[first title cards]
Title card: 3200 years ago... After decades of warfare, Agamemnon, King of Mycenae, has forced the kingdoms of Greece into a loose alliance. Only Thessaly remains unconquered... Agamemnon's brother, Menelaus, King of Sparta, is weary of battle. He seeks to make peace with Troy, the most powerful rival to the emerging Greek nation... Achilles, considered the greatest warrior ever born, fights for the Greek army. But his disdain for Agamemnon's rule threatens to break the fragile alliance apart.
Title card: 3200 years ago... After decades of warfare, Agamemnon, King of Mycenae, has forced the kingdoms of Greece into a loose alliance. Only Thessaly remains unconquered... Agamemnon's brother, Menelaus, King of Sparta, is weary of battle. He seeks to make peace with Troy, the most powerful rival to the emerging Greek nation... Achilles, considered the greatest warrior ever born, fights for the Greek army. But his disdain for Agamemnon's rule threatens to break the fragile alliance apart.
Odysseus: [voiceover] Men are haunted by the vastness of eternity. And so we ask ourselves: will our actions echo across the centuries? Will strangers hear our names long after we are gone, and wonder who we were, how bravely we fought, how fiercely we loved?
Thetis: If you stay in Larissa, you will find peace. You will find a wonderful woman, and you will have sons and daughters, who will have children. And they'll all love you and remember your name. But when your children are dead, and their children after them, your name will be forgotten... If you go to Troy, glory will be yours. They will write stories about your victories in thousands of years! And the world will remember your name. But if you go to Troy, you will never come back... for your glory walks hand-in-hand with your doom. And I shall never see you again.
Odysseus: We need you. Greece needs you.
Achilles: Greece got along fine before I was born. And Greece will remain Greece long after I am gone.
Achilles: You were brave to fight them. You have courage.
Briseis: To fight back when I'm attacked? A dog has that kind of courage.
Briseis: To fight back when I'm attacked? A dog has that kind of courage.
Achilles: Do it.
[Briseis doesn't do anything, but only stares at him. Achilles opens his eyes]
Achilles: Do it. Nothing is easier.
Briseis: Aren't you afraid?
Achilles: Everyone dies, whether today or fifty years from now.
Briseis: If I don't, you'll kill more men.
Achilles: Many.
[Briseis doesn't do anything, but only stares at him. Achilles opens his eyes]
Achilles: Do it. Nothing is easier.
Briseis: Aren't you afraid?
Achilles: Everyone dies, whether today or fifty years from now.
Briseis: If I don't, you'll kill more men.
Achilles: Many.
Menelaus: May the Gods keep the wolves in the hills and the women in our beds!
Briseis: Am I still your captive?
Achilles: You're my guest.
Briseis: In Troy, guests can leave whenever they want.
Achilles: We should leave.
Briseis: In Troy, guests can leave whenever they want.
Achilles: We should leave.
[Priam kneels and kisses Achilles' hands]
Achilles: Who are you?
Priam: I have endured what no one on earth has endured before. I kissed the hands of the man who killed my son.
Achilles: [realizes, stands abrubtly] Priam? How did you get in here?
Priam: I know my country better than the Greeks, I think.
Achilles: [walks forward, lifts Priam] You are a brave man. I could have your head on a spit in the blink of an eye.
Priam: Do you really think death frightens me now? I watched my eldest son die, watched you drag his body behind your chariot. Give him back to me. He deserves a proper burial, you know that. Give him to me.
Achilles: He killed my cousin.
Priam: He thought it was you. How many cousins have you killed? How many sons and fathers and brothers and husbands? How many, brave Achilles?
Achilles: Who are you?
Priam: I have endured what no one on earth has endured before. I kissed the hands of the man who killed my son.
Achilles: [realizes, stands abrubtly] Priam? How did you get in here?
Priam: I know my country better than the Greeks, I think.
Achilles: [walks forward, lifts Priam] You are a brave man. I could have your head on a spit in the blink of an eye.
Priam: Do you really think death frightens me now? I watched my eldest son die, watched you drag his body behind your chariot. Give him back to me. He deserves a proper burial, you know that. Give him to me.
Achilles: He killed my cousin.
Priam: He thought it was you. How many cousins have you killed? How many sons and fathers and brothers and husbands? How many, brave Achilles?
Hector: You say you're willing to die for love but you know nothing about dying and you know nothing about love!
Hector: I've seen this moment in my dreams. I'll make a pact with you. With the gods as our witnesses, let us pledge that the winner will allow the loser all the proper funeral rituals.
Achilles: There are no pacts between lions and men.
[stabs spear into ground, and takes off helmet, throwing it to the side]
Achilles: Now you know who you're fighting.
Hector: [takes off helmet and throws it aside] I thought it was you I was fighting yesterday. And I wish it had been, but I gave the dead boy the honor he deserved.
Achilles: You gave him the honor of your sword. You won't have eyes tonight; you won't have ears or a tongue. You will wander the underworld blind, deaf, and dumb, and all the dead will know: This is Hector. The fool who thought he killed Achilles.
Achilles: There are no pacts between lions and men.
[stabs spear into ground, and takes off helmet, throwing it to the side]
Achilles: Now you know who you're fighting.
Hector: [takes off helmet and throws it aside] I thought it was you I was fighting yesterday. And I wish it had been, but I gave the dead boy the honor he deserved.
Achilles: You gave him the honor of your sword. You won't have eyes tonight; you won't have ears or a tongue. You will wander the underworld blind, deaf, and dumb, and all the dead will know: This is Hector. The fool who thought he killed Achilles.
Achilles: You're still my enemy in the morning.
Priam: You're still my enemy tonight. But even enemies can show respect.
Priam: You're still my enemy tonight. But even enemies can show respect.
Paris: Pearls from the sea of Propontus.
Helen: They're beautiful, but I could never wear them, Menelaus would kill us both.
Paris: Don't be afraid of him.
Helen: I'm not afraid of dying, I'm afraid of tomorrow. I'm afraid of watching you sail away and knowing you'll never come back. Before you came to Sparta, I was a ghost. I walked and I ate and I swam in the sea... I was just a ghost.
Paris: You don't have to fear tomorrow... come with me!
Helen: Don't play with me, don't play.
Paris: If you come, we'll never be safe. Men will hunt us, the gods will curse us, but I'll love you. Until the day they burn my body, I'll love you.
Helen: They're beautiful, but I could never wear them, Menelaus would kill us both.
Paris: Don't be afraid of him.
Helen: I'm not afraid of dying, I'm afraid of tomorrow. I'm afraid of watching you sail away and knowing you'll never come back. Before you came to Sparta, I was a ghost. I walked and I ate and I swam in the sea... I was just a ghost.
Paris: You don't have to fear tomorrow... come with me!
Helen: Don't play with me, don't play.
Paris: If you come, we'll never be safe. Men will hunt us, the gods will curse us, but I'll love you. Until the day they burn my body, I'll love you.
Achilles: Go home, prince. Drink some wine, make love to your wife. Tomorrow, we'll have our war.
Hector: You speak of war as if it's a game. But how many wives wait at Troy's gates for husbands they'll never see again?
Achilles: Perhaps your brother can comfort them. I hear he's good at charming other men's wives.
Hector: You speak of war as if it's a game. But how many wives wait at Troy's gates for husbands they'll never see again?
Achilles: Perhaps your brother can comfort them. I hear he's good at charming other men's wives.
Helen: You should not have come here tonight.
Paris: That's what you said last night?
Helen: Last night was a mistake.
Paris: And the night before?
Helen: I have made many mistakes this week.
Paris: That's what you said last night?
Helen: Last night was a mistake.
Paris: And the night before?
Helen: I have made many mistakes this week.
Achilles: You gave me peace in a lifetime of war.
Briseis: You lost your cousin, and now you have taken mine. Where does it end?
Achilles: It never ends.
Achilles: It never ends.
Priam: I loved my boy from the moment he opened his eyes until the moment you closed them.
Messenger Boy: Are the stories true? They say your mother was an immortal godess. They say you can't be killed.
Achilles: I wouldn't be bothering with the shield then, would I?
Messenger Boy: The Thesselonian you're fighting... he's the biggest man i've ever seen. I wouldn't want to fight him.
Achilles: Thats why no-one will remember your name.
Achilles: I wouldn't be bothering with the shield then, would I?
Messenger Boy: The Thesselonian you're fighting... he's the biggest man i've ever seen. I wouldn't want to fight him.
Achilles: Thats why no-one will remember your name.
Achilles: Never hesitate.
Briseis: Why did you choose this life?
Achilles: What life?
Briseis: To be a great warrior.
Achilles: I chose nothing. I was born and this is what I am.
Achilles: What life?
Briseis: To be a great warrior.
Achilles: I chose nothing. I was born and this is what I am.
Odysseus: It's no insult to say a dead man is dead.
Andromache: [to Hector] I can't imagine life without you.
Achilles: I'll tell you a secret. Something they don't teach you in your temple. The Gods envy us. They envy us because we're mortal, because any moment might be our last. Everything is more beautiful because we're doomed. You will never be lovelier than you are now. We will never be here again.
Achilles: We men are wretched things.
Odysseus: [voiceover] If they ever tell my story let them say that I walked with giants. Men rise and fall like the winter wheat, but these names will never die. Let them say I lived in the time of Hector, tamer of horses. Let them say I lived in the time of Achilles.
Helen: Menelaus was a brave man. He fought for honor. And every day I was with him, I wanted to walk into the sea and drown.
Helen: [to Hector] All those widows. I still hear them screaming. Their husbands died because I'm here.
[from director's cut]
Helen: You're very young, my love.
Paris: We're the same age.
Helen: You're younger than I ever was.
Helen: You're very young, my love.
Paris: We're the same age.
Helen: You're younger than I ever was.
[from director's cut]
Priam: When you were very young, you came down with scarlet fever. Your little hand was so hot. The healer said you would not last the night. I went down to Apollo's temple, and I prayed until the sun came up. That walk back to the palace was the longest of my life. When I went into your mother's room, and you were sleeping in her arms, your fever had broken. I promised that day to dedicate my life to the gods, I will not break my promise. For 30 years I have worked for peace, *thirty* years. Paris is a fool sometimes, I know that, but I will fight a thousand wars before letting him die.
Hector: Forgive me father, but you won't be the one fighting.
Priam: When you were very young, you came down with scarlet fever. Your little hand was so hot. The healer said you would not last the night. I went down to Apollo's temple, and I prayed until the sun came up. That walk back to the palace was the longest of my life. When I went into your mother's room, and you were sleeping in her arms, your fever had broken. I promised that day to dedicate my life to the gods, I will not break my promise. For 30 years I have worked for peace, *thirty* years. Paris is a fool sometimes, I know that, but I will fight a thousand wars before letting him die.
Hector: Forgive me father, but you won't be the one fighting.
Achilles: What's your name?
[no reply]
Achilles: Did you not hear me?
Briseis: You killed Apollo's priests!
Achilles: I've killed men in five countries, never a priest.
Briseis: Well, then your men did. The sun god will have his vengeance.
Achilles: What's he waiting for?
Briseis: The right time to strike.
Achilles: His priests are dead, and his acolyte's a captive. i think your god is afraid of me.
Briseis: Afraid? Apollo is master of the sun, he fears nothing.
Achilles: Where is he?
Briseis: You're nothing but a killer! You wouldn't know anything about the gods!
Achilles: I know more about the gods than your priests. I've seen them. You're royalty, aren't you? Spent years talking down to men.
[sniffs her hair]
Achilles: You must be royalty. What's your name? Even the servants of Apollo have names.
Briseis: Briseis.
Achilles: Are you afraid, Briseis?
Briseis: Should I be?
Eudorus: [poking head through door flaps] My lord, Agamemnon requests your presence. The kings are gathering to celebrate the victory.
Achilles: You fought well today.
Eudorus: My lord.
Briseis: What do you want here in Troy? You didn't come for the Spartan queen.
Achilles: I want what all men want, I just want it more. You don't need to fear me, girl. You're the only Trojan who can say that.
[no reply]
Achilles: Did you not hear me?
Briseis: You killed Apollo's priests!
Achilles: I've killed men in five countries, never a priest.
Briseis: Well, then your men did. The sun god will have his vengeance.
Achilles: What's he waiting for?
Briseis: The right time to strike.
Achilles: His priests are dead, and his acolyte's a captive. i think your god is afraid of me.
Briseis: Afraid? Apollo is master of the sun, he fears nothing.
Achilles: Where is he?
Briseis: You're nothing but a killer! You wouldn't know anything about the gods!
Achilles: I know more about the gods than your priests. I've seen them. You're royalty, aren't you? Spent years talking down to men.
[sniffs her hair]
Achilles: You must be royalty. What's your name? Even the servants of Apollo have names.
Briseis: Briseis.
Achilles: Are you afraid, Briseis?
Briseis: Should I be?
Eudorus: [poking head through door flaps] My lord, Agamemnon requests your presence. The kings are gathering to celebrate the victory.
Achilles: You fought well today.
Eudorus: My lord.
Briseis: What do you want here in Troy? You didn't come for the Spartan queen.
Achilles: I want what all men want, I just want it more. You don't need to fear me, girl. You're the only Trojan who can say that.
Achilles: Apparently you won some great victory.
Agamemnon: Ah, Perhaps you didn't notice. The Trojan beach belonged to Priam in the morning. It belongs to Agamemnon in the afternoon.
Achilles: You can have the beach. I didn't come here for sand.
Agamemnon: No. You came here because you want your name to last through the ages. A great victory was won today, but that victory is not yours. Kings did not kneel to Achilles. Kings did not pay homage to Achilles.
Achilles: Perhaps the kings were too far behind to see, the soldiers won the battle.
Agamemnon: History remembers kings! Not soldiers! Tomorrow we'll batter down the gates of Troy! I'll build monuments to victory on every island of Greece. I'll carve "Agamemnon" in the stone.
Achilles: Be careful, king of kings. First you need the victory.
Agamemnon: Your men sacked the temple of Apollo, yes?
Achilles: You want gold? Take it. It's my gift to honour your courage. Take what you wish.
Agamemnon: I already have. Aphareus! Haemon!
[Aphareus and Haemon appear dragging Briseis]
Agamemnon: The spoils of war.
Achilles: No argument with you, brothers. But if you don't release her, you'll never see home again. Decide!
Agamemnon: Guards!
[Achilles draws his sword]
Briseis: [breaking free from guards] Stop! Too many men have died today. If killing is your only talent, that's your curse. I don't want anyone dying for me.
[Achilles groans, then sheathes his sword]
Agamemnon: Mighty Achilles, silenced by a slave girl. Tonight I'll have her give me a bath, and then, who knows?
Achilles: You sack of wine! Before my time is done, I will look down on your corpse and smile.
Agamemnon: Ah, Perhaps you didn't notice. The Trojan beach belonged to Priam in the morning. It belongs to Agamemnon in the afternoon.
Achilles: You can have the beach. I didn't come here for sand.
Agamemnon: No. You came here because you want your name to last through the ages. A great victory was won today, but that victory is not yours. Kings did not kneel to Achilles. Kings did not pay homage to Achilles.
Achilles: Perhaps the kings were too far behind to see, the soldiers won the battle.
Agamemnon: History remembers kings! Not soldiers! Tomorrow we'll batter down the gates of Troy! I'll build monuments to victory on every island of Greece. I'll carve "Agamemnon" in the stone.
Achilles: Be careful, king of kings. First you need the victory.
Agamemnon: Your men sacked the temple of Apollo, yes?
Achilles: You want gold? Take it. It's my gift to honour your courage. Take what you wish.
Agamemnon: I already have. Aphareus! Haemon!
[Aphareus and Haemon appear dragging Briseis]
Agamemnon: The spoils of war.
Achilles: No argument with you, brothers. But if you don't release her, you'll never see home again. Decide!
Agamemnon: Guards!
[Achilles draws his sword]
Briseis: [breaking free from guards] Stop! Too many men have died today. If killing is your only talent, that's your curse. I don't want anyone dying for me.
[Achilles groans, then sheathes his sword]
Agamemnon: Mighty Achilles, silenced by a slave girl. Tonight I'll have her give me a bath, and then, who knows?
Achilles: You sack of wine! Before my time is done, I will look down on your corpse and smile.
Achilles: Of all the kings of Greece, I respect you most. But in this war you're a servant. And I refuse to be a servant any longer.
Odysseus: Sometimes you need to serve in order to lead. I hope you understand that one day.
Odysseus: Sometimes you need to serve in order to lead. I hope you understand that one day.
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