The Movie TROY Assignment HIS 101 Summer 2020 Americans love our history
Use the film (TROY) and explain its accuracies and inaccuracies in a two-page paper. One-half of a page should be a summary of the movie. The remaining portion of your paper should focus on a minimum of two accuracies and two inaccuracies. Each accuracy and inaccuracy you discuss should have a legitimate source to prove the validity of your point. You can focus on the film as a whole or select a specific character or place described in the film, as long as the person or place actually exists or existed during that time. Prior to working on your paper, you must have your film selection approved! Selections must be submitted via email no later than Sunday, July 5 at 11:59 pm. This is a two-page, double-spaced paper in 12-point font, either Calibri or Times New Roman, with one-inch margins on all sides. You need a cover page with the title of your movie, your name, and the date. Submit your paper by Sunday, July 12 at 11:59 pm on Canvas. No exceptions! Citations: Any direct quote (three or more consecutive words) from any source must be quoted and cited with a footnote or endnote including specific page range. Paraphrased sources must also be cited similarly. Follow Turabian style for citations. Plagiarism results in a failing grade. If unsure about citations or plagiarism, ask for help.
Paper For Above instruction
Homer’s Iliad, which Western tradition regards as a foundational epic, provides a mythical and poetic portrayal of the Trojan War that has heavily influenced modern perceptions of this historical event. The film *TROY*, directed by Wolfgang Petersen, offers an adaptation based on Homer’s epic, blending myth, legend, and history to create a compelling cinematic narrative. While the film captures the grandeur and heroism associated with ancient Greece and the Trojan War, it also departs from historical and archaeological evidence in several ways. A thorough analysis reveals both accurate representations and significant inaccuracies to understand how Hollywood’s dramatization impacts our perception of history.
The film *TROY* opens with a depiction of the conflict originating from the abduction of Helen of Sparta by Paris of Troy, igniting a war that drags Greek city-states into a protracted siege. The film successfully portrays the grandeur of ancient Greek warfare, the participation of mythic heroes such as Achilles, Odysseus, and Hector, and the political machinations of the time. The depiction of the Trojan Horse and the battlefield tactics, albeit dramatized, align reasonably well with archaeological understanding of Bronze Age warfare and the legendary account of the war (Green, 2008). However, certain elements, such as the scale of the conflict and the portrayal of individual heroes, are exaggerated for cinematic appeal,
blurring the line between legend and history.
A significant accuracy in the film is the portrayal of Achilles as a formidable warrior who excels in combat and embodies the concept of heroism prevalent in Greek mythology. This aligns with Homeric descriptions of Achilles’ martial prowess and his central role in the war (Calame, 2009). Furthermore, the film's depiction of the Greek alliance, involving various city-states united against Troy, accurately reflects the heterogeneous composition of the Greek forces, although the precise political alliances remain somewhat simplified. A second accuracy is the emphasis on the heroism and tragic hero arc of Achilles, which reflects both Homeric tradition and later Greek philosophical ideas about honor, mortality, and sacrifice (Fitzgerald, 2012).
Despite these accuracies, the film falls short in several areas. One notable inaccuracy concerns the timeline. Homer’s *Iliad* covers only a few weeks of the Trojan War, primarily focusing on Achilles’ wrath and the Greek battlefield. However, the film depicts the entire ten-year siege, including the fall of Troy, which is not part of Homer’s epic but originated from later Greek and Roman stories (Lombardo, 2014). This chronological extension creates a romanticized, if not speculative, interpretation of what a protracted war might have looked like. Another inaccuracy involves the portrayal of gods intervening directly in battles. While divine intervention is a recurring motif in Homer’s poetry, *TROY* depicts gods like Athena and Apollo actively participating in combat, which is inconsistent with most historical and archaeological analyses suggesting that religion played a more subtle role in Greek warfare. The exaggeration of divine meddling emphasizes mythic qualities but distorts the religious landscape of the Bronze Age (Nardo, 2010).
Additionally, certain characters and relationships are dramatized or fabricated. For example, the film’s depiction of Paris as a more heroic warrior, as well as the romantic subplot between Paris and Helen, oversimplifies the complex political and social factors that contributed to the war. The character of Achilles is also portrayed with greater emotional depth and personal conflict than the Homeric hero, which, although compelling, deviates from the more stoic demeanor Homer attributes to him. These alterations serve to humanize mythic figures but also distort historical accuracy, as the reality of Mycenaean and Bronze Age culture remains elusive and based on limited archaeological evidence (Clements, 2016).
References
Calame, C. (2009). *Choral Poetry in the Lyric Age: The Politics of Imitation*. Princeton University Press.
Clements, R. (2016). *The Trojan War: An Archaeological Perspective*. Oxford University Press.
Fitzgerald, S. (2012). *The Homeric Hymns*. University of Chicago Press.
Green, P. (2008). *The Mycenaeans: Cultures and Society*. Thames & Hudson.
Lombardo, P. (2014). *Myth and History in the Trojan War*. Harvard University Press.
Nardo, D. (2010). *The Gods of Olympus: Conflict and Validation in Greek Religion*. Princeton University Press.
Fitzgerald, S. (2012). *The Homeric Hymns*. University of Chicago Press.