The Illiad vs Troy (2004)

My favorite aspect of the entire Iliad was the way prophecy, fate, and the gods impact the actual real-world events depicted in the story. The prophecy aspect is addressed through Achilles’ dilemma in which he has to make a decision, but as the reader, we already know his fate. Watching a character wrestle with what is best for him, and then simultaneously watch him be forced into his decision to fulfill his fate is an aspect I find very compelling to think over. The gods’ impact in The Iliad is also a very intriguing explanation for the tides and momentum shifts in war. In the film Troy, however, these aspects are either watered down or missing altogether. 

While I do not believe Troy was attempting to adapt The Iliad as its sole guiding text, as seen in how the film goes beyond the return of Hector’s body which is the end of The Iliad (Il. 23), the film still follows what The Iliad tells us about the war itself. Troy follows similar beats as The Iliad, displaying the spark that started the war (Paris’ seduction of Helen), the argument/feud between Agamemnon (Il. 1.379-380), Hector killing Patrocolus (Il. 16.1001), as well as the killing of Hector (Il 22.325), and the return of his corpse (Il 24.944). Even though the film displays these essential scenes from the text, it also takes liberties with what happens between these major checkpoints in the story. These artistic liberties include the killing of Menelaus, the killing of Ajax, the killing of Agamemnon, Patroclus stealing Achilles' armor, Hector not stripping Patroclus’ body nor fighting over it, Hector not running away during the final duel, and the total lack of dying words from all heroes killed. These differing story points also infect the characters, making their motivations, arcs, and actions different, and in my opinion, less compelling. 

The previously mentioned detachments of the film from The Iliad are distracting, but the lack of gods and its effects on the story and characters are the biggest detractors in the film Troy to the viewer. In The Iliad, we know the fate of Achilles because early in the story it is told to us by his mother (Il. 1.496-497). This fate becomes a major factor in how we view the character when he is throwing his temper tantrum on the sidelines of the war (Il. 11.706-709). Still, even though we know his fate, the reader can understand his dilemma of choosing to grow old and live long or his inevitable decision of dying young but gaining glory that will make his name memorable for generations to come (Il. 9.500-505). Since we are hearing his story, it is easy to know the outcome, but the way Homer holds his cards so close to his chest, makes the reader excited to see when Achilles will finally spring back into battle. The gods' addition in the original text is what makes this decision even more intriguing because as the reader, we get to see the painting of a character who is complicated and making a large decision in his own life, which only becomes more compelling when comparing this decision to the scale/lifestyles of the gods and their impact. The reader knows without Achilles the Achaeans will fail due to Achilles' prayer (Il. 1.416-422) granted by Zeus (Il. 1.626-635), but we are still left reading/listening because we do not know how Zeus/fate will tie everything together. In the film, however, Achilles doesn’t truly ponder this decision, he does not make this prayer, and his decision to fight does not reap the same impact it sows in the book.

Achilles in the film is a man who is never questioned for his decisions by the film, its characters, or the viewers. Troy waters down the character of Achilles, softening his edges which results in a less dynamic, interesting, and thought-provoking character. Since Achilles does not grant Patroclus the right to wear his armor (Il. 16.73-74), Achilles does not hold some of the burden of the death of Patroclus. Achilles in the book kills Patroclus through his stubbornness, but in the film, he has no blood on his hands. Also, Patroclus getting this idea of using Achilles’ armor (Il. 11.949-963) is such a powerful scene in the book, because when this seed is planted in his head, Homer is revealing his cards, leaving the reader with the vision of what is to come. This moment is stolen from us in the film, due to the substitute scene being Patroclus stealing Achilles’ armor instead. 

The overarching themes of fate and prophecy tie the book's scenes together, but it is barely mentioned in the film. One of my favorite times prophecy is used in the book, are the dying words of heroes. The reader sees prophecy used in the dying words of both Patroclus and Hector, telling their killers who will avenge their deaths. Patroclus tells Hector that Achilles will avenge his death (Il. 16.985-1000), which we see in Book 22, and Hector tells Achilles that he will be killed by Paris (Il. 22.418-424). In both these cases in the film, neither characters cry out a prophecy or speak final words during their last remaining breaths. This aspect is very important in the book, yet non-existent in Troy. 

The themes of fate and prophecy go hand in hand with the characters of the gods since the gods play an active role in how certain events, lives, and wars turn out. I understand the desire for a grounded approach from the filmmakers, but removing the aspect of including gods takes an essential block from the Jenga structure, which leads to major themes and characters come toppling down. This includes the lack of all god-inspired fighters who fill the role of Achilles such as Diomedes (Il. 5.1-3), important aspects of Hector’s death (Il. 22.352-356)(Il. 23.212-220), and the entire fate and character of Achilles. Also, removing the gods takes away the moral and ethical questions their existence raises. The most thought-provoking aspect of the book was that to humans, war and life are everything, yet to the gods, war is a game and life is a second thought. The act of the gods treating the human beings and their war as a game create this drama and thematic intrigue to a story that was common knowledge to the people during The Iliad’s conception. Overall, the film Troy has the majority of its missteps occur due to sidestepping important aspects of the text and the lack of properly expressing characters the same way they were portrayed in The Iliad which leads to a misrepresentation of essential themes and events in the book.