Towards the end of the movie, the character Dilios explains how Leonidas told him to remember what had happened at Thermopylae. He’s also not the most reliable of ancient writers.) (It should be noted that Plutarch was a lover of all things Spartan, despite living centuries after their heyday. Plutarch is also the source for the famous quote molon labe (“Come and get them”), which Leonidas is supposed to have uttered when the Persians demanded him to lay down his weapons (idem, 51.11). The original quote is from Plutarch and there Leonidas refers to Hades ( Apophthegmata Laconica 225d.13). When the Spartan army prepares itself for the final attack, Leonidas exhorts his men to have a hearty breakfast, “For tonight we dine in hell!” Of course, the Greeks had no “hell” to speak off, but rather a dreary underworld. Instead, the quote is attributed to a Spartan named Dieneces (Hdt.
Our arrows will blot out the sun!” To this, Stelios replies, “Then we will fight in the shade.” Stelios, of course, is a modern Greek name and is not found in Herodotus. It is clear from the comic book – and by extension the movie– that he made a study of the original sources, as some of the comic’s most memorable lines are taken directly from Herodotus, our main source on the Greco-Persian Wars and the Battle of Thermopylae (480 BC) in particular.Īt one point, a Persian states, “The thousand nations of the Persian empire will descend upon you. Miller based the book on a movie he saw as a child, The 300 Spartans (1962). The movie was based on the comic book 300 by graphic artist Frank Miller, known especially for Sin City.
Nevertheless, I should say up front that I actually enjoy 300 for what it is, and that my problems with it don’t impede my enjoyment of it. I will first discuss some of the good elements of the movie, before turning to the bad parts, with the truly ugly bit saved to the very last. With the recent release of a sequel, 300: Rise of an Empire, now seems like a good time to discuss various aspects of the original 300. The movie’s valiant and manly Spartans are pitted against a cowardly foe that has to whip a slave army into battle. But the movie also has a jingoistic undertone and portrays the Persian Empire as a cesspool of cruelty and depravity. Many people were impressed with the visuals and the movie is an entertaining testosterone-fuelled adventure set in a pseudo-historical ancient world. When the movie 300 was originally released in 2006, it caused quite a stir.
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