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“Chapter Two: Duty” fi nds Leonidas thinking back upon his visit to the Ephors, the
priests to the “Old Gods.” From these seers he seeks wisdom and guidance. Upon his
return, Leonidas consults the Spartan council and is warned against going to war with
Persia. In the end, he defi es the council and travels to the Hot Gates (Th ermopylae)
only to see the Persian fl eet’s boats wrecked upon the seaside rocks. Leonidas’s army
is jubilant but he is not, thinking to himself, “Th e fools. Th e dear young fools. Th ey
actually think we have a chance.” In this statement is more than a precursor; it is com-
mentary on the experience of a trained soldier who sees the reality of the real battle still
to come. King Leonidas is more than just a leader; in this statement he becomes a seer
of sorts, seeing the only true path of what will happen.
Any epic tale needs a diversion. Shakespeare’s Hamlet had Rosencrantz and Guil-
denstern. Miller’s 300 has Ephialtes, a deformed Spartan whose only desire is to
become a Spartan soldier. Interspersed among “Chapter Th ree: Glory,” Miller gives
readers a glimpse at Ephialtes’s own quest to become a warrior. His resolve, travels,
and kills are tame next to the graphic portrayal of Xerxes’s scourge of Spartan
scouts.
Ephialtes fi nally arrives at Leonidas’s camp and begs him to join the battle, only to
be turned down because he is unable to raise his shield high enough to engage in pha-
lanx, a military move that allows Spartans to form a single rectangular unit in order
to fi ght and protect one another with weaponry. Denied, Ephialtes fl ings himself over
the nearby cliff to his death; however, readers learn (later in the chapter) that he sur-
vived his fall. Feeling betrayed by the Gods, he forsakes the Spartan life and seeks out
Xerxes.
“Chapter Four: Combat” covers the fi rst day of the fi nal battle. Th rough graphically
detailed imagery, readers see the warrior Spartans holding off the Persian army. During
a break in the battle, Leonidas goes to meet his enemy. In this meeting, Xerxes off ers
Leonidas the chance to surrender in exchange for wealth and power. Sarcasm abounds
as Leonidas refuses, saying, “But this kneeling business—I’m afraid killing all those
slaves of yours has left me with a nasty cramp in my leg. I think I’ll walk it off ,” which he
does, leaving Xerxes camp.
A panel from Frank Miller’s graphic novel 300 , next to the corresponding scene from the 2007
film by the same name, directed by Zack Snyder. Warner Bros./Photofest
