Comparing Troy to The Iliad - Essay Example

& Number Due Comparing Troy to The Iliad Reading epic can be challenging. Turning an excellent epic poem intoa movie is even more so. This essay is designed to briefly compare the 2004 blockbuster, Troy, to Homer’s The Iliad, and then dissect the scene in which Agamemnon and Achilles fight for Briseis. One of the most noticeable aspects of The Iliad is missing in Troy – the gods. The characters mention them often enough, but for viewers unfamiliar with the role of the gods in ancient Greek literature and history; this directorial choice is not beneficial. For viewers who are familiar with the magnanimous role of the gods, the decision to exclude them is certainly questionable. In fact, at the very beginning of The Iliad, Achilles is upset (to say the least) with Agamemnon, and asks his mother, Thetis, to intervene by convincing Zeus to favor Achilles. Thetis does this, and it offends the goddess Hera. So goes the course of actions in The Iliad. At different times throughout The Iliad, the action scenes are actually gods and goddesses fighting amongst, and betraying, one another. This is very different from Troy, in which all of the action revolves around the main characters fighting Homer’s The Iliad is just his precursor for The Odyssey, so one of the other obvious differences is that The Iliad ends with the funeral of Hector. Troy ends with the burning of the city, citizens fleeing for their lives, and the death of Achilles. Again, the importance of these details depends on what watchers of Troy already know. Students and scholars might be a little more inclined to deem the movie version unrealistic; however, those without prior knowledge or passion for the material may not care that Troy seems to be one long saga, rather than two separate pieces of epic poetry. David Benioff is the screenwriter who adapted Homer’s visions. Not speaking technically, he did a good job. Troy director Wolfgang Peterson did, of course, stray some from Homer’s vision, but overall the movie seemed to be an attempt to please even the layperson. Benioff’s translations are uncomplicated. The language of more modern versions of The Iliad is easy, which is what Benioff was after. Older, less translated versions of The Iliad are much more complicated. More often than not, novice readers would be more comfortable with the format Benioff uses. Even with the screenwriting and director’s license, the movie basically conveys Homer’s theme. The Iliad is a love story. So is Troy. The Iliad is action-packed. So is Troy. The mood of Troy is somewhat different than The Iliad. In Troy, everything happens in a hurry. There is always a sense of urgency. In the epic poem, however, it is clear that years pass between Paris absconding with Helen and the fall of Troy. Either the director or the screenwriter could have included something (even a caption) that showed a decade had passed. Unfortunately, that is not the stuff of movies, especially action flicks. Viewers are more likely to be engaged by what is happening right now than. The back-to-back combat scenes are what most interest action movie aficionados. A director doesn’t have an unlimited amount of time, either. While there is certainly a difference in the amount of time that seems to pass, Homer’s work was not restricted by time constraints. An interesting dichotomy in the poem and in the movie is the early scene in which Agamemnon and Achilles argue because Agamemnon is going to take Briseis away from Achilles, after she was given to Achilles as a prize. In the movie, as in the poem, Paris’ rage was clear. As well, his willingness to fight the heralds who were to claim Briseis was a minor detail in the play, but showed his passion in the movie. In both, Achilles made it clear to the heralds that his fight wasn’t with them, but Agamemnon. Still, we got the sense, in the movie, that had the heralds challenged him, even a little, they would have suffered the same fate as most of his other opponents. That isn’t the interesting part, though. What is even more fascinating is the director’s choice not to include the scene where Achilles weeps to his mother over the loss of Briseis. It is understandable that writers and directors need to protect their characters. Some would question why such a skilled warrior would cry over a woman who was only to be kept as his slave or concubine. Homer did include it, though. Why didn’t the screenwriter or director? This answer, too, probably lies within the problem of time limits. As earlier stated, Homer was under no pressure to get the characters to appear a certain way in a certain amount of time. Peterson didn’t have that luxury. He only had three hours to bring his (or Homer’s) characters to life. It would have been very difficult for Achilles to suffer this emotional breakdown on film, and still end up looking like the amazing warrior that Brad Pitt portrayed. The truth is, fitting in this scene without tarnishing Achilles’ credibility would have been a challenge too daunting, even for this seasoned director. Benioff and Peterson manage to get Homer’s message across, and portray much of the characterization that Homer was writing about. On paper and in film, Agamemnon is a selfish tyrant. Both portray Paris as gutless. Both evoke sympathy for Hector, Troy, and King Priam. Neither the poem nor the movie makes Helen seem like she is worth all the trouble. This movie does epic justice, if only in the fact that while some details have been changed, the characters still appear to be the ones concocted by Homer. With regard to characterization, the director and screenwriter took little creative license. Troy gets two thumbs up. No movie is ever exactly the same as the book. Usually the book (in this case, a poem) is better. The director could have gone haywire and had fight scenes with guns like recent versions of Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet and Hamlet. By no stretch of the imagination would Troy embarrass Homer. The movie might not be his exact vision, but it was a good depiction nonetheless. Read More