Battle of Thermopylae free essay sample

The Spartan army makes a stand at the Hot Gate sees so that the vast umber of Persians cannot overwhelm them. After the Spartan hold steady f or three days, Philters, a deformed Spartan citizen, defects to the Persians and tells them o f a hidden path that leads behind the Spartan. The Persians use this information to defeat the Sp rattans, who make a valiant last stand in which every remaining Spartan dies. The actual Battle of Thermopile was significantly less epic. Herodotus report s a force of over 5000 Greeks, including the 300 Spartan.This entire force was led by Leo Midas. The reason that so few troops were sent is that both the Carnelian festival and the Olympia festival took place during the battle, so cities only wanted to send advanced guards. After sending g a spy, Xeroxes waits for four days for the Greeks to retreat. On the fifth day, Xeroxes sends M Edwina troops to fight and they fall in large numbers to the Greeks. We will write a custom essay sample on Battle of Thermopylae or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Xeroxes then sends his MIM aortas, expecting them to be more successful. Instead, they fall in similar fashion to the Median forces.Eventually the Persians realize the futility Of fighting the Greeks in the confined space Of the pass, and temporarily retreat. Xeroxes is then approached by Philters, a man from Mali , who betrays the Greek forces for money. Philters reveals the existence of a pathway across t he mountain. This pathway was guarded by 1 000 Physician men, and they were attacked and force deed to retreat from Persian forces. The Physicians told the rest of the Greek soldiers about the flan king Persians, The Greeks considered a full retreat, and everyone was ordered to leave by Leonie dads except for the Spartan, the Thespians, and the Thebes.At sunrise, the remaining Greeks a advanced beyond where the pass is narrowest, knowingly headed to their deaths. Again, the Gar seeks fought well 1 above their numbers, however eventually they succumbed to the Persians. Takes many liberties with history to tell the story of King Leonia. The film Akers portray Leonia and his Spartan as supermen, and their enemies as mythic al monsters. The changes that they knowingly make are made in order to turn the story into a f Lully fledged action movie, and secure a larger audience.In ordered do this, the filmmakers mold historical figures together for simplicity and fabricate events to define Leonia character. Several historical figures were rolled into single movie characters for various r sons. The fact that the Spartan government had two kings was neglected so that El Oneidas could stand out as a wise king who knew better than the senate. The often quoted line in t he film where the Persians boast that their arrows blot out the sun and Leonia quips Then w e shall fight in the shade. is actually attributed to a Spartan named Audiences.Herodotus points out Audiences as distinguishing himself above other Spartan, but the filmmakers give his line t o Leonia to make him the bedaubs one. Two Spartan soldiers were sent away by Leonia because of damage o their eyes, they were tasked with delivering a message to Sparta. One return ins to fight while the other returns to his home. Dildos takes place of these two men in the film, and leads the final charge at the end of the movie. The real Spartan who returned home instead of fighting with Leonia was branded a coward.Again, by ignoring these facts the filmmaker s portray the 1 The History of Herodotus , 201234 Spartan as faultless and loyal. The only other Greeks to appear in the film AR e Arcadian, who are given a small role in fighting the Persians. In fact, soldiers were sent by Ar dada, Mycenae, Corinth, Thespian, Thebes and more. The films portrayal of the Spartan hold nag their line for days on end is ridiculous. Soldiers from different cities took turns fighting and resting. The filmmakers did this to make the Spartan seem even more superhuman.The reason for all of these changes is to capture a larger audience by giving people what they want to see, larger than life heroes fighting for freedom and a pretty girl. The most famous scene in the movie, where Leonia yells This is Sparta! an d kicks Xeroxes messenger down a well is completely made up. Xeroxes never sent a m singer to demand Sprats surrender, because the Spartan had a reputation similar to the one this scene gave them. The scene is included in the film because it establishes Leonia a s a protector of his country and the people in it. Another invented scene is the one where Aphelia sees asks to join the Spartan ranks. Leonia seems remorseful and compassionate when he is UN fortunately unable to use Philters in battle. Again, the filmmakers portray Leonia as a caring kin g who wants only the best for the Greek people. Yet another liberty with history taken by the fill makers is the cone where the Arcadian abandon the fight. We already know that the Arc Diana in the film represent a much more diverse group of Greeks, but the Spartan did not sat ND alone to face their death as they did in the film.The Thespian and Thebes soldiers remained all inside them. The filmmakers made this choice because the Spartan fighting and sacrificing the messes alone is significantly cooler and more meaningful. The reason for these scenes and his tortilla imaginations is to show that Leonia and the Spartan are infallible defender s of freedom, justice, and the Spartan way of life. The film is great for understanding the Battle of Thermopile, if you take it w tit a grain 2 of salt.Some things should be fairly obvious inventions, like the monstrous nature Of the 3 Persian soldiers and the role of the Peppers in preventing Leonia from fight nag. Other things dont necessarily matter, like how Philters is a cripple in the film and the nu embers of the Persians are exaggerated. These changes serve to smooth out the plot and m eke it easier to understand while cutting down on time. A filmmaker has to define the world, and sometimes 4 details have to be sacrificed. However, some aspects of the film are unfortunate for learning history. The Spartan method of training soldiers didnt send lone seven year o old boys to fend for themselves. The Spartan method of government is greatly skewed for the purr poses of the plot. In reality, it involved two separate kings, one for home and another for war, and this film makes no mention of that fact. The film also portrays the Spartan senate as being dice Veda by a young corrupt man. Only retired soldiers over the age of 60 were senators, and they had great reputations and connections to the Spartan people.The misinformation is unfit ordinate, but despite all of this, the film still communicates the basic facts about the Battle of There maypole to its 5 viewers. 300 Spartan and a handful of other Greeks stand against almost numerous S hordes Of Persian invaders. They are betrayed and eventually die while fighting in a valid NT effort. All of 6 this is learned by the people who watch , and that is invaluable. Finding the line between fact and entertainment is difficult, and the film isnt trying to teach. It serves to get 7 people interested in a subject they wouldnt have otherwise noticed.