Spartans

I chose the movie 300 because I have seen this movie and I enjoyed watching it. 300 is one of my favorite movies and so are gladiator that’s why is was a hard decision between the two movies but I had access to the movie 300 so that’s the movie I went with.

As I watched 300 again for probably the tenth time this time was different because I was sitting down taking notes instead of eating popcorn and I started noticing things about the movie that I hadn’t noticed before.

The movie 300 deals with the Greeks (Spartans) and Persian Empires. The Persian king Xeres (486-465 B.C.E) and the Spartan king Leonidus are the rulers during this time. I’m really not sure but I think the time period was 480-323 B.C.E. The movie starts out explaining that when male babies are born they are inspected and if there is any defect of disfiguration the baby is discarded. Once the boy is able to walk he is forced into a life of combat and war taught never to give in or retreat. At age seven the boy is taken from the mother plunged into violence, ugoy forces the boy to fight, steal, kill, and show no pain or mercy. The book says basically the same but it gives us an explanation on why Spartan males were raised this way. Page 143, states that this way of life came about because of a fear of a Helot uprising. The book also states that during this time there were no longer any poets or artists in Sparta.

Once Xeres succeeded his father and became king of the Persians he turned his attention to the Greeks. This is where the movie picks back up with Xeres sending a messenger out to king leonidus offering them “earth and water” as tokens of submission. King Leonidus declined this offer. King Leonidus then went to the evils for permission to go to war. The evils were diseased old remnants but every Spartan must respect the word of the evils and offer them goods in order to side with them. The evils then consult the oracle which is beautiful Spartan women whose beauty is their curse. The book doesn’t mention anything about the evils or oracle.

The evils denied King Leonidus request to go to war. So as the book and movie states King Leonidus and 300 Spartan men each who have a born son to carry on their name prepare and go up north for war. Spartan men were taught to show no emotion, fear, softness, or weakness. And the movie illustrates this very well as the king leaves his wife and son. The movie also illustrates the strength of a Spartan Queen as she tells her king before he leaves “come back with your shield or on it.” King Leonidus and the 300 marched for their family, land, and freedom. During their march northward the Arcadian army wants to join and fight with the Spartans. One night during battle a storm came and knocked down all of Xeres ships.

Once the Spartans reached one battlefield all were dead except for one little boy who tells of the Persian ghost ( hunters of men souls who cannot be killed) with their claws, fangs, and darkness.

A disfigured