Ariadne was the daughter of King Minos, ruler of Knossos on the island of Crete. She aided the hero, Theseus when he killed the minotaur and escaped Daedalus' labyrinth. Theseus and Ariadne fled from Crete as she could not face her father whome she betrayed. When they arrived on the island of Dia they were wed but Theseus was later cursed with forgetfulness by the gods and he sailed from the island leaving Ariadne behind. In Waterhouse's painting Theseus' ship is seen sailing away from Dia while Ariadne is sleeping.