Hawthorne wrote Tanglewood Tales as the sequel to A Wonder Book for Girls and Boys in the early 1850s while living in the Berkshire mountains of Massachusetts with his family. Like his other works, these stories have strong moral themes, as Hawthorne uses the Greek myths to teach young readers lessons about responsibility, leadership, and ethics, sometimes changing the content of the myths to do so. He addresses this issue in his Introduction, explaining that Tanglewood Tales aims to share the core events of the myths while making them more appropriate for a young audience. He notes that some versions of the Greek myths are “abhorrent to our Christianized moral sense” and must be “purified” (v). Hawthorne’s approach imbues the myths with 19th-century Christian American perspectives, removing the moral complexity of the Greek protagonists and refining them into chivalrous, responsible heroes.

For instance, in some versions of the tale of the Minotaur, Ariadne joins Theseus on his journey home, but he abandons her on an island before returning to Athens. Hawthorne narrates that some “low-minded” people say that “Prince Theseus (who would have died sooner than wrong the meanest creature in the world) ungratefully deserted Ariadne, on a solitary island, where the vessel touched on its voyage to Athens” (15). This interpretation makes Ariadne seem like a disloyal daughter by 19th-century standards, while Theseus appears irresponsible and uncaring: the opposite of Hawthorne’s ideal hero. In Hawthorne’s ending, Ariadne chooses to stay behind and care for her father, while Theseus continues with his crew. As Ariadne tells Theseus, “My father is old, and has nobody but myself to love him. Hard as you think his heart is, it would break to lose me” (16). This change makes both of these characters more effective role models for Hawthorne’s young 19th-century readers.

Hawthorne’s emphasis on responsible leadership is likewise a common theme in these stories. He portrays characters like Ulysses, Jason, and Theseus as risking their own lives to save their subjects or companions. Hawthorne presents self-sacrifice, compassion, and humility as necessary qualities for any leader. For instance, an elderly woman addresses Jason with these words: “[U]nless you will help an old woman at her need, you ought not to be a king. What are kings made for, save to succor the feeble and distressed?” (86). By helping her, Jason shows his kingly disposition and sets his destiny in motion. Similarly, when Ulysses’s foolish crew becomes endangered at Circe’s palace, he feels that it’s his responsibility to save them:

For my part, I am answerable for the fate of these poor mariners, who have stood by my side in battle, and been so often drenched to the skin, along with me, by the same tempestuous surges. I will either bring them back with me, or perish (57).

By focusing on the characters’ caring natures and sense of responsibility, Hawthorne turns these ancient Greek protagonists into ideal heroes whose good qualities ensure their survival and success and that of their kingdoms.