Western Paper

A Paper of Western Civilization An Analysis of Alexander and Troy Film

By : Alviano Prastio Morti Dilianto 207 51 21 001 Class B (Transfer)

FACULTY OF LETTERS AND CULTURE YOGYAKARTA UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY YOGYAKARTA 2008

Alexander The Great

The Alexander movie is a good literary work. The director and the scriptwriter are using the extraordinary steps of making the film. The plotting and setting of the film is so incredible and it makes the audiences can feel the situation and condition at that time. There are so many kinds Alexander film, and each film has its own characteristic. In my interpretation, the Alexander film made by Oliver stone uses a very good structure, style, and film atmosphere that support the plot of the film. Alexander film is about the story of Alexander conquering the world. In my interpretation, Alexander the Great has also bring his artists, geographers, historians, geologists, and even his scientists in his way of conquering the world. It means that as Greek King, he want to spread out the culture, philosophy of Greek Kingdom in other country. Thus, Alexander visits the troy, the great victory site of Greek over Asia. The Alexander visit was also due to his personal interest. He was greatly admired Homer and the heroes of the Trojan War, Achilles. After Alexander was reconfirming Macedonian hegemony by destroying a rebellion of southern Greek city-states, then Alexander went to east against the Persian Empire. Alexander conquests was including Anatolia, Syria, Phoenicia, Judea, Gaza, Egypt, Bactria, and Mesopotamia, and extended the boundaries of his own empire as far as Punjab, India. The Persian soldiers were unable to stop Alexander at the first major battle at the Granicus River. This battle was the most important movement of Alexander's career, although the others battles were famous. It was important movement for Alexander because it was his first real battle in Asia. It was mad gamble battle. Thus, the circumstances of the battle

were revealed his courage and confidence. It was also increased his fine political sense and his enormous good fortune. Alexander was combined his Greek army with many foreigner soldiers into his army. He was also encouraged marriages between his soldiers and foreigners. He was also married foreign princesses. In my interpretation, I think that is the Alexander ways to get his armies sympathy who has accompanying him during the battle. Thus, Alexander was died after twelve years of constant military campaigning to expand the Greek kingdom. The Alexander conquest was set long after him, or in other words, the Greek settlement and cultural influence over distant areas was imperishable because of his conquests. Alexander the Great name was also placed in the world history and myth of both Greek and non-Greek cultures. Alexander the Great is a man who has an obsession to unite a whole world under the Greek kingdom. The Alexander obsession of conquering the whole world came along by the death of his father, Phillip II King of Macedon. Philip II had united most of the city-states of Greece mainland under Macedonian kingdom. Alexander is a kind of charismatic person who can lead and control his armies into the great battle, so that his armies followed him until India although there are many Alexander Greek armies who refused it because they want to back to Macedon. In my interpretation, Alexander is a kind of wise man that using the diplomatic ways before conquering the other empire.

Troy

The Troy movie was a film that taken from the Greek mythology. In the literary criticism world, we can interpret the Troy film into so many kinds of themes, such as the heroism, man’s pride, the power of women, love of a couple, war and so on. In this paper, I will interpret the Troy film from the heroism and the man’s pride aspects, but I will talk about the Trojan War first. The Troy film is about an epic story of war between Troy and Spartan. The story of the film was started when Paris, the prince of Troy and his brother, Hector went to Sparta to had a cooperative agreement. Sparta was a city-state that was ruled by Menelaus, a king who has a beautiful wife called Helen. Thus, Paris was fall in love with Helen and he takes Helen to Troy. The king of Sparta, Menelaus was so angry to them. Menelaus told it to his brother, Agamemnon, king of Mycenae and Agamemnon led an expedition to take Helen away and the expedition aim was also to conquer Troy. The Trojan War was also involved Achilles, the Myrmidon leader warriors. Achilles wanted to join the Trojan War because of his high pride of being everlasting heroes. Achilles was a man who did not want to be a king slave warrior. He was a man who liked for battle for his pride and he stand by his own warriors. Achilles was so mad when Agamemnon took Briseis, a woman as his prize of his battle. Achilles felt that Agamemnon dishonor him and then Achilles refused to join the Trojan War. Thus, the Agamemnon armies were defeated by Troy when they were trying to attack Troy. The Agamemnon armies were suffered a huge lost by being defeated by Trojan armies who was commanded by Hector.

Thus, Hector tried to attack the Agamemnon armies in the beach of Troy. Hector thought he killed Achilles but after he opened the Achilles’ helmet, he knew that he was wrong. Hector killed the Achilles companion, Patroclus. Then Achilles joined the Trojan War when he knew that Hector killed his companion, Patroclus. Achilles came to Troy alone and he challenged Hector for battle. Hector was killed in the battle. In short, Spartan tried to attack the Troy but they were failed. Then Spartan used Trojan horse tactic which Achilles inside of it. The Trojan armies thought the Spartan has been defeated and back to their kingdom, and brought the Trojan horse to Trojan city. In the night after the Trojan horse enter the city, the Spartan armies included Achilles stroke the Trojan city. Thus in short, Achilles was killed by Paris, the Trojan prince in the end of film. Hubris is a kind of excessive pride, self-confidence or arrogance, often resulting in fatal retribution. In Ancient Greece, Hubris is referred to actions taken in order to shame and humiliate the victim; the aim is to make oneself seem superior. In the Trojan cases, Hubris can be found in the act of Achilles brought the Hector’s corpse. Thus, in the modern time, Hubris is a kind of overconfident pride and arrogance that is caused by the over power with lack of knowledge. We can see modern war or country invasion for example; when a nation with a huge power invades the other nation, which is not proved has a biological weapon that can demolish the human being. There must be a hidden aim why the over power nation do that. The other example is when an “unacceptable” nation and has over power invades the other nation area and says to the world that the area belongs to

their area. In the modern era, what they have done is not acceptable. What they have done can only bring sadness, suffer, and death of the innocent citizen. Thus, I can only say, “Make Peace not War”.