Tue 3 Mar, 2009
The Absense of Myth
Comments (0) Filed under: Truth, WorldviewsTags: Hollywood, media, movies, secularization
Recently I watched the movie Troy, based on the Greek classic The Illiad. I usually watch Hollywood versions of literature with a healthy dose of skepticism. Hollywood screenwriters often seem to read the Cliff Notes of the story they’re basing their screenplay on, then add their own political commentary that seems to fit the general flow of the original literature. The end result is often laughable. Still, when done well movies based on literature can be some of the most enjoyable.
As a movie, Troy was pretty well done. The battle choreography was impressive and the characters were solid and believable. However, the movie went wrong when it tried to purge the story of supernatural elements. The interplay of the humans and the gods is one of the most interesting aspects of Greek literature, and the story of the Illiad is no exception to this standard. More importantly, the story of Achilles is about a man who begins to blur the line between human and god, and suffers the consequences.
Central to the story of the Illiad is Achilles’ anger with Agamemnon. The anger of this amazing hero is so intense that Homer uses the Greek word menos to describe it. Menos refers to the anger of the gods, which is unique not only in intensity but also in kind to human anger. This great anger was caused by a serious breach of honor committed by Agamemnon against Achilles. This breach of honor was serious because Achilles fought for Agamemnon out of a sense of fidelity (love-based honor), and was a great hero truly worthy of great honor. Agamemnon’s betrayal was a betrayal of friendship. lordship and hero honor. By “modernizing” and naturalizing the story, the Hollywood writers have turned Achilles’ anger into simple belligerence and anti-authority blustering. In Troy, Achilles simply does not like or respect Agamemnon, who is portrayed as a power-hungry tyrrant.
In fact, the movie completely misses the entire point of the Greek concept of honor, which is central to a proper understanding of the Iliad. The entire Trojan War was fought because of a breach of honor when Paris steals Helen from King Menelaus while Paris is a guest under the king’s roof. Breaking the code of hospitality was a serious deal in the Greek world. Even an enemy who claimed the right of hospitality could not be harmed or abused as long as he remained a guest. In the Greek mind, the code of hospitality was the sign of civilization and the keeper of the peace. Only barbarians abused their guests.
Troy mentions the code of hospitality, but completely misses its importance. The Trojan war is not about honor, but about politics. Agamemnon is attempting to create an empire, and Troy is the last large community holding onto local sovereignty. While it is not explicit, one can almost sense the modernist trend of anti-nationalism in the movie (despite the fact that Troy is ruled by a king). When Menelaus comes to Achilles to convince him to return his son’s body, the code of hospitality is mentioned but Achilles still announces that he could kill the king and end the war right there. Viewers are left to believe that Achilles’ disdain for Agamemnon is the only thing staying his hand. This scene is particularly disappointing because it should have been the turning point that leads to Achilles’ eventual redemption and return to humanity.
The movie Troy makes Achilles a gifted human, not at all beholden to the gods for his power. The movie makes a point of “de-mythologizing” every bit of his heroic ability, even showing the birth of the myths of his invulnerability through misinterpretations of actual events. In fact, Achilles shows open disdain for the gods (like the modernist revisions of Hercules, which also miss the point of the importance of the hero’s connection to the gods). Hector also shows disdain for the gods that Richard Dawkins would be proud of, seeing claims to faith as superstitious nonsense. It is interesting to note that in the Illiad, Achilles’ connection to the gods is very clear, but it is not central to his heroism. You don’t see spears bounding off of his bare skin or a supernatural glow as he kills men left and right. The Illiad uses Achilles’ connection to the gods to raise expectations of his honor. By getting rid of Achilles’ supernatural connections and making his status of a hero dependent completely on his own abilities, the movie Troy makes Achilles’ pride into an American virtue rather than a flaw in his character or an affront to his true honor.
This ironic twist is of course true of all of the heroes in Troy. Immortal fame is not a result of bravery and honor but of skill in combat. In the Illiad, a warrior’s skills were attributed at least in part to the blessings of the gods, but his bravery was all his own. In Troy, the warriors are more like prideful, childish football players who think, “we may die, but if we show some skill here we can at least be famous.” Instead of focusing on honor, Achilles is obsessed with immortal fame – which is empty when stripped of the Greek notion of honor.
In the end, the Hollywood interpretation of the Illiad falls apart. The Illiad is a story about how prideful anger threatens to destroy Achilles’ honor. In the end, he wins the battle against pride, leans the true value of his honor, and dies bravely leading the charge against Troy. IN the movie Troy, Achilles’ petty, honorless anger stretches into treachery against his king that menos in the Illiad would never allow. Achilles becomes a tragic, empty figure who dies due to a misunderstanding fueled by the immature anger of another warrior, and becomes a mythical hero only because history fabricates his heroic story.
Isn’t that what always happens when we try to remove God from the picture and rely on our own power?
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