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Mary Renault

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The King Must Die: A Novel Paperback – February 12, 1988

by Mary Renault (Author)

4.4 1,743 ratings

Book 1 of 2: Theseus

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In this ambitious, ingenious narrative, celebrated historical novelist Mary Renault take legendary hero Theseus and spins his myth into a fast-paced and exciting story.

Renault starts with Theseus' early years, showing how the mystery of his father's identity and his small stature breed the insecurities that spur his youthful hijinx. As he moves on to Eleusis, Athens, and Crete, his playfulness and fondness for pranks matures into the courage to attempt singular heroic feats, the gallantry and leadership he was known for on the battlefield, and the bold-hearted ingenuity he shows in navigating the labyrinth and slaying the Minotaur. In what is perhaps the most inventive of all her novels of Ancient Greece, Renault casts Theseus in a surprisingly original pose; she teases the flawed human out of the bronze hero, and draws the plausible out of the fantastic.

From the Inside Flap

The story of the mythical hero Theseus, slayer of monsters, abductor of princesses and king of Athens. He emerges from these pages as a clearly defined personality; brave, aggressive and quick. The core of the story is Theseus' Cretan adventure.

From the Back Cover

The story of the mythical hero Theseus, slayer of monsters, abductor of princesses and king of Athens. He emerges from these pages as a clearly defined personality; brave, aggressive and quick. The core of the story is Theseus' Cretan adventure.

About the Author

MARY RENAULT has written over a dozen novels, has had her work adapted for radio, stage, and screeen, and has been the subject of documentaries and biographies. She is as widely known for her forthright treatment of gay relationships as she is her historical restructions of ancient Greece. She was born in London and educated at Oxford. She then trained as a nurse, where she met her lifelong partner Julie Mullard. After during World War II, she and Mullard settled in South Africa and traveled considerably in Africa and Greece. It was at this time that she began writing her historical novels, including The King Must Die, The Last of the Wine, and The Persian Boy. The biography The Nature of Alexander is one of her only non-fiction books. She died in Cape Town in 1983.

Book 1 of 2

Theseus
Print length

338 pages
Language

English
Publisher

Vintage Books
Publication date

February 12, 1988
Dimensions

5.21 x 0.63 x 8 inches
ISBN-10

0394751043
ISBN-13

978-0394751047
Lexile measure

730L
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Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Vintage Books; First Edition (February 12, 1988)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Paperback ‏ : ‎ 338 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0394751043
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0394751047
Lexile measure ‏ : ‎ 730L
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 9.2 ounces
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.21 x 0.63 x 8 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #129,988 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #751 in Historical British & Irish Literature
- #1,619 in Folklore (Books)
- #8,658 in Literary Fiction (Books)

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4.4 1,743 ratings

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Mary Renault

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Mary Renault (1905-1983) was best known for her historical novels set in Ancient Greece with their vivid fictional portrayals of Theseus, Socrates, Plato and Alexander the Great.

Born in London in 1905 and educated at the University of Oxford, she trained as a nurse at Oxford's Radcliffe Infirmary where she met her lifelong partner, fellow nurse Julie Mullard. After completing her training she wrote her first novel, Purposes of Love, in 1937. In 1948, after her novel North Face won a MGM prize worth $150,000, she and Mullard emigrated to South Africa.

It was in South Africa that Renault was able to write forthrightly about homosexual relationships for the first time - in her last contemporary novel, The Charioteer , published in 1953, and then in her first historical novel, 1956's The Last of the Wine, the story of two young Athenians who study under Socrates and fight against Sparta. Both these books had male protagonists, as did all her later works that included homosexual themes. Her sympathetic treatment of love between men would win Renault a wide gay readership.

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4.4 out of 5

1,743 global ratings

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LA in Dallas

Theseus retold

Reviewed in the United States on March 18, 2023

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I read The King Must Die and The Bull from the Sea in High School (about 1971, I'm guessing), then subsequently read everything by Mary Renault I could get my hands on. That, I guess, shows what I thought of them. Although her other books are good, The King Must Die was the most unputdownable.

The two books are, of course, a retelling of the classic myth of Theseus -- the demigod son of a mortal woman and Poseidon (god of the sea and also the Earthshaker) and Aegeus, king of Athens. (Son of two fathers? Yup, apparently that's something a god can do.) In classical myth Theseus went to Crete, where he killed the Minotaur with the help of the princess Ariadne, whence he returned to Athens (not yet the democracy it was famously to become) to be King. In Renault's telling most of the magical events of the myth are rationalized so that, if you want to, you can view them as nonmagical. For instance, instead of having a bull's head, Renault's Minotaur is just the large, brutal son of Queen Pasiphaë. Drawing on Cretan archeology, Renault portrays Theseus in the Cretan court as a bull-dancer, one of the youths who risk their lives in shows with live bulls.

I remember The King Must Die as a very sexy novel. (Not that, as a High School student in the 70s, I had a lot of basis for comparison.) It is no more explicit than you would expect of a novel published for a general audience in 1958. But Renault leaves you in no doubt that Theseus was a man who wanted to have sex with women, and whom women wanted to have sex with, and did. In my memory there is no convincing love story in the novel.

In contrast to several of Renault's other novels, relationships in The King Must Die are, as far as my High school memories serve me, exclusively heterosexual. (For the record, let's just stipulate that if there were subtle hints of queer relationships in The King Must Die (or even unsubtle hints), high school me undoubtedly missed them.) Theseus is a man who is proud of his masculinity. Several of Renault's other books feature queer relationships -- something that was almost unheard of in popular literature of that time.

7 people found this helpful

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David Island

The Bull Leapers' Revolt

Reviewed in the United States on December 17, 2009

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"The King Must Die" by Mary Renault is an excellent read. At times, this historical novel of the ancient legendary (perhaps mythical, perhaps not) Greek hero Theseus becomes a magical page-turner, filled with excitement and adventure.

The reader learns the customs, mores, fears and joys of the people of various Greek cities in which Theseus lived during the few years of his young life covered in this novel.

One cannot help but be struck by how the unknown ruled the lives of ancient peoples, how they transformed the unknown into myths and superstitions to abate their fears, and how our own rituals and ridiculous Western religious rites eventually emerged from such human history - myth or not. Natural phenomena were seen as caused by angry (or happy) gods and goddesses, and how the barbaric ritual of the animal (and human) sacrifice gave strange power to the leaders of the ignorant. And yet, in Theseus, we see a young man who literally takes responsibility for his own life and fate, charging off into unknown situations with bravery and courage. The ever-active forces and counter-forces between mythology to explain the unknown and reality in dealing with life in the moment are what gives Renault's tale life and substance - and relevance today.

Even then-practiced and rather well-accepted homosexuality is treated with sensitivity by Renault (as she does in all of her works of ancient Greeks and modern Brits - see, "The Last of the Wine," and "The Charioteer" for examples, as well as her trilogy of Alexander the Great). "The King Must Die" is irredeemably heterosexual, make no mistake, with Theseus' development as a lover of women one of the central features of the story. Remember these works were all written by this Oxford-educated woman in the 1950s and 1960s.

It is gorgeously written, flows remarkably well from chapter to chapter, and makes this reader appreciate even more the role that the ancients played in the development of a civilized world. She certainly brings Theseus to life with exquisite detail and superior attention to even the smallest aspect of his surroundings, feelings and his exploits. He becomes a human before your very eyes. Some of her best passages describe the psychological states of the main characters, their coping mechanisms and the ways that they conquered their at-times overwhelming fears. And, there was always time for love.

I rate it a 4.4 or 4.5 on Amazon's 5 point scale, but round the rating down to a 4.0, despite enjoying it immensely. It's an interesting and fun read, educational and stimulating, full of color, liveliness and realistic people.

5 people found this helpful

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M. Khan

A Must Read

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on August 9, 2023

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A great, all-consuming read on the slightly historical, notably classical and largely mythological world of Grecian kings, gods and goddesses. Writing in the 1950s, Renault reflects in the narrative her fluent passion for classical Greece’s ancient civilisations and belief systems.

Paul@Aude_France

Fascinating

Reviewed in France on September 9, 2021

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With wonderful writing Mary Renault brings ancient Greece back to life. She reinterprets the Thesus legend brilliantly and shows in what ways this very superstitious people were all too human.

Vinita Jalan

Five Stars

Reviewed in India on June 24, 2018

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The author captures the period atmosphere perfectly. An ancient Greek myth is brought to life with logic and coherence. As an Indian, it helps to even more bring the Krishna legends to life. It should be a must read for lovers of a well written story and of anyone who is exposed to mythology and legends.

2 people found this helpful

Ian Mackay

Not to be missed - you'll not regret taking up this book!!

Reviewed in Australia on July 22, 2017

Verified Purchase

This is an excellent book from all points of view. First of all it is vastly entertaining. On reflection 'entertaining' seems rather flat, 'thrilling' or 'gripping' would be better, but neither quite fits. I found it very difficult to put down. Secondly, it is an extraordinary innovation: a really serious attempt to suggest what precise historical happenings could have produced the Theseus Myth... a bit like the "Jesus Seminar" in our day, but with happier results. Renault takes the details of the myth very seriously... i.e. her work is an effort at reconstruction and the result is a fascinating historical possibility, rather than a demolition-job that leaves nothing but rubble in its wake (as, arguably, the "Jesus Seminar", does). Thirdly Renault explores the "archetypal tragedy of Achaean kingship" - the ancient tradition that the king, or Shepherd of his people, would be expected to lay down his life for them were it necessary. She has clearly done a lot of research on this and seems to have found enough evidence to take it very seriously. She writes: "There is no doubt that the royal sacrifice was on occasion self-imposed, and was practised down to recorded times." Sadly she gives no sources for those of us who are interested enough to want to do our own research. She suggests parallels between Jesus (and possibly Socrates as well). Finally, she explores the theme of goddess worship that is experiencing a revival in our day... it adds a rather grizzly dimension.
Having said all this, please do not get the idea that this is a dry philosophical work. It is exactly the opposite of "dry" and although it is certainly very philosophical, suggesting deep ideas on love, self, greatness, honour &c., the philosophy is all suggested; it teases the reader like reefs of gold, just below the surface of the brilliant narrative. It is nail-bitingly exciting at times!
I recommend this with absolutely NO reservation!

One person found this helpful

Susan L. King

Theseus and the Minotaur

Reviewed in Canada on December 20, 2013

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The King Must Die is the first of two books about Theseus, the killer of the minotaur. Mary Renault places the legend in an historic place with San Torini, the Cretan labyrinth, and the Minoan culture as a foundation for the story. It is a beautifully written story with the character of Theseus drawn persuasively. A very enjoyable read about a story everyone knows - the twist is the history woven into the setting and plot.

2 people found this helpful

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