Troy (the movie) v. the Iliad

Contrasts of Troy and the Iliad Troy and the Iliad are very similar in the story line and the all-around theme but there are huge fundamental changes the director made to the story to increase the likeability of the movie. Troy includes some of the significant events from the Iliad but there are extremely important events of the book that he did not include and some events that are important to the movie that never actually happened in the book. The three most important fundamental changes of the movie were the change in where the story had actually began and ended, the nonexistence of the gods throughout the whole movie and the change from Achilles’ decision for Patroclus to fight to Patroclus’ decision to go. In the movie Troy the director makes the decision to start the movie at the start of the war, giving the viewers some background information as to why the war had actually began rather than starting nine years into the war like in the Iliad, “Rage—Goddess, sing the rage of Peleus’ son Achilles, murderous, doomed, that cost the Achaeans countless losses, hurling down to the House of Death so many sturdy souls, great fighters’ sols, but made their bodies carrion, feast for the dogs and birds, and the will of Zeus was moving toward is end. Begin, Muse, when the two first broke and clashes, Agamemnon lord of men and brilliant Achilles.” [1.1-8] He also ended the book at the end of the Trojan war, far beyond the end of the epic poem “And so the Trojans buried Hector breaker of the horses.” [24.944] most likely to show people what had actually happened. Starting and ending the movie in different spots would help give the viewer a more complete event than what the poem had portrayed. Starting the movie with background information on why the war began gives people more information to help them understand the events of the war. Ending the movie after the war, like starting the movie before, gives the viewers a sense of completeness, you find out what happens