Differences Between Troy Movie and Iliad

The differences between the movie “Troy” and the poem “Iliad” and the explanation of why they occurred? The film Troy which is directed by Wolfgang Peterson has been deeply influenced by the epic poem, the Iliad. This work is generally credited to the Ancient Greek poet named Homer. Both the film and the poem have the same ending plots, such as the blockade of Troy by the Greeks, the disagreement between the warrior Achilles and the king Agamemnon and these actions started when the prince of Troy Paris who took the wife king Menelaus of Sparta with him. However there are many main differences related to these plots. These differences include some very major characters dying in the Iliad and surviving in the film troy, the time of the death of characters, and the relationships between the characters. Some of the major differences between the film and the poem are: 1. In the Iliad the war took 10 years in the film Troy it only took 17 days. 2. In the Iliad, Patroclus was not the cousin of Achilles, only a friend. 3. There is no mention of the horse in the Iliad. 4. In the poem, Paris is killed, Hector’s baby is killed, and Hector’s wife is the slave of Greek however in the film Troy they escape safely. 5. Agamemnon was killed by his wife, “Clytemnestra” in the Greece after the war, not by Briseis who kills him in the film. 6. Hector was too scared of Achilles to fight him and he ran away around the walls of troy 3 times. 7. In the movie Agamemnon brought the kings together for this war, which is not true in the Iliad. 8. In the movie, Briseis is a member of Priam's family but in the poem, she was simply a slave girl. 9. The movie tells that Achilles is so arrogant that he does not respect Apollo and the Iliad tells that Achilles respects the gods and goddesses. 10. The movie hasn’t shown any close relationships between the Greeks and Trojans and their gods and goddesses. The Iliad demonstrates the close interactions between the gods and goddesses and their followers.
The reason of these differences in the film Troy and the Iliad are to convenience of the director and for entertainment. If the film remained same as the poem “Iliad” then the movie would have received more limited ratings and decrease the amount of the audience. They would earn less money for the publishing company. Director attempted to make the film more likable by making the film a more feel good by letting Paris, Hector’s wife, Hector’s baby, Helen and Briseis escape with citizens of Troy which created an environment of hopes. The film would have appeal to lower amount of people, if Paris, Hector’s wife and baby had been killed. Many people would have feel frustrated by watching everyone dying that’s why the director did not remain true to the Iliad but in the Iliad there is really no hope left for Troy. There is no other reason for these differences except from money and as all the major and small differences are observed, it becomes very obvious that the film was moulded to a modern day audience with modern day expectations of the film.