Theme/Practices Analysis

This post is about the themes in the two texts and the differences between them. I will also cover the practices of the Greek culture. There are two major themes that spring forth when studying the Iliad: Fate and the gods' and man's influence, and War, the glory of it and the futility of it. In Troy, there are the same themes, but in different amounts and from a different perspective. There is also a heavier emphasis on the theme of motivation and consequences in the film, which in the poem is more linked to the idea of Fate.

The theme of Fate is a prevalent one in the Iliad  and Troy, but much more so in the Iliad. The idea of gods and fate are quite tightly intertwined, which we can clearly see in the opening paragraph of the poem: "The wrath sing, goddess, of Peleus' son, Achilles, that destructive wrath which brought countless woes upon the Achaeans, and sent forth to Hades many valiant souls of heroes, and made them themselves spoil for dogs and every bird; thus the plan of Zeus came to fulfillment, from the time when first they parted in strife Atreus' son, king of men, and brilliant Achilles." The first statement of the huge epic poem was that this story was about Zeus' will "coming to fulfillment". This is a great example of the role of fate in the Iliad. Fate clearly is a large driving force in the Trojan War because Troy is "fated" to fall, therefore all of this is actually happening because of fate. It is interesting, however, to have a more critical look at the idea of fate. In Book 20, Aenead of Troy fights Achilles, and he loses his shield but just before Achilles moved in to kill him, Poseidon jumped into the fray and blinded Achilles with mist and pulled Aenead out of the battle. His argument for this was: "Nay, come, let us head him forth from out of death...for it is ordained unto him to escape". This is a confusing aspect of fate because it raises an important question: Is fate ordained by the gods, or is it a force separate and mightier than the gods? Throughout the poem this idea of fate is used to explain the plot, but in Troy, fate is only used for foreshadowing. The only example of fate is when Achilles meets his mother Thetis on the beach (see video below) and she tells him that his destiny is either to go to war and die with great glory or to stay behind, earn no glory and live a long life. "For your glory walks hand in hand with your doom." Then later, at Troy, after Achilles has earned great glory (although in the film, his glory is actually not shown much, but that's another story), he is shot by Paris and he dies. This is, in effect, the only use of Fate in the film. Overall, the main impression that we get of Fate in both of the texts is that Fate is inescapable, and the main difference between these texts in this respect is that Troy has much fewer references to it.

The second main theme is that of War. This is a very broad statement and can be refined into two aspects of war: The Glory of war and the brutality or futility of it. The glory of war is an evident theme in the Iliad, with all of the warriors striving to achieve greatness. Characters that savour war are loved by their people and characters that run from it are scorned and mocked. For example, Achilles is renowned as being the best warrior in the Achaean army, and his feats in battle earn him endless respect from both sides in the war. By contrast, Paris is hated by both sides for both his kidnapping of Helen and his failure to fight with valour and honour. The glory of war is also linked to Achilles' fate: Go to war and earn endless recognition and fame but die, or stay home and be forgotten. War is the road to greatness, to glory. In Troy, the glory of war is portrayed less of the greatness of war itself, or even that war brings, but it is expressed as a greatness of individuals in war. The main example that springs to mind is the character of Ajax. Ajax mows down the Trojans with a fierce ecstasy that shows his strength and power. (See video below, the second one, excuse the music).
  While this shows the raw, sick beauty of battle that war brings out, but while it shows the glory of war slightly, it shows it more as the Brutality of War, or the bloodiness of war. This theme is expressed quite evenly in both of the texts. In both the Iliad and Troy, the deaths and mutilations of people are shown in bloody detail. One example in Troy is how brutally and in how much detail they show the death of Patroclus (See video below, the first one). In the Iliad, there are also many scenes where brutality is shown in great detail. For example, it says in Book XXII  (on the subject of Hector's death): "...but there was an opening where the collar bones part the neck and shoulders, even the gullet, where destruction of life cometh most speedily; even there, as he rushed upon him, goodly Achilles let drive with his spear; and clean out through the tender neck went the point." The descriptions of death are very detailed and bloody.

I will just point out a few of the cultural practices outlined in the two texts: Most noticeably, the death rites. We can see on multiple occasions the different rituals performed at death. Click this link http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c5vnrvGq7sY  to watch a good example of a funeral at the time. This is quite an important one in Troy as well as in the Iliad. Another good one in both texts is the idea of champions, or challenging someone, basically one-on-one combat. Many times in both texts there are challenges. In Troy, Achilles beats Boagrius and Agamemnon wins the war. Later, Paris challenges Menelaus to end the war. Finally, Achilles challenges Hector to avenge his cousin. In the Iliad many more challenges are made, such as Hector versus Ajax being an official challenge.
  Some other values or cultural practices that are seen in the texts are as follows: Arete, excellence in a chosen field (usually war or competition) and an Aristos, one who possesses it (kind of like a sports star today I guess). Achilles is an aristos. Two similar ideas are Time, (pronounced tee-may), the honour you have in your community and Kleos, your fame (specifically that survives after death). This is what Achilles and to a certain degree Hector are aiming to get, although Achilles wants more Kleos and Hector wants more Time. One more value is the value of Aidos: Public shame. Paris shows us a prime example of this by running from Menelaus. Some practices that are seen are: Hiketeia, or supplication. We can see this in both texts when Priam asks for Hector's body back, and Xenia, or hospitality. This is a compulsory thing that everyone at the time did. We see this in Troy with Paris and Hector being treated exceptionally well in Menelaus' castle, and it is also seen in the Iliad sometimes, such as in Book IX when Aias, Odysseus and Phoinix come to Achilles' hut, he serves them a feast before they get down to business.

In summary, two major themes in both the Iliad and Troy are the themes of Fate and of War. Fate is shown as a force both created by the gods and one that the gods are subject to, but overall it is inescapable. Fate is shown to be much less of an influential force in the film as it is in the poem. War is shown as both a glorious and a brutal thing, with Achilles achieving glory and Paris being scorned, but with clearly detailed descriptions of death and mutilation in both texts.