Why 300 Succeeded

Even though I just wrote a note recently, I'm afraid that, in a conversation with another of my friends today, I decided to write another note about another topic that I'm extremely passionate about.

The topic is intimately related to 300. Why was this movie such a success? (This is more than just a movie review, I'm just using it as a jumping-off point)

Well, for those who didn't see it (and it was rather graphic), here's the basic plot and important themes:

1. Xerxes, with the Persian horde of "1 million men" is advancing into Greece to conquer it. Leonidas, the King of Sparta, refuses to bow and allow Xerxes to conquer either himself or his people. He kills the messenger and all of the guards in a "burn the ships" gesture of complete defiance. When he consults with some of the rulers, they basically tell him to accept that Xerxes is going to conquer and he shouldn't get in the way. Leonidas' wife, however, tells him that, as a free man, he must do all he can to protect what he loves, the city, the people and his wife. So, he goes with his bodyguard of 300, which the city's rulers can't stop, and halts Xerxes' Army at Thermopylae for a short time. Eventually they are wiped out, but the Spartans rally around Gorgo, Leonidas' wife, and send the army, which eventually wipes out Xerxes and pushes him back for all time.

2. First, Leonidas is what most would consider a good man and yet he's also fierce. No one who has seen the movie would be able to disagree with me. One of the humorous moments is when they're killing the wounded Persians (law of war is a different discussion) and the king is informed the Persians King wants to talk to him. "I'll go," he basically says, "no reason we can't be civil." As he says this, his 2nd-in-command kills another Persian. The dark humorous contrast is marked. But, about Leonidas' character, he is kind and good, but also passionate in his defense of everything he values. A lot of guys get confused about what it means to be a man. Quite bluntly, it's not being sexual, making lots of money or even getting married. These are things a man does but it is not the defining characteristic of a man. Also notice that he's strong enough that he never needs to tell his wife to be quiet or anything like that. This strong, fierce warrior is also gentle and supportive of his wife's needs. (There's a scene after he's been to see the Oracle [where a virtually nude female dances before receiving her message] and when we see the couple again, he is out of bed looking out over the city. His wife is asking him to come to bed and inquiring, in a polite way, if he's not paying attention to her because of another woman. He tells her very passionately and truly that it will "take more than the gyrations of a pubescent girl to stop me from loving you" [paraphrased].)

3. What about Gorgo's traits? She is a truly strong woman, kind and supportive of her husband but a wild lioness when fighting for something she believes in. Why do I say she's strong? As already covered in section 1, she tells her husband, who she loves dearly, to pursue his heart's goal, defending Sparta. I would say that she does this knowing that, at the very least, he'll be in danger. At worst, that he's never coming back. What kind of emotional fortitude is necessary for something of that magnitude? Because of feminism, a lot of women get 'domineering' or 'masculine' confused with strong femininity. Gorgo never left the city, she never threw a spear or swung a sword. And yet she had her own strength, she didn't need to compete with her husband to see who could make the most money or who'd be in charge.

Well now, moving from 300, which is all well and good but only a movie, what is there to learn from this?

Well, the man is strong, he is passionate and he believes in something so strongly that he'd rather die than see it defiled. He also uses his strength to build up his wife and, when he's introduced, he's playing with their son to teach him how to become a man himself. (read "Good with children" ^.^) The woman is also strong, passionate and also willing to die for what she believes in. She builds up and supports her husband, is passionate with him and for him. She has the maturity to both show reserve and passion.

What critical aspect is essential in this relationship? Well, as seems to be a motif with most things I write, trust must be said to be the most essential. Leonidas trust his wife and looks to her before burning the bridge of attacking the emissary at the opening of the movie and Gorgo trusts that Leonidas tells the truth and truly loves her. These are large leaps for most people (I don't know how many wives would feel alright if their husbands watched a teenage girl dance naked for them. I doubt it's many), but they make them so effortlessly it's hard to notice.

He trusts her. He's able to be himself, follow his dreams and be open with his fears without the concern of her calling him stupid, weak or belittling his masculinity. Likewise, she trusts him to make mature decisions, stay true to love only her (he dies with her name on his lips) and to protect her, her children, and all she holds dear, with his life.

By this point, you're probably seeing why 300 was such a popular movie...at least one of the reasons. The cinematography was amazing and there were the ever-present elements of violence and sex that makes a typically "guy" movie. (At least the only really positive sex-scene was between the couple, Leonidas and Gorgo.) My proposition, however, is that there's a reason, perhaps sub-consciously, why guys (and girls) wanted to see that movie so much. It's because the relationship the king and queen share is what they desire for themselves. As one of my female friends said recently, smiling shyly, "Everyone loves a hero." And, who among you, guys, wouldn't want a woman like the queen?

Now...that's awesome...we can probably agree that that'd be nice. But, tell me, all you modern men and women: what do you do to encourage that in your partner? Men, do you honestly love only your girlfriends and flirt only with them. Do you tell them lies so that you can go do what you want to do? Do you try to control them by either getting angry or feigning that you don't care? Do you share stuff that you're actually going through with them? Do you make time for them? Women, do encourage your man's desire to protect and shelter you? Do you talk fondly of his strength (be it mental, physical, etc...) to others or thank him for it when you're with him? Do you listen without scorn when he shares weakness or pain with you? Do you let him have the freedom to do what he believes he must?

It's one thing to want something, it's quite another to actually do something about it.

There are a few questions that I imagine might arise from all this. If you have others, feel free to post them. I'll answer as soon as I can. I'm smart, but not psychic, I'm afraid, I can't guess all the questions. :)

Aren't you saying "submit!" in another way? I'm tired of men dominating women.
-Quite frankly, no I'm not. Marital relationship is to be like any other, a mutual submission. It's not the man saying "I'm the man, do what I say!" and then doing whatever the **** he feels like doing. Show me in the example I just gave where that was the case and I will concede this point. It leads me to question, though, how much of our relationships are seen through the screen of our failed dating attempts. How many times have we seen the immature person (be they man or woman) try to dominate the other person to make themselves feel safe. "They can't leave, I'm in charge," is essentially the message they send. This destroys the self-respect of any man or woman that's attempting to live under that, the same as slavery destroys the self-respect of any people enslaved. Without their self-respect, you get men behaving like boys and women behaving like girls. The dominating person has to be even more dominating to control them, and so the cycle continues.
Am I telling the woman to submit? No. I'm saying that both of them should be so joyful in submitting and building the other person up that they can't get enough.

My boyfriend's not like that. How can I make him like that?
-Well, the first thing to understand is that a woman can support a man, but she cannot make him, in my opinion. It is other men bringing him alongside and being masculine together (what some girls consider those bothersome "man nights") that first makes him a man. If he doesn't have the self-confidence in himself to stand up for what he believes because he's strong in his own eyes, there's nothing you can do to change that, really...and being shown how to be a man by a woman is just as mixed up as a woman getting shown how by a man. She needs other women to show her how to be strong in her own special skills. (If you want a fun image, picture two training gyms. One for men, one for women. Each allow only that gender to come in and train. It's something like that.)

Well, what do you think a man should be like?
-A man and a woman shouldn't be different on the scale of strength, in my opinion. They are equal before God. But, being equal is not the same as being synonymous. (For example 3+4 and 9-2 are equal, but they are not synonymous.) Both men and women should possess an inner determination to die rather than see injustice done. It's only by living for more than this life that this life becomes worth living. (It's for this reason that the man and wife need to share that, or they'd always be at odds with each other like Mr. and Mrs. Smith.) In a title, a man should be a "Tender Warrior", with a caged beast in his heart and velvet arms, to defend the ones that he holds dear. A man shouldn't do something he's not ready to do, either. I believe he shouldn't get engaged until he's ready to support a family. (Even if the wife works...what's wrong with having extra spending $$ for date-nights? :-P) He also needs to be vulnerable and truthful with his wife in particular and set a good example for his children. The wife relies on him to support her and make her feel loved and treasured. His sons depend on him to set the good example of disciplined strength. His daughters depend on him to give them love and safety until they find a man that can match him for their own.

In conclusion, I think the modern interpretation of feminism is intrinsically flawed for simply this reason- Men and women are different. Trying to make women into men simply inverts the already existing relationship and makes no one happy. What we need in this generation are real men and women who are not fearful and are strong in their own right enough to let their partner be strong with them. In this, they need to trust each other. And, when they fail, they must have grace on the other's failings. It's hard, some would say impossible. However, only the hard things, when done right, are truly satisfying.