“...Heroes Don’t Compromise”:
Frank Miller’s Transformation of Herodotus’ Thermopylae

Vincent Tomasso (Stanford University)

“I write heroic fiction, and heroes don't compromise,” Frank Miller, a graphic novel author and illustrator, stated in an interview (Seeton and Burns 2005). This assertion perfectly describes the kinds of protagonists Miller depicts, from the film noir-style heroes of Sin City to the blind crime fighter Matt Murdock in the Daredevil series. Miller also makes use of the battle of Thermopylae as an instantiation of his heroic ideal in 300 (1998), a work of historical fiction based on the account given in Herodotus’ Histories (7.201-233) of the last stand of the Greeks against the Persian forces at the pass of Thermopylae in 480 B.C.E. In the process of transforming the narrative of Thermopylae to match more closely with his notion of heroism, Miller changes Herodotus’ account in significant and provocative ways. In this paper I will explore what these changes are and why Miller has made them by examining how he portrays heroes throughout his work.

One of the main centers of scholarly discussion about Thermopylae has been how Herodotus augmented certain elements of his account to make the battle seem more heroic. The impossibly large number of Persian forces has been cited in this regard (Ferrill 1966) as have the literary motifs Thermopylae shares with other battles in the Histories (Dillery 1996). I will not be covering the same ground as these scholars; instead my focus will be on comparing how the narrative of Thermopylae is constructed and composed in different ways in the Histories and 300. In particular I will closely examine specific points of divergence between the two accounts to explain how and why Miller has transformed Herodotus’ vision of the battle. One such divergence is Miller’s portrayal of Ephialtes, the Greek traitor to Xerxes. Whereas in the Histories three short sentences describe his origins, motives for betrayal, and death (7.213), in 300 he becomes integral to the narrative. Instead of a nondescript Malian guide, he is depicted as a physically deformed Spartan who, after he is rejected by the Spartan king Leonidas, becomes the antithesis to the theme of heroic self-sacrifice. Miller thus alters Herodotus’ Thermopylae to make the narrative emphasize more forcefully the author’s ideal form of heroism.

Miller’s 300 represents a fascinating case of the reception of Classical antiquity. Although thus far reception of the Classics by graphic novels has not been pursued, 300 and similar works provide a unique perspective on the Classical world. In an analogous way cinema studies, although it was not an important component of Classical reception until the last few decades, has become one of the most prominent facets of reception studies. This is demonstrated by publications such as Martin W. Winkler’s 2001 anthology on classical myth and film and his 2004 anthology on the film Gladiator (2000). In the same way Miller’s 300 is a rich source for understanding how the modern world understands and re-interprets Classical models and ideas. My paper will thus contribute to an area of Classical reception studies that has so far been neglected.

Select Bibliography

Dillery, John. 1996. “Reconfiguring the Past: Thyrea, Thermopylae and Narrative Patterns in

Herodotus.” American Journal of Philology 117: 217-54.

Ferrill, Arther. 1966. “Herodotus and the Strategy and Tactics of the Invasion of Xerxes.”

American Historical Review 72: 102-115.

Miller, Frank. 1998. 300. Milwaukie, OR.

Milo, George, ed. 2003. The Comics Journal Library, Volume Two: Frank Miller. Seattle, WA.

Seeton, Reg and Tom Burns. 2005. “Sin City Revisited: An Interview with Frank Miller.”

<http://www.ugo.com/channels/dvd/features/sincity/interview.asp> Accessed on 5-4-06.

Winkler, Martin M., ed. 2001. Classical Myth and Culture in the Cinema. Oxford.

--. 2004. Gladiator: Film and History. Malden, MA.