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People generally see Icarus as the tragic hero but no one ever think about the tragedy of Daedalus.
Trapped with his son in a labyrinth of his own making. The genius craftsman took feathers and wax, made wings, strapped them on his and his son’s arms.
Before taking off he warned his child : “Be wary of the sun, if you fly too high it will melt your wings.” and then they departed.
Icarus with all the vigour of his youth climbed the skies, higher and faster than his father.
Daedalus, seeing feathers falling in front of him thought that surely his son remembered his warnings.
Feathers also fell from his wings, yes less but Icarus is young and strong, flapping his wings so much more vigorously would make more feather fall right?
But then saw a droplet of wax falling then he knew, he knew his son failed to heed his warnings. As more feathers and wax were obviously dropping from his child wings, he knew he had a choice to make. He could try to catch his son and condemn them both to death by crashing into the sea or watch his son plummet into the ocean.
And he decided, he realised that one of them surviving was better than none. And he continued flying across the sea, hoping he could find land soon.
But once he landed, grieving, he realised that without this labyrinth of his own making, he would not have lost his son.