Film analysis of helen of troy

May 15, 2019 helen of troy is a character in homers classic epic poem, the iliad, written in the 8th century about the trojan war, imagined by the greeks to have occurred about 500 years earlier. The events that take place in the movie are not 100% the. A character analysis of helen of troy in the iliad, an. Helen, queen of sparta, was taken from her husband menelaus, by paris the prince of troy. The seduction of helen is the curtainraiser for the main story, which involves vast greek armies laying siege to the impenetrable city. I dont think that the role of sienna gullory as helen fits to what the mythology is being described her. Aug 28, 2008 in sparta, king menelaus holds a banquet for the trojan princes, hector and paris. Aug 26, 2014 but the filmmakers insist on telling the whole story, from the abduction of helen to the wooden horse to the destruction of troy, plundering other classical sources and adding twists of its own in. Italian cinema made a specialty of the lavish pageants with such early silent epics as cabiria 1914 and d. The greeks are plotting to invade troy to steal the treasures of the trojans. Supersummary, a modern alternative to sparknotes and cliffsnotes, offers highquality study guides that feature detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, quotes, and essay topics. This film assists the readers to comprehend this book.

To read more about her story, see the story of helen above. At the shore, helen says goodbye, but when soldiers arrive, paris takes her with him when he escapes. Achilles, the greatest warrior hero of the greeks, and hector, son of the king, personified the strong will of the people of troy. Also, it portrays how the trojan war began and how troy was destroyed. Still i like her helen of troy, or helen or sparta, one of the most controversial female characters in literature, has been the literary and mythic symbol of beauty and illicit love. She was daughter of zeus, either by leda or by nemesis, and sister of the dioscuri. Helen s beauty in the poem is cold and still and almost deathly. Film analysis of the vietnam war 978 words 4 pages. In faust, however, helen and her culture of the good, the beautiful, and the true have long since departed from the world.

Helen of troy is a character in homers classic epic poem, the iliad, written in the 8th century about the trojan war, imagined by the greeks to have occurred about 500 years earlier. Devin minix vietnam war paper 101017 predator film analysis vietnam was a war of ideals more than a war against an enemy. Reaction paper for helen of troy topics, sample papers. It is hectors brother, paris bloom, who steals the beautiful helen away from her husband, menelaus, the king of sparta, and prompts the war between greece and troy. America had involved itself in a fight against the values and morals of communism and the people who supported it. But helen s character is more complex than it seems. Film analysis of helen of troy free essays, term papers. After helen ran away with paris, prince of troy, the greek armies fought a ten year long war against troy to win her back, as told by homer.

Hector is the prince of troy, who leads the trojan army in holding off the entire greek armada. Helen of troy 1956 biblical epics, costume dramas and ancient world spectacles were a hollywood fixture since the birth of the feature film. This blog will take a look at some of the more wellknown film portrayals of helen. Also, it shows how the trojan war started and how troy has fallen. Helen of troy poem analysis in greek mythology, helen of troy was the daughter of zeus and lead and was infamously known as the most beautiful woman on earth. In the iliad certain heroic characters play major roles in the battles even though the reader knows that many more common soldiers must be involved. In the following part of the essay, we first give a brief background of the ancient myth of helen. Warnercolor epic film in cinemascope, based on homers iliad and odyssey. Helen of troy is a 2003 television miniseries based upon homers story of the trojan war, as recounted in the epic poem, iliad. No, not helen keller, not helen mirren, but helen of troy. Its social ideology is indeed similar to that of mauds society in terms of womens role. Since zeus seduced leda while in the form of a swan, its said that helen hatched out of an egg.

In the film, actor brad pitt plays achilles, giving him a larger than life, heroic quality. The story of the film helen of troy is the same as the story in the book the iliad, because helen was abducted by paris, the achaeans demanded to get her back and prevail over troy and make it fall. John erskines 1925 bestselling novel the private life of helen of troy portrayed helen as a sensible, bourgeois heroine, but the 1927 silent film of the same name, directed by alexander korda, transformed helen into a shopaholic fashion maven. Meanwhile prince paris is assigned by his wise father and king of troy to travel to sparta and shows the peaceful intentions of his people. This gives the greeks just the excuse they need for muchdesired war. Film analysis of helen of troy essay topics, sample papers. Helen of troy is the ideal of beauty in classical greek culture and one of the main characters in homers epic poem the iliad. Helen of troy is a character referenced in literature for over 1,000 years. She was the most beautiful woman in greece best known for being the cause of the trojan war. Helen of troy, greek helene, in greek legend, the most beautiful woman of greece and the indirect cause of the trojan war.

This warner brothers version of helen of troys story directed by robert wise decided to forgo the complication of gods and goddesses and focus soley on the human interactions. When he recovers, he believes that she is a slave and they fall in love with each other. Start your 48hour free trial to unlock this helen of troy does countertop dancing study guide and get instant access to the following analysis. Griffith imported the genre to america through the babylon sequences of intolerance 1916, spawning a hollywood staple carried on by cecil b. Helen of troy is a 2003 britishamerican television miniseries based upon homers story of the trojan war, as recounted in the epic poem, iliad. Along his journey, he falls into the sea during a storm and is rescued on the shore by the queen of sparta, helen. Helen of troy was the wife of his brother menelaus. When he arrives at the spartan palace, he is arrested by king menelaus but helen helps him to escape. The movie sidesteps the existence of the greek gods, turns its heroes into action movie cliches and demonstrates that were getting tired of computergenerated armies. What we enjoy is the sovereignty over time and place and the force of gravity that film has given to the world.

The poem begins with the statement that all greece hates certain attributes of helen, or what may be a statue of helen. Now, at the end of ten years of battle, the other characters, hecuba and menelaus especially, blame her for all the lives lost and the destruction wrought. The character of helen of troy in faust from litcharts. In greek mythology, helen of troy is known as the woman whose beauty sparked the trojan war. Helen in troy in the myth of greece, helen of troy, also known as helen of sparta, is the sister of zeus and ladas daughter, caster, pollux and kleinestra.

Helen of troy represents the perfect embodiment of beauty, transferred to the tragedy from greek mythology. Better a couple of hundred sweaty warriors than two masses of 50,000 men marching toward one another across a sea. The character of helen of troy in faust from litcharts the. Prince paris of troy, shipwrecked on a mission to the king of sparta, meets and falls for queen helen before he knows who she is. Troy, starring brad pitt, is a historical travesty film. Helen s beauty is a direct cause of the trojan horse war. From homer to hollywood is a comprehensive literary biography of helen of troy, which explores the ways in which her story has been told and retold in almost every century from the ancient world to the modern day. However, young paris sneaks away to be with menelaus beautiful wife, helen diane kruger, whom he loves dearly. The film troy, from 2004, is a remake of the homer classic the iliad, which recounts the legend of the greek warrior achilles. Some may have a divine or semidivine parent, though the hero himself is still mortal and subject to death, unlike the gods. Throughout their voyage to troy, helen worries about the farreaching consequences of leaving sparta. His 111 antiquity to 1500 film analysis troy troy is an adaption of the poem written by homer, also known as the iliad. Helen of troy, the beauty who sparked the trojan war. Helen character analysis in the trojan women litcharts.

Further specifically, we relate to william excludingler yeats ditty, no cooperate troy and wolfgang petersens movie troy. They travel together to troy and give the excuse the greeks need to start the war and put troy under siege for years. This tv miniseries also shares the name with a 1956 movie starring stanley baker. In the iliad she is kidnapped by the trojan prince paris, and for her husband, the greek chieftain menelaus, raises a great army to recover her. In the film, helen of troy one of the main character is achilles, the demigod warrior, a highly skilled and the strongest champion of greece which also showed his soft side his kindness, care, love for a woman and brotherly love for his cousin, petraclus. When considering the many greek and roman myths that surround helen, from her childhood to her life after the trojan war, a layered and fascinating woman emerges. May 14, 2004 if you believe helen of troy could actually tell paris anything remotely like that, you will probably also agree that the second night he slipped into her boudoir, she told him, last night was a mistake. In greek mythology, helen was the most beautiful woman from the age of the heroes. Throughout this piece the speaker will describe the all encompassing hatred that the greek people felt for helen of troy. Troy is an overlooked epic that doesnt deserve the rotten rating it received. Directed by wolfgang peterson, the movie troy is based on an adaptation of homers great epic the iliad. May 03, 2016 to summarize, helen of troy is a complex character who transgresses traditional female roles, making her characterization unwomanly to the point of being nonfemale. In the genderstratified society at that time, women were usually powerless and can only subordinate to men.

Though most of the time shes called helen of troy, she was actually from the greek city of sparta and was the daughter of zeus, king of the gods, and leda, the wife of tyndareas, king of sparta. Like in the movie, achilles is one of the faithful followers of agamemnon but in the book, achilles disgusts him and didnt participate in. Christopher marlowe, called her, the face that launched a thousand ships. An analysis of the women in the poem demonstrates a challenge of the space of women. Legend has it that helen of troy was the most beautiful woman of all time, and that this very beauty was the catalyst of a tenyear war between greece and troy.

Helen is not merely the beauty who passively started the trojan war, whatever her actual role in her abduction was, but she is also a symbol of the fears and anxieties nonwomanly women produced. Two emerging nations begin to clash after paris, the trojan prince, convinces helen, queen of sparta, to leave her husband, menelaus, and sail. Formerly of sparta and wife of the warrior king menelaus, helen eloped to troy with paris, causing the trojan war. A history of helen of troy on film funks house of geekery. Sienna guillory as helen matthew marsden as paris john rhysdavies as king priam of troy emilia fox as cassandra, princess of troy rufus sewell as agamemnon stellan skarsgard as theseus joe montana as achilles katie blake as.

Biography of helen of troy, cause of the trojan war. Helen of sparta was perhaps the most inspired character in all literature, ancient or modern. Helen is a poem about helen of troy, the foxiest lady ever, but its not exactly a poem thatll get your heart racing. Her images were invoked through magic, but the aesthetic model that emerged opens up a new era in the existence of the protagonist. Helen of troy has captured the imagination of artists and writers for ages. In the movie troy, the story of helen happens in ancient greek and sparta.

Troy is a 2004 epic historical war drama film directed by wolfgang petersen and written by david benioff. Her beauty is claimed to be utterly amazing to those who behold her, but this beauty also causes various problems, such as causing the trojan war when paris takes helen for himself from the spartan king menelaus. Too much focus on paris and helen, but that is the path this film chose. The purpose of the quiz and worksheet is to check your understanding of helen of troy and her role in the iliad. Oct 09, 2015 how does helen of troy compare to its peers. This movie helps the readers to understand this book. Finding helena marks the triumph of faustus in his search for an absolute ideal. Mar 19, 2010 read helen of troy free essay and over 89,000 other research documents. But paris isnt up to speed with guest etiquette, and sneaks off to have sex with menelauss wife, helen. More specifically, we make reference to william butler yeats poem, no second troy and wolfgang petersens movie troy. Troy is based on the epic poem the iliad by homer, according to the credits. Reaction paper for helen of troy free essays, term papers. According to popular mythology, her beauty was the cause of the trojan war that would plague her part of.

It was directed by robert wise, from a screenplay by hugh gray and john twist, adapted by hugh gray and n. An adaptation of homers great epic, the film follows the assault on troy by the united greek forces and chronicles the fates of the men involved. May 14, 2004 bana stars as hector to pitts achilles. Like in the movie, achilles is one of the faithful followers of agamemnon but in the book, achilles disgusts him and didnt participate in the war until patroclus was killed by hector. The great weakness of this sprawling epic is its very sprawl. This event set off a war that would result in a decade long siege of troy, in an attempt to get helen back. As a young girl she was carried off by theseus, but she was rescued by her brothers. After viewing the movie, there are lot of differences between the book iliad and the movie helen of troy.

In the movies, the most famous popular helen was rossana podest. Meanwhile, the greek kings are delighted to hear about helen s abduction, which gives them an excuse to build an enormous army and unite for. The majority of its major structural moments belong to achilles, who is clearly the main character. While it certainly doesnt have big emotion that we would expect from these kind of movies. In her own words, helen was merely a victim of fortune, first bewitched by. Paris orlando bloom, the young prince of troy, eloped with helen diane kruger, the queen of sparta, after a mission to sign a peace treaty with menelaus brendan gleeson, the king, with the elder trojan prince hector eric. She begins by stating outright that all greece hates helen. Hectors wife, briseis, and paris and helen all escape troy through a secret passage. The film, helen of troy, from the title itself, the most beautiful and lustful woman in the world. Takes readers on an epic voyage into the literary representations of a woman who has wielded a great influence on western cultural consciousness for more than three. Historical fiction author margaret georges 2006 novel helen of troy tells the story of. This movie reenacts the legend of the trojan war in 1193 b.

A character analysis of helen of troy in the iliad, an ancient greek epic poem by homer pages 3. Produced by units in malta, mexico and britains shepperton studios, the film features an ensemble cast led by brad pitt, eric bana, and orlando bloom. The title, as well as the mention of greece, solidifies that the speaker is referring to helen of troy. She shows a lack of sexual loyalty to her husband by leaving with paris, a complete distancing from any role as a mother, and an active sexuality, which is generally reserved for men. My opinion, sienna got the charm and sexual appeal but there is a lack of internalization. This onepage guide includes a plot summary and brief analysis of helen of troy by margaret george. Sep 20, 2015 helen is considered one of the most important female figures in the story of iliad, as she is the cause of the trojan war. Galagar, mikko mc21 in the film, helen of troy one of the main character is achilles, the demigod warrior, a highly skilled and the strongest champion of greece which also showed his soft side his kindness, care, love for a woman and brotherly love for his cousin, petraclus.

World literature film analysis of helen of troy submitted by. Meanwhile, prince hector eric bana and paris orlando bloom of troy feast in the banquet hall of king menelaus of sparta brendan gleeson as honored guests and peace ambassadors to their home nation. Helen, also known as helen of troy and helen of sparta, is a mythological figure in ancient greece. Mar 19, 2010 visit my page at this is based on the motion picture troy. Helen of troy analysis in this oration, we excite and collate the icon of embellishment, helen of troy in undivided unvarnished commencement as polite as undivided coeval commencement. Introduction troy directed by wolfgang petersen and was is written by david benioff is a american epic period war film released in 2004. When a spectacular film rests on at least a minimal armature of character and cogent action, as troy does, we can just sink back and enjoy.