This time, she takes aim at the film's concept of "Zeus's Law," arguing that Nolan fundamentally misunderstands the ancient Greek principle of "xenia" (guest-friendship), ultimately assigning the Trojan Horse a moral weight inconsistent with the original epic.
In a recent piece for The Atlantic, Wilson points out that the film treats deception as a major taboo under Zeus's Law, framing Odysseus's use of the Trojan Horse to sack Troy as a pivotal act that shatters civilized order.
She explains that while Penelope's suitors clearly violate this principle by cruelly treating Odysseus's poor dog, Argos, and the blind Eumaeus, the film also suggests that Zeus's Law is concerned with a completely different moral issue: deception.
Wilson further criticizes the film for depicting the Trojan Horse as the ultimate violation of Zeus's Law, equating it to disguising a weapon of mass destruction as a gift. She notes that while Homer's Zeus is a master strategist himself, Nolan's version takes a particularly harsh stance against deceit, especially between a host and guest.
She argues the biggest logical flaw is that the Greeks had already been besieging Troy for a decade. The two sides were enemies at war, meaning no normal host-guest relationship existed. On this point, Wilson wrote:
She contends that if the war itself was wrong, it makes no sense to frame the use of the horse as the crucial turning point. Instead, she argues the real pivotal moments should have been Agamemnon's initial decision to invade Troy and Odysseus's choice to submit to the empire's demands.
Concluding her essay, she describes Nolan's film itself as "another Trojan Horse," criticizing it for ostensibly championing goodwill and empathy while its imagery actually communicates a different set of values.
Wilson concludes by stating that we need art that can honestly confront the costs of empathy and why it's essential, while also understanding that a sense of spiritual or moral superiority offers no protection from being deceived by lies.
via： The Atlantic