Daedalus seems to be one of the few admirable male characters in this novel. How is he different from the other men and gods we encounter? What role does he play in the story? Can we trust the sisters' positive account of him?

Daedalus is idolized by Ariadne and Phaedra when they are children, and in many ways he seems to be one of the few admirable male characters in this novel. How is he different from the other men and gods we encounter? What role does he play in the story? Can we trust Ariadne and Phaedra's positive account of him?

Daedalus was a free man until he built the labyrinth. Although he made many improvements in the palace it was always escorted by guards. He kept to his business but was basically a prisoner. And, he kept the secrets of the labyrinth. I really appreciated hi ingenuity of flying away, though every rash action has some consequences, maybe good maybe not. Yes.

He’s different because he’s true to himself and his craft. He recognized his role in events and did what he could to counterbalance that role. He was a good man despite not being free to do what he wanted

Without Daedalus there would be no story—-no Labyrinth to contain the Minotaur, and eventually the monster would have destroyed his family and everyone else who stayed on Crete. Daedalus is as much a prisoner of Minos (and the gods) as the women in the story, and he shows his sympathy by giving the key and the yarn to Ariadne, before making his own escape with his son—something he had clearly been planning and preparing for a long time. (We learn he had been slowly gathering the right kind of feathers.) So he had nothing to lose by leaving Ariadne with the key. Of course he didn’t realize his son would fly too close to the sun and fall into the sea—so he did pay a steep price for his escape. Daedalus represents for me the role of art and of science in our lives as we are all “in the hands of the gods,” or at least, of forces we can’t control and may have even created by our greed and ignorance. Our “Minotaur” might be global warming, extreme weather, and such. Daedalus suggests that our gifts, used wisely and kindly, can help save us—but not without some risk. His flight also suggests that art and science can never for long be “owned,” controlled, repressed by a Minos figure. The truth will find freedom of expression through the courage of good men (and women) like Daedalus.

Daedalus was a great inventor with a brilliant mind but also a long and caring person. I think we can trust the account given of him because it seems true to the original myth.

Daedalus was trapped like the women in the story--imprisoned for what he could offer King Minos. Even later, he was bound by his skills to live. I think he came off well because he understood what it meant to be confined, living a limited existence. His only saving grace was Icarus and he lost him trying to escape the prison Minos had erected. I felt nothing but sympathy for Daedalus--a man who made his life from his wisdom and skills.

I thought that Daedalus was decent man with his own moral mind. He had a good relationship with his son and treated Minos daughters well.

It was because of his brilliant mind that Minos wants to have control over him, but it was his brilliant mind that allowed him to escape.

I enjoyed his character!

Daedalus was an honorable man trapped in a horrible situation because of his talent and through no fault of his own. He and Ariadne's and Phaedra's nurse provided some stability and adult attention that the girls would not otherwise have had, given their mother's mental breakdown and their father's coldness.

Although Daedalus' design and building of the Labyrinth allowed the story to continue, but Minos, with his greed, corruption, and cruelty, was the true catalyst of the story. His actions drew the ire of Poseidon, who instead of directly challenging Minos, chose to debase Pasiphae by driving her into the act that would result in Minotaur's birth.