Essential Question

How do alliances reflect culture and characteristics of a hero?

The alliances formed in Braveheart reflect the importance of freedom, but also prove that alliances are needed to help the hero, William Wallace, succeed; furthermore, alliances depict the needs and wants of society and culture and show the importance of true unions.

Summary:

William Wallace falls in love with Murron and they secretly get married to avoid the English rule of prima nocte. When the magistrate of their land discovers their secret marriage, he slits Murron's throat and lures Wallace to fight. This is where William Wallace's fight for freedom begins. He leads Scottish men and Irishmen in a war against the English that consists of many wins and losses, depending on the alliances formed. In the end, Wallace is murdered for his unwillingness to obey the English. His line lives on due to the Princess Isabelle of Wales being pregnant with his child. Years after his death, the Scottish win their freedom under the rule of Robert the Bruce. 

Hero Analysis

William Wallace falls under the following archetypes: Hero as warrior and Hero as lover.

He is the leader in the fight for Scotland's freedom. He also fights to avenge the death of his beloved wife. He stops at nothing and refuses to give in to the English. He even endures torture and the loss of his life for the cause. His hero cycle is prevalent through his two apparent quests: The quest for vengeance and the warrior's journey to save his people.

Alliances in Braveheart

Braveheart shows the positive side of alliances and how necessary they are. 

Robert the Bruce and William Wallace 

The Irish and the Scottish

Princess Isabelle and William Wallace

The need of the culture in Scotland is freedom; whereas, the English want land and power over Scotland.

Irish and Scottish

Due to this alliance, loyalty is shown allowing the Scots to eventually win their freedom

Robert the Bruce

His alliance played a key role in the battle for freedom

Princess Isabelle

Wallace lives on through having her son

Princess Isabelle: You see? Death comes to us all. But before it comes to you, know this: your blood dies with you. A child who is not of your line grows in my belly. Your son will not sit long on the throne. I swear it.

Le Morte D'Arthur

Le Morte D'Arthur shows what happens when alliances are broken and the negative effects of that

• Alliance between Launcelot and Arthur is broken
• The need for love was far more important to Launcelot than his alliance with Arthur which depicts romance during that time period and culture. It also shows what happens when alliances are broken AKA War and destruction 
• Modred and Arthur's alliance is broken
• Modred's want for power also depicts an important aspect of that culture; similar to the English in Braveheart

Conclusion

Braveheart and Le Morte D'Arthur both depict one common idea: either good or bad, alliances are necessary in life. Alliances are the fabric of our society. They have existed for centuries, whether it be from the alliance between William Wallace and the Princess of Wales to the present day alliance between Dennis Rodman and Kim Jong Un.

 

Blog: We wanted to show the beauty of Scotland (in the backdrop) without having to click through slides. We wanted to easily incorporate videos into our presentation. We wanted our presentation to be creative and very visually appealing.