Society & Fantasy

I looked at this movie as a generic example of how society is typically viewed. The protagonist, King Leonidas, fits the stereotype of a war hero perfectly; he is strong, brave, and beautiful. Viewers are led to believe that he and his army of 300 other watered-down versions of himself are the "good guys" of the war. Therefore, it didn't suprise me that the Spartans were all beautiful, just as people who do the "right thing" are typically portrayed. The Persians, on the other hand, are designed to repulse. Unlike their sacrificing enemies, these men engage in indulging, "sinful" behavior that is reflected in their unattractive appearances. Their king, the antagonist, will allow anyone, even the disabled, to join him, so long as they bow down and worship him. His failure to be selective gives him a devilish, "bad guy" appearance.

The women in this film also fit societal stereotypes. Queen Gorgo and the rest of the Spartan women are outspoken about their beliefs, yet never cease to support the values of their men. In fact, their main goal is to raise children to become just as strong and brave as their fathers. These are all qualities that "good mothers" and "good wives" are believed to have. Persian women, on the other hand, are very sexual and are never seen caring for children or supporting their men. Perhaps this is why the Persian men appear so sinful and wrong? They have no support system from the women who should be "taking care" of them.

I don't know anything about the Greek mythology that inspired some events in this film, but I took a class last semester in Norse mythology and was able to draw some interesting parallels. First, I noticed how even though King Leonidas knows his Spartans will fall, he decides to fight anyway. In The Prose Edda, Norse gods like Odin and Thor know they can't prevent Ragnarok (the end of the world... I'm not sure if I spelt it right), but that doesn't stop them from fighting Loki's evil spawns and the frost ogres. This, I think, glorifies King Leonidas even more for fighting for what is "right" for his people despite the fact that he will fall. I also noticed that, after a Persian plunges a sword through the captain's body, he inches himself further onto the blade to deal his enemy a lethal blow. This is exactly what Mordred does to kill his father, King Arthur, in Le Morte Darthur. I think more in-depth explorations of these events would be very interesting to unravel, and I wish I could have used this movie to help with some analysis papers last semester!

Paige Brinkmann