Blog: A Classicist Reviews Troy: Fall of a City - Society for ...

Troy: Fall of a City is a joint effort by Netflix and the BBC to repackage the Trojan War story as the next season of Game of Thrones. Skiptomaincontent Searchform Search YouarehereHome Blog:AClassicistReviewsTroy:FallofaCity ByDebraTrusty|Apr15,2018 Troy:FallofaCityisajointeffortbyNetflixandtheBBCtorepackagetheTrojanWarstoryasthenextseasonofGameofThrones.ProducersDavidFarr,DerekWax,andChristopherAirddidn’thavedigtoodeeptofindthematerialtheyneededwithintheancientmyth:blood-thirstykings,violentbattlescenes,forbiddenlove,andpowerfulbeingsflyingdownfromthesky.TheEpicCyclehasitalland,sinceTroy(2004,starringBradPitt)hitthetheatersnearly15yearsago,perhapsweweredueforanotherrendering. ReleasedintheU.S.onApril6th,the8-episodeseriesisambitious,tosaytheleast.ItswriterswantedtotellthestoryofthefallofthemythologicalcityofTroyandthis,perhaps,isabithubristic.Afterall,Homer’sIliad(whichconsistsofover15,000linesofpoetryandwouldhavetakenover15hourstoperform)onlycoversthe“wrathofAchilles,”roughlya40-dayperiodneartheendofthe10-yearwar.ButTroy:FallofaCityhasrestricteditsplotsubstantially.RatherthanincludingasmanyheroesandallofthescenesfromtheIliadastheycould,thewriterschosetofocusonParis(akaAlexander,playedbyLouisHunter)andHelen(BellaDayne). TheresultisasatisfyinganduntraditionalcharacterarcforParisthatIwon’truinhere.KingPriam(DavidThrelfall),hiswifeHecuba(FrancesO’Connor),andtheirsonHector(TomWeston-Jones)makeregularappearances,asdoMenelaus(JonasArmstrong),Agamemnon(JohnnyHarris),andOdysseus(JosephMawle).Achilles(DavidGyasi)isnotasmajorofacharacterasyouwouldexpect,andthismaybeabitofasurprise,butitconformstotherestrictionsofamini-series.Book1oftheIliaddoesnotactuallybeginuntilepisode4(“SpoilsofWar”)andisoverbythemiddleofepisode7(“12days”). Figure1:Black-figureBellyAmphorawiththeReclamationofHelenandHeraklesandKerberos(540-530BCEnowattheWaltersArtMuseum,ImageviaWikimediainthePublicDomain). IwilladmitIwasworriedthattheinclusionofthegodswouldbetoofantasticalordistracting,buttheirminimalusewaseffective.Zeus(playedbyHakeemKae-Kazim,a“controversial”choiceforsome),Aphrodite(whoseemstohavesteppedoutofaBotticellipainting),Hera(completewithanoutfitofpeacockfeathers),Athena,andHermesallparticipate.Artemisevenmakesanappearance,thoughApolloisabsent.IfoundmyselfmissingThetis;shewouldhavebeenawelcomeaddition,butAchillesisnotthefocusofthisretelling.Thegodsarenottheretoemphasizetheseverityofwarandpresentastarkcontrastbetweenthecasuallifeofimmortalsandtragiclivesofhumans,asintheIliad,butaresimplyjustpushtheplotalong.WeneedareasonforParistowhiskHelenawayandZeusdescribesthecontestforthegoldenappleas“justagame”whenheactuallyhasabiggerplaninmind.Thegodsareinstigators;theytreathumansaspawns,thoughnotnearlytotheextentseenintheIliad. Thisisnotaseriesthatpullsitspunchesoravoidscontroversy.Sexualityandgraphiccontentarefairgame,butitisthecastingthathascausedthegreateststir.TheBBC/Netflixhasbeenaccusedof“blackwashing”thecastbychoosingblackactorstodepictZeusandAchilles,amongothercharacters.Meanwhile,intheseriesitself,thecharactersthemselvesseemcolorblind;racismisn’tvisibleonthestreetsofTroy.Sure,theTrojanshadbiggerissuestoworryabout(liketheGreekforcesattheirdoors),buttheseries’silenceonracespeakstomodernhopesforapost-racialsociety.Racesimplywasn’tincludedasapartofthescript,asFarrmadeclearinaninterviewwithVariety:“WearenotclaimingthatAchilleswasactuallyEthiopian...Itissimplyacastingdecision.Whoevercameandinhabitedthespiritofthecharactersbestwedecidedtocast."Whilecolorblindnessisnotwithoutitsownproblems,thosewhoarguethatthecastingwas“un-Homeric”needtotakeaseriousstepback.Afterall,nooneseemstobecomplainingaboutthepalered-headswhoarescatteredthroughoutthecitystreets. Asforsexuality,thereareonlythreeromanticcouplespresent:ParisandHelen,HectorandAndromache,andPatroclusandAchilles.TheformertwoareveryconventionalwithParisandHelen’srelationshipatthecenterofitall.TherelationshipbetweenAchillesandPatroclus,thoughnotdescribedbyHomer,isconsistentwithlaterancientsources.WhatTroy:FallofaCityaddsistheirrelationshipwithBriseis.Thethreesomeonthebeach,whilesexuallyliberatedandnon-traditional(bothintheancientsourcesandmodernconceptsoflove),feelsforcedanddisingenuous.Aftertheirlovescene(orlack-thereof),weimmediatelyreverttoancientpatriarchalviewsofwomenasbelongings:Achillescallsher“mywoman”and“mygirl”andrefusestofightunlesstheycansupplyhimwithacausethatwillbringglory(allveryHomeric).Heisn’tfocusedongettingBriseisback.Briseisdoesnotseemtobeasymbolofsincereloveandaffection,merelyameanstosexualgratification.Furthermore,Achilleshasn’thadmuchscreentimeatthispoint(andwon’t),soitishardtofeelemotionallyattachedtohimandunderstandhismotivations.Perhapsthereisgenuinepassionthere,butwedon’tseeitonthescreen. Figure2:TabulaIliaca:reliefwithillustrationsdrawnfromtheHomericpoemsandtheEpicCycle–herefromtheIlioupersis,theIliad,theLittleIliadandtheÆthiopis.Limestone,Romanartwork,1stcenturyBCE(MuseiCapitolini,Rome.ImageviaWikimediaandisinthePublicDomain. ThisretellingoftheTrojanWarmakesitselffiercelyrelevantintoday’sageofpussyhatsand#MeToothroughitsotherdepictionsofgender.InTroy:FallofaCity,thekingandqueenrulethecityequally.Theirthronesarethesamesize(unlikethoseinSparta)andthisattitudeisawelcomesightforHelen,whoisfrequentlyrepresentedasacagedbird.HeroutfitsusuallyinvolveelaboratefeathersandherpetbirdssquawkfromtheircagesuntiltheyarereleasedatthesametimeasHelen’sabduction.WheninTroyshejustifiesherflightfromSparta:“Ithink.Ifeel.AndIamherebecauseIwanttobe.”Helenisnotapossession.Nevertheless,Troyisnottheegalitarianoasisthatitseems.Toooftenthewomenoftenhaveasolutionorthecorrectresponsetoaneventandthenmendon’tlisten.It’snotjustCassandrawhoisignored,butallthewomen.Bypittingsensiblewomenagainstpridefulmen,theseriesexposestheshallownessofTroy’ssupposedgenderequality--theverythingthatwouldhavesavedthem.PerhapsacautionarytalerippedstraightfromEuripides’stage,theironyisthickastheseriesendswithanutterlyheartbreakingviewofthetruevictimsofwar:thewomen. Itmayseemminor,butIwashappytoseethatNetflixandBBCrightlyrecognizedtheirsourcematerialintheopeningcredits:“InspiredbyHomerandGreekmyths.”Thelastthreewordswereawelcomesightforme.PopculturehascreditedtheentireEpicCycle,fromtheJudgementofParistoOdysseus’slaughterofthesuitors,toHomerforfartoolong(yes,I’mlookingatyou,WolfgangPetersen).Asweknow,Homer’sIliadisjustapartoftheEpicCycle.Furthermore,thereisnostandardized,authoritative,orcodifiedviewofTrojanWarfromancientGreeceandRome.Homer(ifsuchapersonexisted)isjustonepoetamongmanywhogavehis(orher)ownversionofthestory. Plentyofauthorsplayedaroundwiththeworld-famousepic:Aeschylus,Sophocles,andEuripidesinancientGreece,VirgilandOvidinRome(tonamejustafew).Thestorywasalwayschanging...andithasneverstoppedchanging.Chaucer,Marlowe,Shakespeare,Goeth,Yeats,butalsoRobertWise,WolfgangPetersen,andnowFarretal. Homer(again,ifhe/sheexisted)wouldbeproudofthatbecauseitpreservestheessenceoftheoraltradition.Whatthisleavesuswithisnotjustanopportunitytorecreateancientsociety,butalsoachancetoreflectonourownsocietalvalues:whoweareasanaudienceandwhowewanttobe. Sure,thereareplentyofmissedopportunities.IwouldhavelovedtoseeHeraseduceZeusinordertogaincontrolofthebattlefield.TheweighingofHector’sandAchilles’fatescouldhaveaddedaninterestingelementofdrama.Armor,columns,wallpaintings,thrones,diadems,andpotteryallclearlytookinspirationfromarchaeologicalsources,althoughnotalwaystherightones.ThepurposeofthesedifferentobjectsistoshowhowTroyisgeographicallylocatedattheintersectionsofsomeveryinfluentialcultures.Yetthesetdesignersmakemistakes,too.ItwasabitpainfultoseeGreek-influencedpotterythatwasanachronisticandunauthenticindesign.Potteryandlampstylesarefromarangeoftimeperiods(BronzeAgethroughRomanperiod).Thisisn’tthesameaschangingaplottofittimeconstraintsoraddingelementsthattheaudiencemightfindmoreentertainingorrelatable.Itfeltasifthesetdesignersdidn’twanttofullyengageintherichculturalmaterialofGreeceandAsiaMinor,butI’manarchaeologist,soofcourseI’llfinditirksome. Myonlymajorcomplaintisthatthereisasevereshortageofbattlescenes.Ifwe’rebasingaseriesontheTrojanWar,weshouldwitnessthewar.Yetwedon’tseeHomer’sgrandaristeias,noraretheregraphicviewsviscerapouringoutonthegroundasswordscutthroughwarriors’chests(thoughwedogettoseeAchilles’spearprotrudefromthemouthofaTrojan,àlaIdomeneusinBook16).Battlesaresmallerthantheyshouldbeandthecameraoftendeliberatelyavoidstheaction,showingcharactersrunningofftothebattlefieldwhiletheshotremainsfocusedonAchillesorPriam.Sometimesallyouseeistheaftermathofabattle.Toooften,thebattlesareonlybetweenahandfulofwarriors,withtherestofthesceneempty.ThisispainfulwhenyouconsiderthemoneyspentongrandCGIrecreationsofaverylargeancientcity.Large-scalebattlescenesareexpensiveanddifficulttochoreograph,buttheomissionisprettyglaring. Thisisaseries,however,thatrequiresustoputtheseconcernsasideinordertoenjoytheride.Therearestillplentyofmomentstocelebrate(mypersonalfavoritewasadirectquotefromEuripides’IphigeniainAulis).Whileafewmore“Eastereggs”wouldhavebeennice,weneedtorememberthat,justlikeJurassicParkwasn’twrittenforpaleontologists,Troy:FallofaCitywasn’twrittenforpeoplewhowantaline-by-linereproductionoftheIliad.Mymessage,therefore,istogointothisserieswithanopenmindandaneagerspirit.Afterall,thisstoryhadbeenretoldthousandsoftimesoverthecourseofthousandsofyears.What’sonemore? HeaderImage:AchillescedesBriseistoAgamemnon,fromtheHouseoftheTragicPoetinPompeii,fresco,1stcenturyCE(NaplesNationalArchaeologicalMuseum.ImageviaWikimediaandisinthePublicDomain) DebraTrustyisalecturerofClassicsattheUniversityofIowa.HerresearchinterestsincludeBronzeAgeGreekarchaeologyandmaterialculture,Mycenaeanceramics,ceramicstudiesandanalyses,prehistoriccookingwarevessels,earlystatepoliticaleconomies,craftproduction,foodpreparationandconsumption,andancienttechnologies.Debra'sdissertationfocusedontheimportanceofcookingwarevesselsinMycenaeanpoliticaleconomyandwasentitledCeramicAnalysisofCookingWareVesselsanditsImplicationsforEarlyStatePoliticalEconomies.Shereceivedseveralgrantsforherresearch,includingaNationalScienceFoundationDissertationImprovementGrant.Debraco-editedarecentlypublishedvolumewithJulieHruby(Dartmouth)titledCookingVesselstoCulturalPracticesintheLateBronzeAgeAegean.SheisinvolvedinmuseumandfieldworkforthePetsasHouseexcavations,directedbyKimShelton(Berkeley)andhaspastexperiencewiththeSaronicHarborsArchaeologicalResearchProjectdirectedbyDanielPullen(FloridaStateUniversity)andThomasTartaron(UniversityofPennsylvania).ShereceivedherBAfromtheUniversityofEvansvilleandMAandPhDfromFloridaStateUniversity. 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