this has informed the works of many other writers, film-makers and artists. Society’s desire for films with heroes has led to more film adaptations of literature than ever before a nd Homer’s work, as the template for this, is no different. Although films like The Searcher’s can be seen to embody the Homeric hero, film-makers are still looking towards the classics for modern development. Troy is a modern adaptation of The Iliad although only focusing loosely on one part of the Trojan War and was directed by Wolfgang Petersen in 2004. Although it did well in the box office, it did not receive the same level of critical acclaim that Homer has for his work, but it did make a classic more accessible to the masses. By using well-known actors such as Brad Pitt, Eric Bana, and Orlando Bloom, audiences are encouraged to watch these celebrities as well as learn some of Homer’s story. What Petersen chose to do in the film was to take out the Gods. This arguably makes the main characters even more like heroes as it places all the achievements on them, and also makes Gaskin’s argument that the character’s do not make their own decisions, redundant. As Kim Shahabudin states, “the removal of the go ds leaves humans with full responsibility for their actions.” 118 The characters are further made to be heroes by their physique and dress which make them look powerful, especially against the female characters. Although the battle scenes are focused on individuals, there is more of a sense of the scale of the battles and the people involved, which is what is missing from some of the other pieces of literature and art. In one of the pivoting scenes, Hector duels and kills Patroclus whom he believes to be Achilles. Patroclus tries to be a hero and dies, but dies in honour which is the most important thing to the Greeks. Troy is an
118 Kim Shahabudin, ‘From Greek Myth to Hollywood Story: Explanatory Narrative in Troy ,’ in Troy: From Homer’s Iliad to Hollywood Epic , ed. by Martin M. Winkler (Oxford: Blackwell Publishing Ltd., 2007), p. 115
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