300 vs Battle of Thermopylae

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Battle of Thermopylae vs 300 In order to make the Battle of Thermopylae more appealing to the modern day viewers, Frank Miller altered a few aspects in his film “300”. It is a fictional film that was created strictly with special effects. The Battle pf Thermopylae was a fierce battle between an alliance of Greek-city states, led by King Leonidas of Sparta and the Persian Empire of Xerxes, which lasted over a course of three days during the second invasion of Greece by the Persians in 480 B.C. In the movie “300” Hollywood described the soldiers (weapons, attire, etc.) to relate to the modern day Special Forces. Also, the portrayal of the characters (Xerxes, King Leonidas, Immortals, etc.) differed from the real people who participated in the original battle. Many cultural aspects (Language, Women, etc.) played a very important role in this film but remember, this is the twenty-first century and many things had to be tweaked in order to catch the modern day audience’s attention. The description of the Spartan soldiers in the movie “300” portrayed them as very strong, muscular men that wore nothing but a cloak and carried a shield with a spear. In reality, during the battle the soldiers wore full armor. Body armor was a very valuable asset to the real Spartan soldiers. Also, in the movie, the only soldier wearing plumes on their helmet was King Leonidas. A Bronze Statuette of a soldier, a piece of art created around 500 B.C., portrayed the typical soldier to wear plumes on their helmet. A Spartan soldier was judged from the second he came into the world. There was a very high standard that men of Sparta had to live up to from the time they were born. “At birth each child was examined by state officials who decided whether it was fit to live” (Spielvogel). At the age of seven, kids were put into training to become a Spartan. In this aspect, the movie’s portrayal is

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