How did Theseus inadvertently cause the death of his father?

• A. By accidentally striking him with a discus
• B. By pushing him from a cliff
• C. By letting him drown at sea
• D. By cursing him in battle

Answer: (B)

A key idea here is how a simple signal can have fatal consequences in myths. After Theseus returns from Crete having defeated the Minotaur, the story says he should signal his survival by setting the sail on his ship to white. If he forgets to switch the sail from black to white, his father, Aegeus, believes his son has died. In his grief he goes to a cliff by the sea and throws himself into the water, and the sea is said to be named the Aegean Sea from him. So the death of the father isn’t caused by a direct action against him, but by Theseus’s failure to signal success, which leads the father to take his own life.

The other scenario described in the options doesn’t fit the familiar myth. There isn’t a recounting of Theseus pushing his father from a cliff, cursing him in battle, or letting him drown by accident; the tragic ending centers on misinterpretation and the resulting suicide.