Troy and the Iliad free essay sample

The movie Troy and the epic poem, the Iliad, reveal distinct differences and similarities in several scenes such as when Achilles learns of his fate but still decides to go to war; which is a similarity, and two other scenes which are differences that concern the length of the war and the other is the role of the gods in the story. In both the movie and the book Thetis, Achilles mother tells him of his fate which is that if he sails for Troy he will earn glory and fame but his life will be cut short. Thetis also says that if he decides to stay Achilles will live a long life, get married to a loving wife and have beautiful children. The choice that Achilles faces is either to stay and have a family meaning that his name will only be remembered for a few generations in his family or to go to Troy to fight and he or really his name will become immortal. We will write a custom essay sample on Troy and the Iliad or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page In the Iliad Achilles says For my mother the goddess, silver-footed Thetis, tells me that twofold fates are bearing me toward the doom of death: if I abide here and play my part in the siege of Troy, then lost is my home-return, but my renown shall be imperishable; but if I return home to my dear native land, lost then is my glorious renown, yet shall my life-long endure, neither shall the doom of death come soon upon me. . (Iliad 9,4) Since Achilles decides to go to fight in both versions it shows that his thirst for glory is the same in the movie as it is in the epic poem. Two contrasting scenes which appear in the movie and the poem are when the Greeks manage to breach the Trojan walls in 17 days in the movie Troy compared to the ten years it took to achieve such a feat in the Iliad. Already have nine years of great Zeus gone by This might be because of time constraints associated with a movie and the need to stay under budget thus creating a war which only lasts 17 days. Another key difference is the role of the gods. In Greek culture the gods were an essential facet of life so it makes sense that they would be deeply involved or incorporated into the Iliad where the gods take sides and even fight alongside the soldiers. The movie Troy on the other hand does not involve the gods in the story in fact the gods are barely mentioned. This is probably due to the fact that Greek gods and goddesses are not important in modern day culture. The similarities and differences in the movie and the book may seem to subtract from the story but in truth they do not. The similarities and differences between the book and the movie add to the timelessness of the epic. The poem preserves the Greek culture aspect of the story and the movie adds a modern interpretation to the epic while staying true to the story.