The movie was only inspired by Homer's Iliad, not a completely accurate depiction of what he wrote. The movie script took many liberties with the poem and the characters.
Here are some differences between the movie and the poem:
- Homer's Iliad was greatly influenced by the gods. In the movie "Troy" the gods played no role in events that took place.
- In the movie Hector kills Menelaus to save Paris. In the Iliad (and Odyssey) Hector does not kill Menelaus, Menelaus survives the Trojan War and returns to his homeland with Helen.
- In the movie Achilles is among one of many Greeks that are inside the Trojan Horse. In the Iliad Achilles died before the Trojan Horse ruse was ever exploited.
- In the Iliad Paris is mortally wounded by Philoctetes. In "Troy" Paris lives.
- Ajax and Agamemnon were also men that survived the Trojan War according to the Iliad, but were killed off in "Troy".
- In the Iliad Priam has a daughter named Cassandra that is a prophetess. She tried to warn the people of Troy about the Trojan Horse, though her prophecy fell on deaf ears (thanks to a curse from Apollo). Cassandra plays no role in the movie "Troy".
- In the Iliad there were several great and powerful men on both sides, besides just Achilles and Hector. Such as Diomedes and Idomeneus on the Greek side, and Aeneas on the Trojan side. Neither Diomedes nor Idomeneus were portrayed in "Troy" and Aeneas was portrayed as a teenager in the movie. Hecuba, the wife of Priam, and Calchas, the Greek seer, are also left out.
- According to the Iliad, the entire war (from the time of Helen's abduction to the fall of Troy) took ten years. In "Troy" the war is depicted as lasting only weeks.
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