The film and additionally omits an alternative part of Spartan society, entitled the key character you to homosexuality played in it

The guy along with derides the new Athenians since ‘boy-lovers’, easily neglecting that every out-of their troops might have fallen into the you to same class

Spartan boys was, like many Greek boys, expected to function homosexual dating which have elderly guys, and you will Xenophon says one Spartan soldiers grabbed male lovers, despite the fact that disliked the technique of some groups, for example Thebes, just who planned their elite military doing pairs from couples. Getting Greeks, encouraging sexual relationships anywhere between troops implied that they do strive more difficult in order to appeal and you can include the lovers.

Leonidas is actually straight; the guy will get certain comfortable cushion-chat to Gorgo and you can thinks about their own muscles when he contemplates submission to help you Xerxes (whom demonstrably had his nut toward a long time ago and you will never featured right back).

One other way the film drastically betrays the fresh new Spartan heart try in treatment of Dilios (David Wenham), who loses a watch assaulting which is repaid to help you Sparta until the last battle. They are the only survivor (regarding a fight well-known accurately for christian single women the insufficient survivors) and also the narrator of film. Regarding the film’s conditions, their dismissal regarding the military permits your in order to Leonidas’ love so you can Gorgo and you will, a year later, to lead a large military away from Greeks to help you victory across the Persians in the battle from Plataea.

But this ignores the point that Spartan society sensed leaving a beneficial battle or surviving in defeat an indication of complete cowardice and you may ethical worthlessness. The latest poetry out of Tyrtaeus regarding Sparta dwells thoroughly to the importance of perishing in competition, supposed as much as to describe it “beautiful” (for example, at least, is a sure way in order to convert the brand new Greek agathos); one which flees battle will suffer public embarrassment and you can impoverishment and be shed immediately following death. Plutarch reports popular stories in which Spartan parents reject sons whom endure battles where Sparta is actually beaten; in many cases the parents go as far as to help you kill cowardly sons. He says, Spartan moms and dads give the departing sons to return the help of its protects (that’s, victorious) or on them (that is, getting carried on this new shield as an extender); coming back without having any shield is actually indicative that people put out his protect thus he could flee shorter.

As opposed to becoming considering order to avenge new Spartan deceased, Dilios would have been ridiculed, and his awesome very own mom could have attempted to eliminate your. In addition to film knows about that it; Gorgo says to Leonidas to go back with his protect otherwise inside it. Thus once more, the film can make a tv series from stating something and then doing something completely different when pursuing the regulations would disrupt the newest facts.

However, Zack Snyder probably thought you to definitely featuring a band regarding macho beefcake fighters groping both throughout the vacation trips throughout the attacking perform maybe not enjoy very well for the partner-boys and you may young people their motion picture is actually geared towards, very alternatively the guy overlooks can offers instead generally chaste and you may allegedly heterosexual men

In fact, Dilios are a bona-fide people. His real term was Aristodemus, in which he and one guy, Eurytus, suffered eye dilemmas at Thermopylae (Herodotus calls it a disease of your eyes, but perhaps the guy means a wound). Leonidas purchased these to go back home, however, Eurytus rejected and you can fought even though blind. Aristodemus, however, obeyed Leonidas; because of this, Herodotus tells us he had been branded a coward, and you can dudes would not communicate with him otherwise bring him a beneficial light to have their flame. A 3rd Spartan, Pantites, along with endured while the he had been sent someplace as the good live messenger and you will failed to go back to Thermopylae in the long run. The guy hanged themselves.