Friday, October 23, 2009

Troilus and Cressida v. Troy the movie



Shakespeare’s interpretation of the Trojan War is much different than any other modern or historical translation of the event and its characters. I will be comparing Shakespeare’s cynical inverted view of the war and its heroes, with one of the most recent films depicting this historic event, Troy.
In Troilus and Cressida Shakespeare portrays the Trojan War as frivolous and without point. This is illustrated by the continued arguments amongst the leaders of both the Trojans and Greeks that the continued bloodshed is for nothing, and that Helen, the reason for starting the war, is a whore who isn’t worth it. This depiction of Helen as a complete whore is also something fairly unique to Shakespeare’s portrayal. In many modern analysis of the war of troy historians seem confident that the tensions for war were brewing between the two sides long before Helen was involved, and she could be seen more as a scape-goat than anything else. Another character seen by Shakespeare in a different light is Achilles. In Troilus and Cressida he is portrayed as a lazy lovesick homosexual, who has no respect for authority, and refuses to participate. He only joins the battle when Patroclus, his presumed lover, is brutally killed. The final battle is also quite anti-climactic and un-heroic, with Achilles’ men sneaking up and killing the unarmed Hector.
In the movie Troy, the portrayal of the war and its heroes is much different. “Troy” was directed by Wolfgang Peterson and starred Brad Pitt, Orlando Bloom, and Eric Bana. The movie revolves around climactic battle scenes, and dramatic heroic characters. Neither camp shows any sign of weakening their position. Both sides are determined to either, in the case of the Trojans, hold onto Helen or, in the case of the Greeks, reclaim her. Helen is portrayed as beautiful, virtuous, and undoubtedly in love with Paris. As for Achilles, he is seen as a brutal warrior with an authority problem. However, this lack of respect doesn’t keep him from fight viciously in each battle. There are also no illusions to any homoerotic relationship between Patroclus and Achilles. The final battle between Hector and Achilles is also much different than Shakespeare’s version. Achilles and Hector meet, and battle man to man, both armed and armored. Hector dies valiantly in the place of Paris, who had killed Patroclus.
Overall Shakespeare casts a dark light over even the most acclaimed heroic events of the Trojan War, and leaves us with the feeling that chivalry is dead and there is no honor in killing and conquering. On the opposite end of the spectrum, Troy the movie leaves us feeling that even though there are many terrible parts of war, fighting and dying to protect those around you is worth the loss and hardship of battle.
Works Cited:
Troy. Dir. Wolfgang Peterson. Perf. Brad Pitt, Orlando Bloom and Eric Bana. Warner Bros. Pictures, 2004. DVD.

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