Quote:
Originally Posted by DuFresne
He says that the argument is based mostly on how the movie tends to focus on the glory and honor of being in war and staying there til the very end.
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That is quite true, however the battle of battle of Thermopylae has long been a cited as a symbol of courage against overwhelming odds - for well over a thousand years - though the battle was not fought by only 300 Spartans it was an army of about 5000 led by a the Spartan King Leonidas.
I could see your friends argument holding more water if the stand was successful, but it wasn't. Leonidas was killed and Athens was eventually sacked. Furthermore, the entire purpose of the battle was to slow the advance of the Persians, allowing for the evacuation of Athens and the raising of the naval fleet. Victory was not really a consideration. The Thebian ranks of the Spartan led army actually defected during the battle, by the way. The Persians were eventually defeated with another mostly Greek army led by the Spartan regent but only after an all Greek army defeat the Persian in a naval battle, effectively ending the war.
If you are following the exact canon of the film, however, the message is this: Standing your ground, while glorious, is ineffective, dumb and results in complete and total defeat. It is only after getting help from your friends and changing tactics that victory is assured.
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