Don’t hurt me, no more.
Romance plays a big part in both the Iliad and Petersen’s
Troy. In both texts – the rape of Helen (stealing) by Paris is the cause of the
war. Helen was Menelaus’ wife – brother to Agamemnon, king of Mycenae. In Greek
mythology, which the Iliad appears to follow although not directly commenting
on it, Zeus charges Paris, prince of troy with judging a beauty contest between
the goddesses Athena, Hera and Aphrodite. Paris names Aphrodite as the fairest
and in return Aphrodite makes Helen, deemed the fairest of all women fall in love
with him. Paris abducts her and takes her back to troy.
In Petersen’s Troy, the romance happens very similarly –
just without the mythology. Paris and Helen fall in love with each other of
their own accord – without Aphrodite’s input. Lack of input from the gods is
recurring in Petersen’s Troy, likely because complex Greek mythology isn’t easily
digested by people today. In any case, romance is at the forefront of the
conflict, it is the entire reason for the war, sympathies grow in the audience
for both Menelaus – whose wife was stolen from him, and Paris & Helen,
throwing away their lives in the name of love.
In the Iliad, Paris’ brother Hector urges him to challenge
Menelaus to a duel and settle the matter of Helen honourably. Both sides agree.
Menelaus wins but Aphrodite intervenes and prevents him from killing Paris, as seen in this quote from the Iliad -
"Flashing forward laid hold of the horse-haired helmet [of Paris] and spun him about, and dragged him away toward the strong-grieved Akhaians, for the broidered strap under the softness of his throat strangled Paris, fastened under his chin to hold on the horned helmet. Now he would have dragged him away and won glory forever had not Aphrodite daughter of Zeus watched sharply. She broke the chinstrap, made from the hide of a slaughtered bullock, and the helmet came away empty in the heavy hand of Atreides. The hero [Menelaus] whirled the helmet about and sent it flying among the strong-greaved Akhaians, and his staunch companions retrieved it. He turned and made again for his man, determined to kill him with the bronze spear. But Aphrodite caught up Paris easily, since she was divine, and wrapped him in a thick mist and set him down again in his own perfumed bedchamber." - Homer, Iliad 3. 369 - 4. 13
Afterwards, in The Aeneid, the Greeks win the war, Menelaus returns home with both Helen and his victorious brother Agamemnon. This heavily contrasts the ending of Petersen’s Troy, where not only is Menelaus portrayed as a fat, loathsome man as opposed to the legendary warrior he is in the Iliad, but he is also killed in battle by Hector in place of his brother Paris. Agamemnon is also cast in a dark hue in Troy, goading Achilles by making sexual advances on Briseis, a captured priest of Apollo. During the sacking of Troy, Achilles finds Agamemnon attempting to rape Briseis, who kills him with a concealed blade. Achilles comes to her aid, slaying Agamemnon's soldiers before embracing her.
"Flashing forward laid hold of the horse-haired helmet [of Paris] and spun him about, and dragged him away toward the strong-grieved Akhaians, for the broidered strap under the softness of his throat strangled Paris, fastened under his chin to hold on the horned helmet. Now he would have dragged him away and won glory forever had not Aphrodite daughter of Zeus watched sharply. She broke the chinstrap, made from the hide of a slaughtered bullock, and the helmet came away empty in the heavy hand of Atreides. The hero [Menelaus] whirled the helmet about and sent it flying among the strong-greaved Akhaians, and his staunch companions retrieved it. He turned and made again for his man, determined to kill him with the bronze spear. But Aphrodite caught up Paris easily, since she was divine, and wrapped him in a thick mist and set him down again in his own perfumed bedchamber." - Homer, Iliad 3. 369 - 4. 13
Afterwards, in The Aeneid, the Greeks win the war, Menelaus returns home with both Helen and his victorious brother Agamemnon. This heavily contrasts the ending of Petersen’s Troy, where not only is Menelaus portrayed as a fat, loathsome man as opposed to the legendary warrior he is in the Iliad, but he is also killed in battle by Hector in place of his brother Paris. Agamemnon is also cast in a dark hue in Troy, goading Achilles by making sexual advances on Briseis, a captured priest of Apollo. During the sacking of Troy, Achilles finds Agamemnon attempting to rape Briseis, who kills him with a concealed blade. Achilles comes to her aid, slaying Agamemnon's soldiers before embracing her.
This is one of the strongest divergences between the texts.
Petersen’s Troy blatantly favours the Trojans, at least morally, portraying
Paris as a man made brave by love, Hector, a warrior that loves his brother so
much he is willing to go into battle for his welfare, and their father Priam,
also willing to put his city on the line for his son’s happiness, contrasted
with Menelaus and Agamemnon – chauvinistic, bloodthirsty pigs. The redesigned
plot reflects this, with Paris and Helen inaccurately escaping together, and
Agamemnon and Menelaus both meeting undignified ends. Petersen clearly favours the happier 'love-prevails' ending scenario to The Iliad's and The Aeneid's perhaps more realistic conclusion.
No comments:
Post a Comment