Paris is hated because he deserves hatred.
If you go only by the myth then Paris did not earn the love of Helen; it was given to him as a bribe - he gave Aphrodite a golden apple and she let him take the fairest women in the world, never mind the fact that she was already married. The myth does not suggest that they had a love that blossomed, but merely that she was nothing but a prize for him to win.
If you go by the movie he came to the House of a Host as a Guest and took the wife of of his Host. In Greek culture there was a sacred (as in, literally sacred) duty of courtesy between Host/Guest that Paris violated and disrespected. That should deserve hatred, for he has no honor to disrespect his Host like that. Now, consider his father Priam in the movie who said to Achilles that though they may be enemies, they could still respect each other. Priam showed respect even to those who didn't deserve it, even his enemies, but Paris didn't show respect to his enemy or his Host; that's annoying to most modern audiences to say the least, but it's even worse in a historical context.
Meantime, all of Paris's actions were predicated by "love" - but the movie has no indication of real or any love between Helen and Paris, instead, it felt like he was merely inspired by lust for a woman he couldn't have.
To counter that opening act of lust, the movie goes to lengths to suggest that Paris had real "love" for Helen with speeches made by various other characters (though, surprisingly, little from Paris or Helen themselves). Meantime, there is almost no love or romantic chemistry shown between them on screen. Paris and Helen almost never have a conversation that seems fleshed out beyond a few sentences; there is no real warmth or depth between them - this bothers most audience members, because their actions and attitudes between each other seems more wooden then the horse, and that erodes most of the sympathy of the audience.
To further cause issue with Paris is the fact that he is both cowardly and dishonest; most people despise cowards and liars.
Paris continued to claim he would die because of his love for Helen, yet when given the chance, he literally fell on his knees to grip the legs of his brother in terror. If he would die for his love, he had the chance and refused it. Whatever his reasons, his decision was based on fear - and the fact that he broke his oath made him a coward and an oathbreaker - two things that were looked on with more scorn in that time than today, though it is true that today most people still dislike those things.
As the movie continues Paris continues to make wild claims and declarations in the movie - he'll fight for Helen, he'll fight for Troy, he'll run off from the palace with her and live in the wild - and a dozen other promises that the movie makes clear he shows he has no intention of honoring. To most people that simply makes him look like a child making up stories to manipulate people.
In the myth Apollo guided Paris's arrow to strike Achilles, but in the movie he does this with his bow on his own - either way; the greatest warrior in the world was slaughtered by a liar, a coward, a thief, an oathbreaker, and a man who let others fight for him.
As much as Achilles was close to a villain in this movie, the fact is - most people were annoyed that so great a warrior should die so shamefully to a coward and oathbreaker (even though that's how the story was written). Many would say that they would prefer Achilles to die to Priam, or even Aenus (the boy who claimed the sword of Troy and was said to have taken the remaining Trojans and founded Rome). Point is - most people don't like to see anyone die badly - watching Paris do the killing was insult to injury - Paris was a terrible warrior and he did not deserve the honor of slaying the greatest warrior in the world.
Now, the last point to make is more simple - while it is true that I have hated Paris since I was six years old and my father read me The Illiad and - even then - I was mad that he would steal another man's wife (even if the other man was bad, she didn't leave him, he stole her) - and I hate him more in this movie when all his contemptible actions are made more clear on the screen, that doesn't stop me from hating most of the Greeks, too.
The only people I found any sympathy for were Hector (and his wife and children); Priam and Odysseus (the priestess of Apollo who slept with Achilles didn't do much for me; she wasn't much different than the others to me, really).
I had no love for Achilles, who was only there to satisfy his pride; I had no love for Agamemnon and was happy to see him die. As for Menelaus? The movie SAID he was bad, but honestly - how much evidence of his evil did we see in the movie? In any case, I didn't care too much when he died, but I didn't dislike him much either - but, to be fair, how can we feel anything for a person that has almost no development at all?
As for Helen? She was fairly useless to me - she left her husband, but before she escaped him, she spent several days sleeping with a handsome prince who was visiting and promised her a kingdom if she left with him. I wonder if it was love, or the fact that a younger, more attractive nobleman tempted her rather than love; but either way, I don't care - she was not someone I cared for, either.
To be honest almost all of the characters meant little to me.
However, the exception to that is Hector, Priam and Odysseus. I felt bad for them because it was clear that they were all embroiled in a war that was not what they wanted and were only trying to make the best of a stupid situation. I felt sympathy for them, and was sorry they had to get mixed up in this whole affair no matter what their Fate ended up being.
But that doesn't stop me from hating Paris.
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ronfirv
8 years ago
Way too long for this board!
Have you not heard the phrase, "less is more"?
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