INTRODUCTION During the Hollywood movie Troy, the accuracy of plot events, characters, settings, costumes and weapons differ from the historical Iliad and Odyssey written by Homer in 1260BC. There are a number of reasons for these changes including film popularity, production budgets and a lack of knowledge and accuracy regarding actual events. An example of this is how long the war lasted in the movie compared to the Iliad. During the Movie, the war only lasted for 17 days, however in the Iliad, it lasted up to 10 years. This allows age to not become a factor throughout the movie so actors can look the same for the entirety of the film. Scene of a war scene where helmets can be seen and when someone gets stabbed with a sword through armour. The costuming during the film varies a lot from the costuming mentioned in the Iliad. The …show more content…
style of helmet of Achilles and others is anachronistic by five centuries or so. This is most likely due to a lack of knowledge from the director’s side in regards to details and costuming during this era. Also, the armour used during the Bronze Age would have stopped a sword from piecing straight through the body however during the movie this isn’t the case. This change is merely to increase the viewers overall enjoyment of the film and to add action to these battles that are seen throughout the movie. Scene that Sarah is using when Achilles is fighting with a sword. Interestingly, although the movie gives great emphasis on the sword, the spear was actually their number one weapon. This was due to its ability to be thrown long distances, its durability and its ability to hurt the enemy before they reached you. The swords that are used in the movie are bronze swords that would actually bend on bones and would not be able to piece through armour like it is portrayed throughout the film. This focus on the swords was to make it more dramatic in movie and to increase the tension during a battle when swords blades clash. It also increased the amount of hand to hand combat during the film to give a larger sense rivalry between the Trojans and the Greeks. Scene of the boat arriving and Troy walls can be seen During the Iliad and Odyssey, Homor states that Troy is a substantial distance away from the shore however the movie doesn’t show this.
(show boats arriving) this change in distance is mostly down to economical budgets however the director has used this to create increased suspense when the thousands of ships can be seen on the horizon, filled with 100000 Greek warriors. Another element of this scene that doesn’t match up to the Iliad is the huge number of ships sailing towards Troy. Homer claims that 1000 ships sailed to Troy and even this number doesn’t match up with evidence of historians. The massive walls seen during this scene are also not accurate as historical tales suggest that these walls did not exceed 3m. The walls bordering Troy that are seen as nearly 12m high in the film were just not plausible for these times. This massive height gap was used to emphasise the division between the two armies. There is really no other reason the director has made these changes in the film Troy apart from budget, and as all the differences are observed it becomes clear that the film was moulded and catered to appeal to a modern day
audience. LAMA Sarah says, “wasn’t that a lama Darcee?” yeah that is very interesting seeing as though lamas were only in South America at the time and were not introduced to this region for another 2200 years, most likely from a lack of knowledge of the era and animals present. Anyway along with the story.
...iece together circumstantial evidence relating to the Iliad, such as the layers of Troy, the citadel of Mycenae and the shaft graves revealing numerous clues into what the Mycenaean civilisation was like. Mycenaean pottery found in Troy gives evidence to the importance of late Bronze Age trade and the wealth, inevitably leading to the Achaeans sacking Troy. The Hittite archives give outstanding evidence to this proving that the Mycenaean’s really did fight at Troy, although instead of it being a ten year time span, it was over hundreds. Therefore Homers legend seems to have been based on a real conflict between two super powers of the late Bronze Age. These conflicts were distilled into a tradition of a single war lasting around 10 years . It seemed the war occurred because Troy was a wealthy city with a strategic location and both super powers wanted to control it.
Perhaps a more suitable question would be “Has archaeology proved the historicity of the Iliad?”, or even “Did the version of events Heroditus describes have any foundation in truth?”. If the existence of Troy itself is uncertain, then the historicity of the war can only be more so. Bibliography Ancient Sources:.. Homer, the Aeneid, translated by Samuel Butler, taken from www.patroclos.de. Homer, the Aeneid, translated by T.E. Lawrence (Wordsworth, 1995).
“Then the screaming and shouts of triumph rose up together, of men killing and men killed, and the ground ran blood.” From first examination the Iliad seems to be an epic founded on an idealized form of glory, the kind that young boys think about when they want to join the army. A place full of heroism and manliness where glory can be achieved with a few strokes of a sword and then you go home and everything is just lovely. Many people view the Iliad this way, based on it’s many vivid battle descriptions and apparent lack of remorse for the deaths that occur. This, however, is not how war is presented in the Iliad. Homer presents a very practical outlook on war countering the attainment of the glory with the reality of its price and the destruction it causes. He successfully does this by showing the value of the lives of each person that dies and, in a sense, mourning their passing, describing the terror and ugliness of war, and, through the characters of Achilleus and Hector, displaying the high price of glory.
The Iliad by Homer is an epic poem separated in different books or chapters that shows a fictionalized account of the Trojan War. Book 6: Hector Returns to Troy is the specific portion of the poem that is being covered in this essay. Hector from the Iliad shows a very clear aspect of his personality, a strong sense of loyalty and tenderness for his loved ones and also his people by being on the front lines during the war and showing his people he is willing to fight with them and essentially sacrificing himself for his family. Hector even knows his forgiveness towards his brother, Paris even though Paris is the main reason the Trojan War is in existence.
"Achilles." Gods, Heroes and Myth: Mythologies of Many lands. 10 June 2003. Internet. 23 June 2003.
The Iliad tells the story of the final weeks of the last year of the Trojan War, after nine long years of fighting between the Trojans and Achaeans (Greeks). The fighting first started with Paris of Troy taking Helen, the most beautiful women in the world, back to Troy and away from her husband King Menelaus of Sparta. Outraged, King Menelaus gathered the kings and armies of Greece, and set sail towards Troy, to wage war and take back Helen. Although the Greeks had brought massive forc...
Over the thousands of years that the epic story the Iliad has survived, there has no doubt been some form of alteration to Homer’s original. Last May, Wolfgang Petersen directed a movie based on the Iliad. This movie, Troy, has proven to be a very loose adaptation of Homer’s original, as are almost all stories that are made into movies, unfortunately. With its timeless storyline, amazing scenery, gorgeous actors/actresses and most of all, its reported two hundred million dollar budget, it is easy to see why Troy was hyped up to be a box office hit. However, the film critics were harsh on this movie, as they had every right to be, and it ended up being a total flop. Compared to Homer’s Iliad, Troy is rather disappointing. But, to be fair, one must keep in mind the limitations of a movie compared to those of a book, and the fact that the title is Troy, not the Iliad. It really is not as bad as expected. Troy is Homer’s Iliad gone to Hollywood. There probably are just as many similarities as differences from the original. The three major upsetting differences in Troy compared to the Iliad are the absence of the Gods, the weak character and plot development, and the addition, exclusion, and reversal of key points.
treachery among the Gods that is so prevalent in the Iliad, is nowhere to be
The Iliad by Homer, was set nine years into the Trojan War. The war started because Paris, prince of Troy, took Helen from Menelaus. As a result of this, the Greeks and Trojans ended their long peace. Helen’s husband, Menelaus and his brother Agamemnon declared war on Troy determined to bring Helen back. The Greeks settle on the Trojan beach which marked the beginning of the war. Because of this war, innocent Trojans lost their homes, husbands, sons, and their loved ones. Brother of Paris, Hector, died in combat. The war took away thousands of lives. Mothers of sons wept in sorrow. Helen was the main cause of the
Her to beg Zeus for help in getting reprisal on Agamemnon. He pleads with her :
In the book the Iliad, The Odyssey, and Works and days, there are many things that can be similar when talking about Greek heroes and the world of Greek poetry. The stories and topics are describing similar events during this time of the eighth and seventh century B.C. In the end, however, they do have some differences in some parts when describing or explaining certain situations and ideas. The world of Greek heroes is written like a story; or Epic Poetry. That is what The Iliad and The Odyssey are; Epic Poetries. They are telling a story of a great hero and their adventures. On the other hand, the more realistic Greek World that is being described in Works and days is a Didactic poem, which tells more of a moral or message to the reader.
As we all know, Hollywood isn’t exactly accurate when it comes to the historical accuracy of movies. Although the Iliad is a myth, the movie Troy doesn’t follow the story quite as accurately as it could have. One major difference is the concept of time. In the Iliad, the battle spanned over a ten year period while in the movie, the battle only lasted about 17 days. However, it does have many similarities to the poem. Both the movie and the poem have similar plots as well as the feud of Achilles and Agamemnon, fall of Troy, the death of Patroclus, Achilles avenging the death of Patroclus and the supplication of Priam to Achilles. Other similarities include Thetis telling Achilles that if he is to stay home and refrain from fighting he will be forgotten. However, if he is to fight in the battle of Troy, he will be remembered forever. Another similarity can be found when Agamemnon confiscates Briseis from Achilles. There are many details in the movie that deviate from the epic poem as well. Some differences between the movie and the poem include the deaths of Agamemnon and Menelaus, the relationship between Achilles and Patroclus, the portrayal of some of the characters and the role of the Gods in the plot. Also, according to the film, the capture of Troy seems to be the subject of the entire movie whereas in the epic poem, the subject is the wrath of Achilles. Also, the relationship between Achilles and Patroclus is a little different. In the movie, Achilles and Patroclus are cousins and Patroclus is younger than Achilles. In the Iliad, Achilles and Patroclus are best friends. Patroclus is older than Achilles and acts as the advisor for Achilles. According to the epic poem, Achilles much more angry and violent than how he is portray...
Films have always been used to bring out various cultural artifacts and traditions. Through film, it would be easier for one to point out the culture in which one or the main character belongs to. The Iliad and Troy remains to be amongst the most renowned literal and film pieces that have been read, viewed and appreciated throughout history. Just as is the film Troy, which is based on the epic, The Iliad, Gladiator is a 2000 British–American epic historical drama film directed by Ridley Scott. The Gladiator features the character of Crowe, a fictional character, who is very loyal to Roman general Maximus Decimus Meridius. Crowe is betrayed when Commodus, a very ambitious son to the then the emperor Marcus Aurelius takes over power after killing his father.
One of the most noticeable differences between the book and the movie is the absence of the Gods. In Homer's Iliad, the Gods played a major part in the Trojan War. Though the viewers are made aware that the characters believe in the Gods, the only God we see in the movie is Thetis, Achilles' mother. The omission of the Gods from the movie may give the audience a chance to view the characters more believable, however by omitting the Gods, the viewer did not get the full history of the characters.
The Iliad tells the story of the Trojan War, which lasted 10 years. The Grecians eventually won the war, but the outcome could have very easily shifted due to a quarrel between King Agamemnon and Achilles. Pride and anger is what the two men were fighting about. This story is a very good example of how those two simple emotions can lead to tragedy.