The movie 300 is a dramatized account of events as seen by the ancient Greeks. Whatever wonderful things Xerxes may have done in Persia, to the Greeks he was a potential conquering despot. That is how they saw him, and that is how he is shown in the movie. As an American, you must be accustomed by now to seeing historical heros depicted through the eyes of those who did not admire them. We have all been told that George Washington was no hero to his slaves. We can acknowlegde that fact without loosing our admiration for Washington. So by all means point out the good things Xerxes did as King of Persia. But don’t get all worked up about a movie that shows him from the perspective of people who were resisting conqurst by him and his army.
