He also derides brand new Athenians since the ‘boy-lovers’, conveniently forgetting that most regarding his troops could have dropped to your one to exact same classification

Spartan boys were, like other Greek boys, expected to form homosexual matchmaking that have more mature dudes, and you may Xenophon claims that Spartan soldiers took male people, while they disliked the technique of some teams, such as for example Thebes, just who arranged their top-notch military to sets of people. To possess Greeks, guaranteeing sexual matchmaking anywhere between troops created that they perform fight much harder to impress and you may protect their partners.

Leonidas is truly upright; he will get particular smooth support-talk to Gorgo and thinks about their own looks when he contemplates distribution to help you Xerxes (which clearly got his nut for the a long time ago and you may never seemed right back).

Another way your film substantially betrays new Spartan spirit was within the treatments for Dilios (David Wenham), whom will lose a close look assaulting which is repaid so you can Sparta before finally race. He is the only real survivor (off a fight well-known precisely for the insufficient survivors) together with narrator of one’s motion picture. On film’s terms, their dismissal on army permits him in order to Leonidas’ like to help you Gorgo and you may, a year later, to lead a huge army regarding Greeks so you can win along the Persians at the competition regarding Plataea.

But that it ignores the truth that Spartan society believed making a battle otherwise staying in beat an indication of full cowardice and you may moral worthlessness. Brand new poetry from Tyrtaeus off Sparta dwells in more detail into the significance of perishing inside competition, going as far as to explain it “beautiful” (such as for example, at least, is a sure way to translate the new Greek agathos); a guy just who flees competition will suffer societal humiliation and you will poverty and start to become destroyed shortly after demise. Plutarch reports famous stories where Spartan mothers refuse sons whom survive matches where Sparta are defeated; in a lot of times the fresh new mothers wade in terms of so you can eliminate cowardly sons. He states, Spartan moms and dads tell the departing sons to return using their protects (that’s, victorious) otherwise on it (which is, getting proceeded this new shield since the an extender); going back without any shield was a sign that the man tossed aside his secure so he could flee shorter.

Instead of getting considering order to avenge the Spartan dry, Dilios could have been ridiculed, along with his very own mom would have made an effort to kill him. Together with movie is aware of that it; Gorgo informs Leonidas to go back together with his shield otherwise involved. Therefore again, the film helps make a tv series away from saying eastern european brides hot some thing right after which doing something totally different whenever pursuing the rules manage disrupt the fresh story.

However, Zack Snyder most likely realized you to definitely presenting a band regarding manly beefcake warriors groping both throughout the trips throughout the attacking would perhaps not gamble very well on enthusiast-boys and you can teenagers their flick is intended for, so instead he overlooks that and now offers instead generally chaste and you can allegedly heterosexual guys

Indeed, Dilios is a genuine person. His actual term is actually Aristodemus, and he and one guy, Eurytus, suffered eyes issues at the Thermopylae (Herodotus phone calls it a sickness of one’s vision, but maybe he mode an injury). Leonidas bought these to go homeward, however, Eurytus refuted and battled even when blind. Aristodemus, however, obeyed Leonidas; this means that, Herodotus informs us he was labeled a coward, and you will guys would not communicate with him or offer him a good white having their fire. A 3rd Spartan, Pantites, in addition to lasted as he had been sent someplace because an effective messenger and didn’t go back to Thermopylae after a while. The guy hanged himself.