Mythology: Part One

 The most significant point of difference between The Iliad and Troy is the lack of mythological content in the film compared to the poem. Homer's The Iliad contains a number of sub-plots and tangent stories about the gods of Olympus and their involvement in the Trojan War; indeed, the gods take sides in the war and aid the mortals in their causes. But in the film, the gods are only alluded to, and they never blatantly appear.

In fact, that only god that appears in the film is Achilles' mother, Thetis, who is so subtly portrayed that most people would not realise her divinty and simply think her to be some unimportant woman. However, the director chose not to omit her from the film adaptation because she was the one in the poem to tell Achilles of his fate:

"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 lane, lost is my glorious renown, yet shall my life long endure, neither shall the doom of death come soon upon me." (Achilles to Odysseus, Homer, Iliad, 9.410)

It was important that she was included in the film adaptation, as this prophecy would not been as authentic coming from any other person. This is because, while the film's audience does not really grasp who the character of Thetis is, it does understand that she is very important to Achilles, probably the person he is closest to. This is why he takes the prophecy seriously, why it means a great deal to him – and why the audience takes it seriously also. Of course, it would not have been possible for Petersen to simply leave out the prophecy altogether, as it offers great insight into Achilles' character as his values; it makes him a more compelling character. The quote from the film is this: "If you go to Troy, glory will be yours. They will write stories about your victories in thousands of years! And the world will remember your name.”

Apart from the single appearance of Thetis, the film does not contain any direct action from the gods. Yet, in the poem, a dispute amongst the gods is the main precursor to the war, as it is the cause for Paris stealing Helen from her husband, Menelaos, and returning to Troy with her. In the film, Helen is trapped in a loveless marriage with a man twice her age, until the handsome, young Paris lustfully appears in her bedroom and quixotically convinces her to run away with him. This is the mythological story of the poem that the film skips over entirely:

At the wedding of the mortal Peleus and the goddess Thetis (who become Achilles' parents), Eris, the goddess of strife, “whose wrath is relentless” (Homer, Iliad, 4.441) throws down a golden apple with the message, “For the Fairest.” Hera, Athena, and Aphrodite all try to claim this gift, which becomes such a major point of contention that no god is willing to resolve the issue.

After a long conference on Mount Ida, a young shepherd boy named Paris, who does not suspect that he is of royal birth (this was because he was exposed on a mountaintop as an infant after it was prophesied that he would cause the downfall of the city Troy, but was later adopted), is chosen to be the judge of the dispute. Each of the three parties offers him a bribe: Athena, victory in battle and supreme wisdom; Hera, rule over all of Asia; but Aphrodite offers Helen, the most beautiful woman in the world, wife of Menelaos, the ruler of Sparta.

Paris soon establishes his legitimacy as a son of King Priam of Troy, after which he claims Aphrodite's bribe, denotes her to be the fairest, and travels to Troy with Helen. The Iliad references this in the Book XXIV: “All were of this mind save only Hera, Poseidon, and Zeus's grey-eyed daughter, who persisted in the hate which they had ever borne towards Ilius with Priam and his people; for they forgave not the wrong done them by Paris in disdaining the goddesses who came to him when he was in his sheepyards, and preferring her who had offered him a wanton to his ruin.” This quote not only references the Judgement of Paris, but also the implications of it in terms of how it caused some of the gods to take sides against Troy.

This mythological story (and such content in general) could have been omitted in Petersen's Troy for several reasons. At the more basic end of the spectrum, it could have been for pragmatic cinematographic reasons, such as budget. It may have been too difficult or costly to create characters that visually appealed to the viewers imaginations as gods (but this is unlikely, because we all know how powerful modern editing technology is).

It could have been due pacing, time constraints, or other storytelling elements. Despite all the background information, Troy remains a film focussed on the war, and everything else is just that: background information. Petersen likely wanted to show more details of the siege, and, therefore, including a long prologue at the start was unnecessary – especially since there was the option to have Helen and Paris fall in love on their own accord (which is what the director opted for).

But another reason, more solid and much more simple, is that Ancient Greek religion is not popular in our society; it does not sit well with most people. Not because it is offensive, but more because we have developed and changed a lot since the Ancient Greeks, and their polytheistic beliefs no longer interest the Western world.

The director found a way out, while still retaining the important details, so he took it.