Historical Inaccuracy Of Braveheart

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Critically Acclaimed and Oscar nominated, Braveheart received several academy awards, but certainly not for it’s historical accuracy. While the essence of the film’s plot is based on fact, much of the story was dramatized and romanticized for cinematic purposes. Historical inaccuracy in Braveheart is shown primarily though characters, First off, many characters in the film aren’t correctly portrayed. William Wallace is depicted as a poor and uneducated peasant, but in reality he was a wealthy landowner from the lowlands, and is even said to have been a scholar in peaceful times. Also, Isabella of France would have been ten years old at the time Wallace was executed, so she could never have conceived his child prince Edward, or have had an affair with him at all. In addition Robert the Bruce didn’t betray Wallace at the Battle of Falkirk, and in fact, wasn’t at the Battle at all. Robert the Bruce often switched alliances between the Scottish and British, but only for political reasons, and never actually betrayed Wallace. Secondly, the aspect of clothing and cosmetics are mainly inaccurate. During Wallace’s time period, people did not wear belted plaid, or kilts of any kind as shown in the film, this did not occur until centuries later, and even then, not in the style shown. Sharron Krossa compares the inaccuracy to “a film about Colonial America showing the colonial men wearing 20th century business suits, but with the jackets worn back-to-front instead of the right way around." As well, the use of face paint was practised by the Celtics, but not for a thousand years prior to that, during the roman occupation. Also, the women in Braveheart are portrayed as well dressed and well kept, but in reality this was not so, especially with peasants and working class villagers. The appearance of the women in Braveheart were
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