Troy

I get off work each day at 4:30. Today, however, I did not arrive home until after 7 this evening. You know how it goes, world...Putting gas in the car, a quick run into the grocery store, popping in to check on grandparents...by the time all that is accomplished...the evening is shot.

 

As I put away groceries and threw together a sandwhich for dinner, I put the movie Troy into the DVD player. Now, I've seen this movie about fifty thousand times, and can quote back certain scenes on command if asked. Since, we've already established through past posts that I am a hopelessly unrepentant book worm, you can  undertstand perhaps then, my fascination with the classic stories of The Iliad and The Odyssey. In high school I was in AP Literature and relished every chapter, every detail of these tragic stories. I loved the language, and how instead of surnames, men were referred to as the "Son of" someone else, like "Achilles, Son of Peleus". Or known by what their city was well known for, like "Hector, Tamer of Horses".

 *Sigh*. I love it.

This particular version of the story of the Iliad, starring Brad Pitt as Achilles, though not completely true to original, it is by far, my favorite adaptation of the Epic. I believe that it does a beautiful job of portraying the contrasting sides of the man that makes up perhaps the most complex character in all of Greek mythology. We see Achilles as the hardened soldier, with no physical weakness on the battlefield, whose only shortcomings are his character flaws... his pride, and his penchant for pouting when he doesn't get his way (regardless if thousands of his countrymen die as a result of his inaction). Then we see the softer side. The side that takes up for and falls in love with the captive Briseis. The side that loves his cousin so much that he will not allow him to fight in the battle. Ah. What a character that Achilles is.

So, as I was putting my groceries away, and generally thinking of other things, the movie provided only background noise, until my attention was caught by a very moving scene between Achilles and Briseis. His monolouge gave me pause..he says,

" I'll tell you a secret. The gods envy us. They envy us because we're mortal. Because any moment might be our last. Everything's more beautiful because we're doomed. You will never be lovlier than you are now. We will never be here again."

I love it.

Now granted, I don't believe in any of the various Greek deities, so that is not even up for discussion. But think about the other part of what he says. "Any moment might be our last...we will never be here again."How can you argue with that? It's true. Any moment could indeed be our last. Where you are right now...you will never be there again. That makes each present moment, all the more beautiful...or...at least it should.

"You will never be lovlier than you are now...We will never be here again."

Think about it.