The 300 Spartans Page #3

- Yes.

- A wooden wall?

A splendid one. I know how splendid

because I've supervised its building.

Our new Athenian ships, manned

by the bravest sailors in the world.

There is our wooden wall.

The wall far-seeing Jove

declares shall keep us safe.

The gods don't lie.

Shall we not heed their words,

rather than listen to fools,

thieves, and blasphemous cowards?

- This is an insult!

- Following divine advice,

Athens shall fight to her victory.

A victory she invites all Greece to join.

Speak, friend.

I represent Phocis.

We are a small state.

We can field but 1,000 soldiers.

Who will help us if we fight?

Will Sparta come to our defense?

(men) Sparta! Sparta!

The delegate from Phocis

asks the vital question.

Athens has ships,

but Sparta has the finest army in Greece.

Sir, is it not fitting that we now

hear from the representative of Sparta?

King Leonidas of Sparta.

A Spartan king cannot act

without the authority of his people.

But I know my people.

And I know they will fight.

Will they lead all others?

Sparta will fight

whether others will follow or not.

- Sir.

- Yes?

You will hear words never before uttered

in the history of our country.

Athens,

to prove her trust in Spartan valor,

does hereby resign her claim

to naval leadership,

and places her ships

under Spartan command.

From this day onward, every Athenian ship

will sail under Spartan orders.

We've done it! We've done it, King Leonidas.

It's going our way. Of course,

we must expect them to argue for a while.

Yes, argue while our house burns.

When people are free to speak their minds,

they generally are more easily handled.

That fool nearly caught me

with that prediction.

I wouldn't care to go through

an ordeal like that again.

Of course, it was throwing in the navy

won the day for us.

Why did you do it?

The Spartans are no sailors.

Thereby your admiral won't know

how to interfere with my running the fleet.

You don't mind, do you?

No. Sparta will do her duty.

She'd better do it fast.

The Persians are moving

like a plague of locusts.

If we attack them here, on the plain

of Thessaly, or their ships on the open sea,

they'll run over us without even noticing.

We must find a position

which cannot be turned.

- What about here?

- The pass of Thermopylae?

It's the best line of defense north of Corinth.

These mountains run across Greece.

The Persians must pass through here.

With a small force, I can hold that narrow

strip of land until the others are ready.

And I can bring the fleet

through the straits above Thermopylae,

protecting your flank.

With your admiral's consent, of course.

This is a splendid plan.

When can you march?

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