Frank Miller’s 300 is both a graphic novel and a film adaptation by Zach Snyder. Both serve as a story telling of the famed battle of the pass at Thermopylae previously told by Herodotus. It tells of the Spartan King Leonidas bravely leading 300 Spartan warriors against the very large Persian army. Frank Miller details the story of the strong but grossly outnumbered Spartans, the story’s obvious underdog. The Persian army according to history was in the recent business of acquiring land by force or submission. Forcing kings and civilizations to bend at the knee to their God/King Xerxes or to lay their land to waste and be slaughtered. The Persian Army at the time had the agenda of acquiring all of Greece as a part of their territory. The Spartans
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The Spartan Government did truly view their women as equals. Spartan women, like Queen Gorgo, had a reputation for being very bold, opinionated, and confident. Many compare the boldness, qualities, and freedom of Spartan women to that of a modern American woman. “Only the hard and strong may call themselves Spartans” (Miller & Varley). King Leonidas recognizes the strength of his women. The women of Sparta were indeed Spartans. They were respected and celebrated as members of the Spartan society. Aristotle criticized this view stating that the fall of a country would be at the hands of a woman. Many other Greco-Roman societies did not view women as Sparta did, this set Sparta apart from other Greek and Roman city-states. They had an advanced way of thinking that made them a superior society in this prospect. However, women did not have the right to vote in Sparta but they had a big influence behind the scenes. In order for a woman of Sparta to be considered a true Spartan and granted citizenship, they had to pass a physical test at the age of 18. After acquiring citizenship, a Spartan woman was then allowed to marry and bear children. Spartan woman compared to other Greek societies had babies later in life, which allowed them to be emotionally and physically as healthy as possible in order to bear healthy and strong Spartan
The Spartan Government did truly view their women as equals. Spartan women, like Queen Gorgo, had a reputation for being very bold, opinionated, and confident. Many compare the boldness, qualities, and freedom of Spartan women to that of a modern American woman. “Only the hard and strong may call themselves Spartans” (Miller & Varley). King Leonidas recognizes the strength of his women. The women of Sparta were indeed Spartans. They were respected and celebrated as members of the Spartan society. Aristotle criticized this view stating that the fall of a country would be at the hands of a woman. Many other Greco-Roman societies did not view women as Sparta did, this set Sparta apart from other Greek and Roman city-states. They had an advanced way of thinking that made them a superior society in this prospect. However, women did not have the right to vote in Sparta but they had a big influence behind the scenes. In order for a woman of Sparta to be considered a true Spartan and granted citizenship, they had to pass a physical test at the age of 18. After acquiring citizenship, a Spartan woman was then allowed to marry and bear children. Spartan woman compared to other Greek societies had babies later in life, which allowed them to be emotionally and physically as healthy as possible in order to bear healthy and strong Spartan