king of Athens, and Aethra, the daughter of the king of Troezen.
King Aegeus had a lot of enemies in Athens. Aegeus: You won't be safe in Athens. You must stay here, in Troezen.
4
It was time for Aegeus to return to Athens. The day before he left Troezen, he buried his
sword and sandals under a heavy rock. He told Aethra to take Theseus to the rock on his
sixteenth birthday. Aegeus: Only my son will be able to move this rock. Tell him to put on the sandals, take the
sword and come to Athens to meet me. Remember, Aethra, nobody must know
who he really is. My enemies are very dangerous. Aethra: Don't worry, Aegeus. Our son will be safe here.
5
Theseus grew up and became a strong and handsome young man. On his sixteenth
birthday, Aethra took him to the rock. Theseus moved the rock easily and found his father's
sword and sandals. Aethra was very proud of her son. ethra: Now you must go to Athens and meet your father, King Aegeus. But be careful,
Theseus, the road to Athens is very dangerous. Theseus: Don't worry about me, Mother. I am not afraid.
6
Theseus traveled for many days. On his way, he saved people from dangerous robbers.
People welcomed him like a hero everywhere. By the time Theseus arrived in Athens,
everybody was talking about him. Athenians: Here comes Theseus, our hero! Theseus: My journey is over. Take me to see the King.
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Activity Page
1
Label the pictures.
2
Complete the sentences and do the crossword.
8
Activity Page
3
Put the pictures in order. Write 1-5.
4
Look at activity 3 and write a sentence for each picture. Use the verbs below.
5
What will happen next? Answer this question and discuss.
What will King Aegeus and Theseus do?
9
The Athenians took Theseus to the palace. At first King Aegeus was suspicious. But when he
saw the sandals and the sword, he recognized his son. Aegeus: Theseus, my son, welcome! I am so happy that you are here! Theseus: Father! Finally, we meet!
10
While Theseus was walking around Athens, he noticed that the people looked very unhappy. Theseus: Father, why is everybody so sad? Aegeus: My son, it's time for our tribute to King Minos of Crete. Minos’ son, Androgeus, was
killed here in Athens many years ago. Minos decided to punish the Athenians for
his son's death. So, every year, a ship with black sails comes to take seven young
men and seven young women to Crete.
11
Theseus: But why? Aegeus: Athens must offer these young men and women as sacrifices to the Minotaur. The
Minotaur is a terrifying creature with the head of a bull and the body of a man. He
lives in a labyrinth, a huge, dark maze under the palace of King Minos. Nobody
can escape the Minotaur or get out of the labyrinth.
12
Theseus was horrified. When he saw how sad his father was, he decided to save the young
people of Athens. Theseus: Father, I will go to Crete with the others and kill the Minotaur. Aegeus: No, Theseus, no! You are my only son! I can't let you go! Theseus: You can't stop me, Father. I must fight for the freedom of Athens.
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Activity Page
1
Match the words with the pictures.
2
Complete the sentences with words from the text. Then transfer the letters in the boxes
to the spaces below the sentences and spell out the name of a terrifying creature.
14
Activity Page
3
Complete the sentences with the names below.
4
Answer the questions.
5
In the next part of the story Theseus leaves for Crete. Answer these questions and
discuss what will happen.
1. What will King Aegeus do?
2. How will the Athenians feel?
3. What will Theseus do?
15
Two days later, seven young men and seven young women were ready to go to Crete. They
wore white gowns and had olive wreaths on their heads. The Athenians watched them walk
to the harbor. Some people were crying. Aegeus tried to persuade his son to stay in Athens. Aegeus: Theseus, please stay! You are my only son. One day you'll be king! Don't go, it's
very dangerous!
16
Theseus: Father, we mustn't let King Minos kill any more Athenians. It isn't right. Aegeus: Alright, my son. Be careful. Come back safely and bring victory to Athens. Here, take
these white sails. Please put them up when you return. That way I will know that you are
safe. I'm going to stand on the hill at Cape Sounio and wait for you to come home. Theseus: You have my word, Father.
17
The ship set sail for Crete. The young men and women were very scared. Theseus tried to
cheer them up. Theseus: You mustn't be afraid. We will kill the Minotaur. Minos will never be able to
punish Athens again. Young man: Theseus, you are very brave and you may kill the Minotaur. But how will we get
out of the labyrinth? It's very dark, with lots of passages. We'll all die in there. Theseus: We'll find a way out, I promise you.
18
A few days later, the ship arrived in Crete. King Minos' guards were waiting at the harbor
and took the young Athenians to the palace prison. A lot of people were watching. Among
them were Ariadne and Phaedra, Minos' daughters. Ariadne: That's Theseus, the son of King Aegeus. He is so handsome! I'll go to the prison
to talk to him. Phaedra: Don't do that, Ariadne. Father will be very angry. Ariadne: I don't care. The Minotaur mustn't kill Theseus. I'm going to help him. Maybe
Theseus can take me to Athens with him. I must go to the prison. Please,
Phaedra, don't tell anybody.
19
Activity Page
1
Label the pictures.
2
Find four (4) mistakes in the picture and write sentences.
20
Activity Page
3
Complete the sentences with the verbs in the box.
4
Who said what? Match.
5
What will happen next? Answer these questions and discuss.
What will King Minos, Theseus and Ariadne do?
21
At the prison, Ariadne persuaded the guards to let her in. Ariadne: Theseus, I am Ariadne, the King's daughter. I want to help you, but you must
promise to take me to Athens with you. Theseus: How can you help me? Ariadne: I know how you can kill the Minotaur. Tonight I'll give you everything you need.
22
Later, the guards took the prisoners to see the king. King Minos: So, you are Theseus, King Aegeus' son. Why are you here? Theseus: I'm going to kill the Minotaur and set Athens free. King Minos: You are either very brave or very foolish, Theseus. You will never kill the
Minotaur and you will never get out of the labyrinth. Tonight, we will have a
feast. Tomorrow, you will fight the Minotaur...and lose!
23
That night, King Minos had a feast and invited all the people on Crete to celebrate.
Everybody ate and drank and danced all night long. The prisoners were very sad. Young Man: Listen to them out there. Tonight they're celebrating, and tomorrow they're
going to offer us to the Minotaur! Young Woman: Theseus, do you really believe you can kill the Minotaur? Theseus: Yes, I do. Don't worry. Soon, it will be our turn to celebrate.
24
While everybody was at the feast, Ariadne went to the prison. The guards were sleeping.
Ariadne stole the keys and opened the door quietly. Ariadne: Theseus! Wake up! I have the key to the labyrinth. Come with me and I will help
you kill the Minotaur. Theseus: But how can I trust you? Ariadne: You must trust me. I want to go to Athens with you. I can't stay here any longer. If my
father finds out that I helped you, he'll kill me. Let's go! We don't have much time!
25
Activity Page
1
Look at the pictures and complete the paragraph.
2
Complete the sentences and do the crossword.
26
Activity Page
3
Answer these questions. Check a or b.
4
Complete the phrases in the box.
5
What will happen next? Answer these questions and discuss.
1. What will Ariadne give Theseus?
2. Will Theseus be able to kill the Minotaur?
27
Ariadne took Theseus to the labyrinth. Then she gave him a ball of thread, a torch and a
sword. Theseus: What is this ball of thread for? Ariadne: You'll need it to find your way out of the labyrinth. Tie the thread to the door and
unwind it as you move through the labyrinth. The Minotaur sleeps at midnight for
just one hour. That's your only opportunity to kill him. Hurry, Theseus.
28
Theseus tied the thread to the door and went into the labyrinth. It was cold and very, very
dark. Slowly, he went deeper and deeper into the labyrinth. A few minutes later, Theseus
heard soft growling noises in the distance and moved in that direction. Theseus: I'm going to kill the Minotaur, set Athens free and punish King Minos...
29
A few minutes later, Theseus found the Minotaur. The creature was asleep. Slowly, he took
out his sword, but the Minotaur heard the noise and woke up! When he saw Theseus, he
immediately jumped to his feet, roared and ran towards him. Theseus moved closer to the
creature, raised the sword and thrust it into the Minotaur’s heart. The Minotaur roared again
and then fell to the ground. Theseus: Die, you monster! We are free! Victory for Athens!
30
Outside the labyrinth, Ariadne was walking up and down. Theseus followed the thread back
and a few minutes later he came out of the labyrinth. Ariadne was happy to see him.
Ariadne: Oh, Theseus! You are so brave! You killed the Minotaur! Please promise to take me
to Athens with you and marry me! Theseus: Yes, yes, I promise. Come, let's go get the others.
31
Activity Page
1
What did Ariadne give Theseus? Join the dots and find out..
2
Answer the questions.
3
Help Theseus find the Minotaur.
32
Activity Page
4
How did Theseus kill the Minotaur? Complete the paragraph with the words in the box.
5
What did Theseus say when he killed the Minotaur? Unscramble the words and find out
6
What will happen next? Answer these questions and discuss.
1. What will Theseus and Ariadne do?
2. Will the Athenians manage to escape from Crete?
33
Theseus and Ariadne ran to the prison. The guards were still asleep. Ariadne opened the
door and let the prisoners out. When Theseus told them that the Minotaur was dead, they
cried with joy. Athenians: Thank you for saving our lives, Theseus! Thank you! You are a true hero!<բռ />
Theseus: No time for that now! We must hurry. Ariadne: The ship is waiting for us at the harbor. The feast is over now and everybody is
asleep. They won't see us.
34
Theseus, Ariadne and the young Athenians walked to the harbor. Theseus was still very
worried. Theseus: We are still in danger. King Minos' ships may follow us!
Then, he had an idea. Theseus: Before we leave, we must make holes in King Minos' ships. That way, the
ships won't be able to follow us. Young man: Good idea, Theseus. Let's do it! Ariadne: We must hurry. The sun will rise soon.
35
Theseus, Ariadne and the young Athenians made holes in all the ships. Then, they got on
their ship and set sail for Athens. They couldn't believe that they were going back home.
They were tired but happy. Ariadne was watching the sunrise when Theseus walked up to
her. Theseus: Ariadne, I want to thank you for everything. You risked your life to help me kill the
Minotaur. Ariadne: I must thank you, Theseus. I'm so happy to leave Crete.
36
They continued their journey until they came to the island of Naxos. They needed food and
water, so Theseus decided to stop there. The people of Naxos welcomed them and gave
them food and drink. Local: It's an honor to have the son of King Aegeus here on Naxos. Please spend the
night here. You can leave in the morning. Theseus: Thank you. Our journey was long and we are very tired.
37
Activity Page
1
Look at the pictures and complete the sentences. Use the correct form of the verbs in the box.
2
Complete the sentences with the words in the box. Then match.
38
Activity Page
3
Read and write "t" for True or "f" for False.
4
What are Theseus and Ariadne saying? Break the code and find out.
5
What will happen next? Answer this question and discuss.
1. What will Theseus, Ariadne and the young Athenians do on Naxos?
2. What will happen during the night?
39
That night the people of Naxos had a feast to celebrate Theseus' victory. After the feast,
everybody went to sleep. Theseus had a strange dream. He dreamed of the god Dionysus.
Dionysus spoke to Theseus... Dionysus: Theseus, I am Dionysus. Listen to me.
40
Dionysus: Ariadne must stay here, on Naxos. She will be my wife. You must leave her here,
Theseus, or you and the city of Athens will suffer!
41
Theseus woke up puzzled. He didn't want to break his promise to Ariadne and leave her on
Naxos. But he couldn't disobey the god's orders. So, he woke up the young Athenians.
Theseus: Get ready. We are leaving now. Young man: But Theseus, it is still night. Let's wait till morning. Theseus: No, we can't wait a minute longer. We must leave immediately
42
Theseus went to Ariadne's room. She was asleep. He looked at her for a long time and
thought about the dream. Theseus: Forgive me, Ariadne, I can't take you with me. One day you will understand.
And so, Theseus set sail for Athens...
43
Activity Page
1
Complete the sentences and do the crossword.
2
What happened in the story? Check the correct pictures.
38
Activity Page
3
Look at the picture and complete the paragraph. Use the words in the box.
4
Answer this question and discuss.
Was Theseus right to leave Ariadne on Naxos?
5
What will happen next? Answer this question and discuss.
1. How will Ariadne feel when she wakes up? What will she say?
2.What will Theseus do?
3.What will King Aegeus do?
4.How will the story end?
39
The next morning, Ariadne woke up and looked for Theseus. When she could not find him,
or any of the other Athenians, she asked an old lady about them. Old lady: I'm sorry, my dear. They left for Athens early this morning. Ariadne: What? Why did he leave me here? Why did he do that? Why? I curse you,
Theseus! Tragedy is waiting for you in Athens! Be as unhappy as I am now!
46
Theseus left Naxos in a hurry and forgot to put up the white sails. King Aegeus was standing
on the hill at Cape Sounio. He was looking out to sea. When he saw Theseus' ship, his heart
started beating strongly. A few minutes later, he saw that the ship had black sails. King
Aegeus believed that his son was dead. He was so sad that he immediately jumped into the
sea and drowned. To this day, this sea is called the Aegean Sea, in honor of King Aegeus.
47
When Theseus arrived in the harbor, he found out about his father's death. Theseus was
very sad. Theseus:Oh Father, forgive me. I forgot to put up the white sails. But I killed the Minotaur
and set Athens free. We will never need to pay tribute to King Minos again.
48
And so, the brave Theseus became King of Athens.... Theseus: We must thank the gods for our victory. I am going to offer the head of the Minotaur
to the temple of Apollo, the god of light, on the island of Delos. Athens is free! Athenians: Long live King Theseus! Long live the king!
49
Activity Page
1
Look at the pictures and complete the sentences. Use the correct form of the verbs in
the box and some more words.
2
Match the speech and thought bubbles to the people.
51
Activity Page
3
Look at the map and trace Theseus’ route.
4
Write three sentences about one or more of the characters below. Read your sentences
to the class and listen to your classmates’ sentences. Then discuss.
52
able ...................................................
about ................................................
afraid ................................................
after ...................................................
again ................................................
ago ....................................................
all .......................................................
alright ...............................................
among .............................................
and ....................................................
angry ................................................
anybody ..........................................
around .............................................
arrive ................................................
as .......................................................
ask .....................................................
at ........................................................
at first ...........................................
Athenian .........................................
back ..................................................
ball ....................................................
be .......................................................
beat ...................................................
become ...........................................
before ...............................................
believe .............................................
birthday .......................................
black .................................................
body ..................................................
boy ....................................................
brave ................................................
break ................................................
bring .................................................
bull .....................................................
bury ...................................................
but .....................................................
by .......................................................
called ................................................
can ....................................................
cape ..................................................
care ...................................................
careful ..............................................
celebrate .........................................
cheer up ..........................................
city .....................................................
closer ................................................
cold ...................................................
come ................................................
continue ..........................................
could .................................................
creature ...........................................
cry ......................................................
curse .................................................
danger .........................................
dangerous .....................................
dark ...................................................
daughter .........................................
day ....................................................
dead .................................................
dear ..................................................
death ................................................
decide ..............................................
deeper .............................................
die ......................................................
direction ..........................................
disobey ............................................
distance ...........................................
door ..................................................
down ................................................
dream (n.) .......................................
dream (v.) ........................................
drink ..................................................
drown ...............................................
early ..................................................
easily ................................................
eat .....................................................
either ................................................
enemy ..............................................
escape .............................................
every .................................................
everybody .......................................
53
everything .......................................
everywhere ....................................
fall ......................................................
far ....................................................
father ................................................
fear ....................................................
feast ..................................................
few .....................................................
fight ...................................................
finally ................................................
find ....................................................
find out ............................................
follow ................................................
food ...................................................
foolish .............................................
foot ....................................................
for .......................................................
forget ................................................
forgive .............................................
free ....................................................
freedom ..........................................
from ..................................................
get .....................................................
get on ...............................................
get out of ........................................
get to ................................................
give ....................................................
give his word ................................
go ............................................ ...........
god ....................................................
gown ................................................
ground .............................................
grow .................................................
growling ..........................................
handsome .....................................
happy ...............................................
harbor ..............................................
have ..................................................
head .................................................
hear ..................................................
heart .................................................
heavy ................................................
help ...................................................
here ...................................................
hero ...................................................
hill ......................................................
hole ...................................................
home ................................................
honor ................................................
horrified ...........................................
how ...................................................
however ..........................................
huge .................................................
hurry .................................................
idea ...................................................
immediately ...................................
in ........................................................
into ................................................
invite .................................................
island ................................................
journey .............................................
joy ......................................................
jump .................................................
just .....................................................
key .....................................................
kill .......................................................
king ...................................................
know .................................................
labyrinth ..........................................
lady ...................................................
later ...................................................
leave .................................................
let .......................................................
let's ....................................................
life ......................................................
like .....................................................
listen .................................................
live .....................................................
long ...................................................
long live ...........................................
look ...................................................
lose ....................................................
lots .....................................................
make ................................................
man ..................................................
many ................................................
marry ................................................
54
maze ................................................
meet .................................................
midnight ..........................................
minute ..............................................
monster ...........................................
more .................................................
morning ..........................................
mother .............................................
move ................................................
much ................................................
must ..................................................
need .................................................
never ................................................
next ...................................................
night ..................................................
nobody ............................................
noise .................................................
notice ...............................................
now ...................................................
of ........................................................
off .......................................................
offer ...................................................
old ......................................................
olive ...................................................
on .......................................................
only ....................................................
open .................................................
opportunity .....................................
or ....................................................
order .................................................
other .................................................
out ......................................................
outside .............................................
over ...................................................
palace ..............................................
passage ..........................................
pay ....................................................
people ..............................................
persuade ........................................
please ..............................................
prison ...............................................
prisoner ...........................................
promise (n.) ...............................
promise (v.) ................................
proud ................................................
punish ..............................................
put on ...............................................
puzzled ............................................
quietly ...............................................
ready ................................................
really .................................................
recognize ........................................
remember ......................................
return ................................................
right ...................................................
rise .....................................................
risk .....................................................
road ..............................................
roar ...................................................
robber ..............................................
rock ...................................................
room .................................................
run .....................................................
sacrifice ...........................................
sad ....................................................
safe ...................................................
safely ................................................
sandals ............................................
save ..................................................
scared ..............................................
sea ....................................................
see .....................................................
set free .............................................
set sail ..............................................
seven ................................................
ship ...................................................
sixteenth ..........................................
sleep .................................................
slowly ...............................................
so .......................................................
soft .....................................................
son ....................................................
soon ..................................................
sorry ..................................................
speak ...............................................
spend ...............................................
stand ................................................
55
start ...................................................
stay ....................................................
steal ..................................................
still ......................................................
stop ..................................................
strange ............................................
strong ...............................................
strongly ............................................
suffer ................................................
sun ....................................................
sunrise .............................................
suspicious ......................................
sword ...............................................
take ...................................................
talk .....................................................
tell ......................................................
temple ..............................................
terrifying ..........................................
thank ................................................
that (conj.) .......................................
then ...................................................
there .................................................
think ..................................................
thread ..............................................
through ............................................
thrust .................................................
tie .......................................................
till ........................................................
time ...............................................
tired ...................................................
to ........................................................
tomorrow ........................................
tonight .............................................
torch ..................................................
towards ...........................................
tragedy ............................................
travel .................................................
tribute ...............................................
trouble .............................................
true ....................................................
trust ...................................................
try .......................................................
turn ....................................................
under ................................................
understand ....................................
unhappy ..........................................
unwind .............................................
up .......................................................
very ....................................................
victory ...............................................
wait ...................................................
wake .................................................
walk ..................................................
want .................................................
watch ...............................................
water ................................................
way ...................................................
wear .............................................
welcome .........................................
what ..................................................
while .................................................
white .................................................
who ...................................................
why ...................................................
wife ...................................................
with ...................................................
women ............................................
word .................................................
worried ............................................
worry ................................................
wreath .............................................
year ...................................................
young ...............................................