The film “Braveheart” is a period film which follows courageous William Wallace in his struggle against the oppressive English King, Edward I. However this film is filled with a plethora of inaccuracies, ranging from costumes to relationships. While William Wallace did in fact lead a rebellion against the English in 1296. He was victorious at the battle of Sterling Bridge. And he was indeed executed after his capture. However that’s about the only thing that Mel Gibson got right when producing this film, the other parts of the film were either distorted facts or completely fabricated. In the film Wallace was portrayed as a poor Scottish yeoman, in reality he was a landing owning commoner with a decent education. In defiance of English rule Wallace and many others did refuse to sign the Ragman Roll which pledged allegiance to King Edward I.
Wallace in conjunction with Andrew Moray created an army of these outlawed men. Moray was not really mentioned in the film at all after his death in sterling bridge. Previous to this rebellion Wallace was involved with a woman; however he was unable to settle down because of his constant hiding and fighting. Wallace was involved in a romantic relationship, but he was unable to settle down due to spending his entire adult life at war or in hiding. At one point he was hiding, the English discovered him and this woman saved his life by stalling to allow Wallace time to escape. She and the rest of the men in hiding were murdered.
When watching “Braveheart” it is possible to confuse William Wallace as the person who first used spears in combat. However it was common knowledge that the spear had been used for years before his existence. Gibson also misrepresented their fighting formations which...
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...rranged his spearmen in four Schiltrons, a defensive battle strategy. The English had a great advantage over the Scots as they had Welsh long bowmen which had much greater accuracy. Eventually the Scottish archers were broken up by the British Calvary. Commanded by the Scottish nobles to withdraw, the Knights withdrew and Edward's men were able to attack the Schiltrons. Gaping holes appeared in the Schiltrons which slowly began to disappear. The loss of Scottish men at the battle was astounding. Wallace was able to escape, however his military reputation suffered badly. That September William Wallace abdicated the title of Guardian of Scotland to Robert the Bruce --- the future King and King John Balliol’s brother in law. Eventually Bruce reconciled with King Edward in 1302; his decision to do so was spurned by Wallace who wanted to continue the fight for freedom.
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Show MoreWilliam the Conqueror and his Patronage William I, better known as William the Conqueror, began his medieval and political career at a young age when his father left him to go on a crusade. Effectively William became the Duke of Normandy. He had to fight against other members of the Norman royalty who desired William's land and treasure. William learned at an early age that the men who ruled Europe during the middle ages were primarily interested in their own greed at the expense of all else, including the concepts chivalry and honor. He soon became a feared military commander, conquering all in Normandy who would oppose his interests.
A common and primary weapon used by warriors of the Anglo-Saxon time period was the spear. Spearheads came in many styles, but were usually leaf or kite shaped and had a socket for attachment to th...
The Anglo-Saxons prior to 1000AD were as a race fierce. They possessed great courage. Beowulf reflects their fierceness and courage in a variety of ways. Beowulf complains to Unferth in the Danish court: “Grendel would never have done such horrors … if you were so fierce as you suppose.” The hero, who had earlier killed nine sea monsters, opted to face Grendel in mortal combat WITHOUT sword or shield or the assistance of others: “but I shall seize my enemy in my hand grip and fight.” Later when the hero’s sword failed against Grendel’s Mother, he remained “resolute” and seized her by the shoulder and fought till victory came. Thus “Beowulf, fierce in war, received the cup from Wealhtheow.” Later, the hero went up against and killed Daghrefin, the Huga champion, without weapons: “Nor was my sword his death, but my hand grasp broke his bone-house, tore out his surging heart.” After fifty years of kingship, when the fire dragon molested his people, Beowulf, the old man, did not lose his fierceness; he was “ready to die … life from body parted … I am brave in mind.” In the final battle brave Wiglaf showed his own fierceness and advanced to help his lord who was englulfed in flames: “With him I will embrace the fire … he doesn’t deserve to suffer alone.”
Morton, Graeme. "The Most Efficacious Patriot: The Heritage of William Wallace in Nineteenth-Century Scotland." Scottish Historical Review 204th ser. 77.2 (1998): 224-28. Print.
This quote by William the Conqueror pretty much describes his whole philosophy: “Life yields only to be conqueror. Never accept what can be gained by giving in.” William the Conqueror is best remembered for the fact that he ruled over England and Normandy for many years and had won several battles against several armies. He also is known for the fact that he won the Battle of Hastings against Harold Godwinson after William’s uncle handed the throne to him. William’s career as a leader actually began at an early age. (Bio.com)
What Stone points out that is very interesting and relevant to western culture is that the Indo-Europeans were always in continual conflict with not only the people of the lands that they invaded but between themselves as well. In Braveheart, the Irish and English were in conflict with each other and the English took over Ireland, both the Irish and English live in filth, in cottages where they raise their family, the men provide for their family and the woman are married off so they can find a man to provide for them, they are barbaric the way they live and the way they are perceived, this film also shows the patriarchal society and the misogyny ways of the Europeans and how they treat their women the king even made a law allowing their men to take and rape the Irish women even if they were married, the women had no say the kings son who was next in line to be on throne was gay and had to marry a woman to reproduce but the woman had no say and was not respected or shown in a powerful light. The main character William Wallace made his childhood love at night because he feared would tried to take her if they found out about the marriage and even still one of the English
And they were taken as prisoners of war but before they left a British officer told Andrew to clean his boots and Andrew proceeded to spit on them, and to this the officer retaliated by swinging his sword at Andrew but he was able to catch the blade with his hand and knocked his head. which served as a living reminder of how he hated the British. But i mean can you blame him for it, after they were taken they were put in a POW camp in which was rampant with disease which Andrew and his Brother ( Robert ) got sick and only Andrew was the only one to recover from the
Bravery is like a very trusted friend, it will never let you down. That statement holds true in the great epic of "Beowulf." "Beowulf" is the story of a great hero who comes to the aid of a troubled king. Beowulf hears that king Hrothgar is having trouble and immediately comes to help with no questions asked. he defeats the monster, Grendel, with his bare hands. Beowulf then defeats Grendel's mother along with a dragon until he is fatally injured. Bravery is a very admirable characteristic that few people possess.
When you hear of historical figures that “conquered” a certain time period, you think of barbarians, spartans, or other gruesome, battle-tested men. While William I, the King of England and Duke of Normandy, was also nicknamed the “Conqueror”, he achieved success reigning over his time period in very different ways than that of Genghis Khan or Alexander the Great. Regardless of his path to success, William I played a huge part in the religious evolution of England. Using his advantageous leadership position, William I was able to be prosperous for many decades. His illustrious career is historical proof that a country does not need to be overtaken by brute force alone. William the Conqueror was a very commendable leader, and he used his knowledge, leadership, and military prowess to conquer multiple countries for almost the entirety of his life.
...ow the audience to visualize the event and becomes more relatable. Listeners are able to emotionally identify with the situation and reflect in order to give other the benefit of the doubt. The speech could be improved with more facts or statistics. Wallace uses rhetorical devices to create his argument, which could be seen as ironic due to his death. He attempted to influence others but struggled with an everyday battle that he could not overcome. His approach to life is understood, but maintaining that approach proves to be difficult. Through the use of dramatization and figurative language, Wallace is able to appeal the audience and leave them with the idea that, “It is about simple awareness—awareness of what is so real and essential, so hidden in plain sight all around us, that we have to keep reminding ourselves, over and over: ‘This is water, this is water’”.
Courage is a theme that is shown throughout the entire epic of Beowulf. By definition courage is the state or quality of mind or spirit that enables one to face danger, fear, or vicissitudes on ones own will and determination. There are many things form the epic that could be used to prove this statement, but I chose to use the section entitled "The Final Battle." In this section there are two great speeches given by both Beowulf and Wiglaf. I believe that in both of these monologues courage is portrayed by the two warriors, and it is easy to see why.
The Scottish were not pleased with Edward’s decision to leave them without a ruler. William Wallace, a Scottish citizen, stepped up to rally the Scottish against the English. The English realized that the Scottish were growing stronger and brought an army to Scotland. INSERT DATEWallace gathered troops and took them to war against the English at the Battle of Stirling bridge. The Scottish won against a larger English army.
The main character Benjamin Martin was mainly based on the real-life militia officer Francis Marion incorrectly. Martin though was not only based on Marion, he held many characteristics of different historical figures such as Thomas Sumter, Daniel Morgan, Elijah Clarks, and Andrew Pickens. The film makers compose Martin of all these different characteristics, in order to form a dramatic narrative by creating a new American Revolution war hero that is inaccurate. (Schermaul, 2005) Martin was shown as a single family man who took care of his seven children and also depicted as a war hero who conquers many Brits. (The Patriot) Although, the actually Francis Marion persecuted Cherokee Indians by murdering them for the enjoyment of it. Marion also raped female slave regularly. (Top 10 Misleading Films 2011, 1)
Within the very beginning of the film, the wonderful portrayal of William by Billy Crudup gives the audience a lasting impression by Burton of the blatant resentment and distain William has towards his father and his mythological stories. Wallace, while more subtle in his method to reveal the underlying anger of William towards Edward, does not make it any less apparent than Burton of the obvious indifference William feels towards his father. In Burton’s ...
In London, Wallace is brought before the English magistrates and tried for high treason. He denies the charges, reasoning that he had never accepted Edward as his King. The court responds by sentencing him to be "purified by pain." Later, in a London square, William Wallace is brutally tortured to death, being alternately hanged, racked, and finally disembowelled alive.