The Empathy Element: Part One

One of the problems with The Iliad, from a modern reader's perspective, is that there is no-one to root for; Homer is ambiguous as to who the goodies and baddies are – if there are goodies and baddies at all. With most modern films and novels, there is at least one character with whom the audience or reader can really get behind and support on the basis that they are very likeable (sympathetic) or very relatable (empathetic). For some reason, whether it be a common trait between the audience and the viewer or an admiring characteristic of heroism or charm or passion possessed by the character, the audience feels compelled to wish the best for that character. This is one of the principles of storytelling that causes the audience to become emotionally invested in the story.

But The Iliad was written when the idea of literary theory was just dawning, in a culture that is different to ours. At that time, empathy was not a big deal to writers – and, so, the result is an epic poem that doesn't favour a specific side or specific characters.

Wolfgang Petersen understood, in his creation of the film Troy that 21^st century viewers would be confused and unsatisfied by this, so he altered several characters from the original epic poem, putting a negative emphasis on the Greeks, especially Agamemnon and Menelaos.

In Homer's original story, Menelaos was a fit, strong man in the prime of his youth. In The Iliad, he is depicted quite positively, shown through this quote from Book XVII: “Brave Menelaus son of Atreus now came to know that Patroclus had fallen, and made his way through the front ranks clad in full armour to bestride him. As a cow stands lowing over her first calf, even so did yellow-haired Menelaus bestride Patroclus. He held his round shield and his spear in front of him, resolute to kill any who should dare face him.” In this extract, Meneloas appears to be a compassionate man who is willing to risk his life to protect a fallen soldier. He seems noble. Also, it is interesting to note that Menelaos is “yellow-haired”, and that this trait is pointed out in this particular part. The reason is this: in Ancient Greek culture, blond hair was desirable and admirable, to the point that many Greeks tried bleaching their hair. That fact that Menelaos, therefore, is a blond man, would make him appear in an even more positive light to Homer's audience.

But the depiction of the same character in Troy does not even come to remotely resembling Homer's. Instead, Menelaos is a man over twice the age of his wife, Helen, with strikingly unhandsome features and a bit of a pot-belly. Not only this, but his personality is also foul: he is a sleazy, drunken man who over-indulges in alcohol and has sex with as many women as he can get his hands on, with no regard for how his wife might emotionally react to this. Achilles verbalises how disgusting Menelaos is by insulting him: “You sack of wine!” This expresses Menelaos' tendency to consume alcohol in large doses and be useful for not much else. The audience sees this portrayal early in the film: we are taught to hate Menelaos from the start.

But it gets worse with the introduction of Agamemnon's character. In The Iliad, Agamemnon is described as a legendary war hero. He is an inspiring figure, rousing his men to practice virtues on the battlefield, such as in this instance: “Be men now, dear friends, and take up the heart of courage, and have consideration for each other in the strong encounters, since more come through alive when men consider each other, and there is no glory when they give way, nor warcraft either.” (Homer, Iliad, 5.529-532).

In the film, however, he appears to be twice as vile as Petersen's Menelaos. He is arrogant, stating, “Before me, Greece was nothing. … I created a nation out of fire worshippers and snake eaters!” On top of his pride, he is constantly creating conflict between himself and Achilles (who is one of the few likeable Greeks in the film), simply out of arrogance. He makes sexual advances on Briseis, Achilles' lover, a captured priestess of Apollo. Eventually he attempts to rape her, but, of course, in true Hollywood style, Briseis manages to stab him and get away. This shows a huge disrespect for women, something that is not tolerated in today's society and thus makes Agamemnon look like a monster. To degrade women further, he says once in the film, “Peace is for women and the weak.” By grouping the weak and women into one group, he offends that entire female audience. This is one of the ways in which we learn to hate this character, too.

Both Agamemnon and Menelaos die humiliating deaths – and this is Petersen's final illustration of their antagonistic roles in the story – in contrast to the original story, in which the two men return to Greece victorious, with Helen reclaimed. While that Greek army does win, the director downplays this by excluding many details that The Iliad includes, and by stressing Agamemnon's and Menelaos's deaths.

Apparently the Ancient Greeks did not require goodies and baddies – but, so often, storytelling today does. The director of Troy understood this, and, therefore, gave the audience these two repulsive men as the baddies.