Ap World History Extra Credit

Extra Credit

Clash of the Titans (2010)

Summary:

The movie that I watched was Clash of the Titans. Clash of the Titans is set in the Greek city of Argos. The storyline begins as a coffin set asail in the sea is found by a fisherman named Spyros. Within the coffin, a baby (Perseus) and his dead mother is found. As the movie progresses, Perseus is later revealed to be a demigod, specifically and more importantly, the son of Zeus. The main conflict begins when Hades threatens that Argos will be destroyed in 10 days if princess Andromeda is not sacrificed to the kraken. Perseus embarks on a journey that ultimately gives him the strength and power to defeat the kraken. Perseus's journey leads him to many heart racing battles, the Gardens of Stygia, etc. which provides him the strength and weapons to defeat the kraken and Hades. Armed with his trusty sword, medusa's head, and the pegasus, Perseus returns to Argos. Furthermore, Hades true intention for the destruction of Argos was later revealed as to give him enough power to overcome the Olympians. Using medusa's head, Perseus defeats the kraken by turning it into stone. Finally, the movie concludes with Perseus banishing Hades to the underworld and saving Argos. Perseus was offered many times to become a god, however Perseus has continued to decline in order to remain on and protect Earth.

Analysis:

The analysis of Clash of the Titans is going to be based off the cultural aspects that are prevalent in the film. Within the film, many cultural aspects, specifically those of Greek mythology is apparent. Numerous Greek gods were portrayed in the film. These Gods include, but aren't limited to: Zeus, Hades, Poseidon, etc. In Greek Mythology, Zeus is the King of the Olympian Gods with his domain placed in the sky. In contrast, Hades is the King of the Underworld with his domain below. Intermediately, Poseidon is the God of the Sea and his domain lies in the water. Furthermore, many creatures of Greek mythology were portrayed in Clash of the Titans, although they did not necessarily agree with the film. In Clash of the Titans, the medusa was shown as a gorgon who had the ability to turn people into stone. The medusa in the film clearly correlated with the fabled medusa of Greek mythology. In the movie, the pegasus was given by the gods (Zeus) to Perseus to assist him in his mission to stop Hades and the Kraken from destroying Argos. However, in Greek mythology the pegasus was created and owned by Poseidon. Furthermore, Bellerophon was the person who rode the pegasus in Greek mythology. In great contrast with Greek mythology, Clash of the Titans portrayed Perseus as battling and killing the kraken with medusa's head. This aspect of the movie was absolutely appalling to me in comparison to Greek mythology. In Greek mythology, the kraken did not even exist. Rather, Perseus fought and killed the Cetus, a sea serpent. Upon further research, I had found that the Kraken had actually had its roots from Norse mythology. Furthermore, a prominent example of how the film diverged from Greek mythology is once again the kraken. In the film, the kraken was created by Hades in order to destroy the Titans. In comparison, in Greek mythology the Kraken did not even exist and the Olympians led by the three prominent brothers, Zeus, Poseidon, and Hades, were the ones who defeated the Titans. More so, in Greek Mythology, Hades is not evil and is not considered