Compare the movie 300 to the life of the spartans - Essay Example

They often declared wars against their neighbors instead of creating overseas colonies. They trained their men from the early age of six to prepare them for future wars. The Spartans did not encourage freedom of thought and behavior. The boys were rigorously trained and were made to believe that “self-discipline and courage were the highest virtues”1. The location of Sparta was the main reason for the Spartans to build strong warriors. The city was situated on mountainous, rocky terrain which was by nature infertile and so could not be used for farming.

The city was also at a great distance from the sea which made them difficult to get engaged in fishing or trade. That is why the Spartans needed to conquer the surrounding cities of Greece to get access to water by traveling on their lands. Since Sparta was a land-locked city, so the Spartans were aware that any battles that needed to be fought would have to be on land and for this they needed strong, expert and fearless warriors2. Spartan society emphasized physical beauty and venerated death during war.

The Spartans subjugated the neighboring Greeks and forced them to become agricultural slaves. Since the slave population was almost ten times than that of the Spartans, so the latter always remained at guard and oppressed them with strict military control. Spartan citizens constituted of only males as the female did not have any kind of political rights. The Spartan women were known for their independent spirit and for their ability to acquire wealth in the absence of their husbands from home3.

The film 300 portrays the Spartans as paragon of the concept of freedom as well as indomitable heroes of the battle of Thermopylae. This kind of portrayal is in harmony both with the historical records of the warriors as well as their legendary status as brave soldiers. Their fearless attitude can be observed from the quote of Leonidas: “No retreat, no surrender. That is Spartan law. And by Spartan law we will stand and fight, and die”4. Spartans are more popularly known for their love of wars, disciplined nature and their obligation towards their duty.

This was reflected in the quote of Dilios in the first scene of the movie: “Taught that death in the battlefield in service of Sparta is the greatest glory he could achieve in his life”5. The portrayal of Spartan women in the movie is accurate as it showed Queen Gorgo as a strong willed woman who was a political and military advisor of her husband. The movie depicted the philosophy of the real Spartans accurately which is any battle that is fought for their country, even if it is a losing battle, is worth fighting fearlessly till the enemies are defeated.

The empire (opinion) The Spartan empire portrayed in the movie cannot be desirable in the real world. The over confidence of Leonidas that his army comprising only of 300 soldiers can successfully combat the Persian army of more than one million soldiers cannot be entertained in real wars. The Spartans from very young age were instilled with the knowledge that war is the only way of fulfilling their dreams and desires, and that courage and fearless-of-death attitudes are the greatest qualities in men.

This kind of psychological upbringing can be very harmful and disastrous in this modern world where every country strives for peace and