The subject of Theseus and the Minotaur was treated with frequency by late eighteenth- and early nineteenth-century sculptors. According to the myth, Theseus, an Athenian hero, went to the island of Crete to slay the Minotaur, half bull and half man. Here Theseus prepares to thrust his sword into the forehead of the creature that digs his claws in the hero's back as he struggles to free himself. Of note is the contrast in body types: Theseus is somewhat trim and slender, and the Minotaur is more heavily muscled, although still clearly the victim in this confrontation.