The Empathy Element: Part Two

Along the same train of thought as my last post, the director of the film Troy did not only adapt characters from The Iliad to become less likeable; he, in fact, adapted several characters to become more likeable. In this way, the audience was able to connect to these characters and their emotions and ambitions. The audience learned to care for these characters, and it learned to care for their outcomes.

First of all, the character of Paris is made hugely more likeable in the film than he is in the epic poem. From the beginning, he presents himself as admirable, a hero, a kind person: he shows up in Helen's bedroom, her “knight in shining armour”, to rescue her from her loveless marriage to her repugnant husband. He seems to know exactly what to say to make her happy. He is romantic, he is good-looking. Already, the director gives him an unfair advantage.

But in the poem, is addressed in a manner than accentuates his flaws, something that the film fails to do: “Paris, you handsome, woman-mad deceiver, you shouldn't have been born, or killed unmarried. I wish you had - it would have been far better than having you our shame, whom all suspect, or having the long-haired Acheans laugh when you appear as champion-champion beauty – but have no strength, nor character, nor courage.” (Hektor to Paris, Homer, Iliad, Book 3).

In the scene in which Paris fights Menelaos for Helen, both The Iliad and Troy show that he does not fight to the death. In the former, Aphrodite rescues him, and in the latter, and simply runs away. When this occurs in the film, the audience releases a sigh of relief, glad that a character so empathetic and sympathetic as Paris was spared. But in Ancient Greece, the result of this fight would have been a great dishonour to Paris – not a relief, but a defeat. This is demonstrated by Helen's response in The Iliad: she is disgusted with his cowardice and wishes that he died in the fight, and yet she also claims to love him. This is quite different to the relieved response that occurs in the movie. This scene demonstrates effectively how Paris is made to look like a romantic hero, when in fact he is a coward; a good guy, when in The Iliad he may have been no more good than the Greek king.

Another similar case is drawn with Hector. The movie portrays him as an honourable man, yet Homer portrays him as a coward. In the scene in which Hector fights Achilles over the death of Patroclus, very little fighting actually occurs (in the epic poem). Instead, Hector becomes frightened and runs around the entire city of Troy three times, trying to flee from Achilles. When he finally turns around to face him, he is killed.

Even Achilles' character is altered to make him a more likeable person. In The Iliad, Achilles is a strong, brutal character, who only occassionally cares for others. But in Petersen's Troy, Achilles' character arcs in a way the Homer's original character did not: Achilles becomes a more down-to-earth person throughout the duration of the film (so that the audience will be able to connect with him better). For example, in the epic poem, Achilles mutilates Hector's body far worse than he does in the film; and when he is done, he leaves the corpse for the dogs. Even as he is killing Hektor, Achilles says, “No more entreating, dog, by knees or parents. I only wish my fury would compel me to cut away your flesh and eat it raw for what you've done. No one can keep the dogs off of your head, not if they brought me ransom of ten or twenty times as much, or more.” (Achilles to Hektor, Homer, Iliad, Book 22).

In the film, while Achilles is brutal to some degree, it is a lesser degree, and it is obvious that Achilles is struggling with his humanity – with the good and bad inside of him (a theme that does not appear in the poem). Most people can sympathise with this idea, so most people sympathise with Achilles. When King Priam asks for Hector's body, Achilles then gives it to him, and allows the city twelve days to grieve. Achilles is honoured in the film to the point where the last lines (voiced over) of the film are dedicated to him: “If they ever tell my story, let them say I walked with giants. ... Let them say I lived in the time of Achilles.”

Homer does not let us take sides in The Iliad, but Troy encourages us to. It provides us with baddies to hate, and goodies to love and connect with in ways that aren't necessarily true to the original story.