Stories of love and honor can take you back to the times when ancient wars defined certain eras of mankind’s history. Epic movies like 300 and The Legend of Hercules present great tales about warriors fighting for these virtues. But one of the best movies that is well infused with love and honor is Troy. The fact that the movie is potentially based on a true story makes it even more glorious to watch. At the core of it all, war is young men dying and old men talking. It is sad to also admit the fact that history remembers kings, not soldiers. But who receives all the glory and honor? Let’s open the scrolls and see how the movie Troy tells the perfect story of love and honor.

Love Launched 1000 Ships to Fight the Trojan War

Eric Bana, Orlando Bloom and Diane Kruger in Troy
Warner Bros. Pictures Releasing

If you are a history buff, you must have read stories about Hellen of Troy, the most beautiful woman in Greek mythology. History accounts that Hellen’s face is the reason why the Greeks launched 1,000 ships to battle. Today, that phrase is used to describe beauty. But how did Hellen cause the start of the greatest war in Greek mythology? It all begins with love.

Agamemnon’s brother Menelaus, King of Sparta, was getting weary of battle and was seeking to make peace with the powerful rival, Troy. Menelaus married the most beautiful woman in the world, Hellen, but their marriage was uncolorful. So, in a multi-day banquet to celebrate peace between the two kingdoms, Paris, the youngest prince of Troy and Hellen, fell in love and eloped together. Filled with rage and bitterness about the betrayal of the visitors he had just hosted, Menelaus went to his brother to seek alliance for the invasion of Troy. Agamemnon, who was always looking for the opportunity to invade Troy, was more than ready to send thousands of ships to fight the Trojans, their greatest rival. It was Agamemnon’s best ticket to control the entire Aegean if Troy fell.

Troy, on the other end, was a fortress, built to withstand a 10-year siege. And prince Hector of Troy controlled the finest army in the region. But that did not make Agamemnon flinch, “I will attack them with the greatest force the world has ever seen.”

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Honor Caused the Name Achilles to Stand for Thousands of Years

Achilles in Troy
Warner Bros. Pictures Releasing

Before the Greeks took a voyage to the Trojan shores, Achilles (Brad Pitt) went to consult her mother, Thetis, a sea goddess that could see the future. Thetis recounted, "If you stay, you will find peace, a wonderful woman, a family, and they will love you. But, when you die, your name will be forgotten a few generations later. If you go to Troy, glory will be yours; they will write stories about your victories for thousands of years, and the world will remember your name. But, if you go to Troy, you will never come home. For your glory walks hand-in-hand with your doom."

Achilles was a warrior who led an army of Myrmidons - A group of 50 elite warriors. Even though he fought for the Greeks, he was not subservient to the king. It was a catch-22 situation, where Agamemnon disliked the man, but needed him to win battles. You see, Achilles was not someone anyone could control; he was a warrior that only needed to be unleashed. Achilles was born to end lives, and everyone knew it. He fought valiantly in the Trojan War, but he fell by the arrow of prince Paris of Troy. His downfall made an impact on Greek history. And true to his mother's prophesy, his name lives on today. For instance, we use the phrase “Achilles heel” to refer to a point of weakness. If you were impressed with Troy, you should check out some of the most iconic roles played by Brad Pitt. In addition, consider looking out for Brad Pitts Fomula 1 movie.

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Kings Fight for Dominion and Soldiers Fight for Love and Honor

Brian Cox in Troy
Warner Bros. Pictures.

In the first scene, we are introduced to the Greek King Agamemnon invading the kingdom of Thessaly. But, instead of going for all-out warfare, he proposes to settle it using the old way – the best fighters from both armies fight to the death. And this is where we are introduced to the greatest warrior to ever live, Achilles from the Greek army, and Boagrius from Thessaly. This old way worked like a charm; but it was not always seamless because of the tension between the Greek king and Achilles. Brian Cox played King Agamemnon and had high praise for Brad Pitt while filming the movie.

Achilles hated Agamemnon to the bone, and it was evident in their first interaction in the first scene. Achilles came in late to fight the big-bad Thessalian warrior Boagrius, and Agamemnon threatened to have him whipped for coming in late. Achilles the maverick responded, walking away from the fight, “Perhaps you should fight him.” But one of the king’s royal guides sang praises to Achilles, “You can end this war with a swing of your sword. Think of how many songs they will sing in your honor.” Even when Achilles and his Myrmidons took over the Trojan beach, one of the strongest Greek soldiers approached him after the victory and said, “You are as fearless as the gods. I am honored to go to war with you.” But the king praised himself, and said that he captured the beach at a moment’s notice. He even talked about curving his name in every stone in his new kingdom. The bottom line is that the king craves dominion, and the soldier craves honor.

It is remarkable to read about honor between soldiers in ancient times. At one point, Achilles decided not to kill Hector early in the morning because it was too early to kill a prince. After killing Hector in one-on-one combat, he agreed to give the enemy 12-days free of battle to allow the Trojans to undertake the burial rites of a prince.

To wrap it all up, soldiers like Achilles and Hector fought for their families, honor, love, and flag without question. But the kings were always competing about who would command the largest army and overtake other kingdoms. Brad Pitt was remarkable in Troy, from his physique to his acting. But is Brad Pitt planning to retire?