Ransom and The Queen: tables to consolidate links between texts

Part One:

Key scene Themes, ideas and Metalanguage Links to the film Explain and define link
concerns explored Themes to the film
(extend - not just
one word)
Quotes

The As the reader is Foreshadowing of Describe the response to

introduction to introduced to complications caused by Diana’s death by;
Achilles (p. 5) Achilles, we see that an inability to maintain The Queen
he is torn between a balance between Prince Philip
his spiritual side, emotion and duty. Prince Charles
represented by the Princes Harry and William
sea and his physical Visual imagery of the The Blair government
side represented by earth and sea The public.
the earth. (In Greek juxtaposes Achilles’ dual
mythology, Achilles is identity and part god Consider public and private
a demigod, born from and mortal. speres of the characters life.
a human father Identity – To a certain How do we get our
(Peleus) and a divine extent, Ransom suggests information?
mother: the sea that human identity is
goddess Thetis). ”He is naturally dual and
a child of the earth. composite. For Achilles,
But for the whole of the tension at this stage
his life, he has been lies with the pull between
drawn, in his other his spiritual and physical
nature, to his side.
mothers’ element. “ Mortality – shared
As a child, Achilles amongst all humans
was able to move Epic – demigod, great

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 fluidly in and out of warrior.
his two elements Fate – Achilles’ physical
until one day that fate is fixed.
gift was taken away.
“From now on she Story – how are
would be no more individuals defined by
story? Who tells their
than a faint far off
story?
echo to his senses.”
“Somewhere in the
depths of sleep his
spirit had made a
crossing and not
come back, or it had
been snatched up
and transformed.”
“He was his fathers
son, mortal. He had
entered the rough
world of men, where
a man’s acts follow
him wherever he
goes in the form of a
story. A world of
pain loss,
dependency, bursts
of violence and
elation; fatality and
fatal contradictions,
breathless leaps into
the unknown; at last
of death – a hero’s
death out there in

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 full sunlight under
the gaze of gods and
men, for which the
hardened self, the
hardened body, had
daily to be exercised
and prepared.

“The play of his dual

self.”

Dual self – mother

(connected to
emotion) vs father
(bound by duty and
tradition – the male
archetype)

Achilles thinks about
how he and the rest of
the Greek army has
been camped on the
beaches of Troy for
nine years now.
Achilles believes that
war should be
“practised swiftly,
decisively”. The Does the loss or
tedious nature of this distance of humanity/
battle is “death to the the natural rhythm of
warrior spirit. Achilles life, lead to death –
feels that wars should physical and spiritual?
keep pace with the
natural rhythms of life,
like the change of the

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 seasons—or, more
personally, the growth
of his
son Neoptolemus,
whom he has not seen
since leaving for
war. Malouf links
these ordinary
everyday events with
what it is to be human.
The absence of this is
represents a kind of
death.

As Achilles looks out

over the sea, he know
that his fate is fixed.
“It will end here on the
beach in the
treacherous shingle, or
out there on the plain.
That is fixed,
inevitable.” On one
hand, Achilles accepts
his fate, but also Fate – Achilles’ physical
resists and “it is the fate is fixed How does this
buried rage of that affect Achilles? Can he
resistance that drives fight fate?
him out each morning
to tramp the shore.”
Here Malouf suggests
that Achilles’ physical
fate cannot be
affected by chance,
however, humans can,
in a figurative sense,

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 free themselves of its
confines by changing
themselves.

Start to think about the

idea of a fixed fate, but
being able to determine
your own path.

Patroclus' story Patroclus was brought Patroclus was in a    

and Achilles' to Peleus by his father, liminal space. Later, we
involvement (p. Menoetius. As see Achilles in this
12-15) Patroclus’ story was liminal space.
being told, “the taws
hang there at the top
of their flight, as if, in Omniscient narrator
the fathers’ grave foreshadows the
retelling of these significance of others in
events, he were shaping personal
allowing for a gap to identity.
be opened where this
time round some Storytelling allows for
higher agency might the idea of a different
step in and, with the
world and also allows
high handed difference
for peoples’ stories to
of those who have
infinite power over the be told and an empathy
world of conjunction from those hearing it.
and accident, reverse
what was about to Identity – here we see
occur.” This how personal identity is a
storytelling: 1) opens social phenomenon.
up a window into Achilles only becomes

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 alternate worlds that "fully himself" in relation
couldn't exist in real to Patroclus, which helps
life.2) allows others to explain why Achilles reacts
empathise as “Achilles so intensely to his friend's
is stunned as if the death: it undermines his
blow was to himself.” sense of himself. 
“Peleus is to moved by Being an outcast and
the spectacle of this reinventing oneself.
boy.” Fate – bonded through
fate.
“Patroclus was to
become his adopted
brother, and the world
for Achilles,
reassembled itself
around a new centre.”
“It was as if he had all
along needed this
other before he could
become truly himself.
From this moment on
he could conceive of
nothing in the life he
must live that
Patroclus would not
share in and approve.”

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Patroclus' In the description of Fate / Agency - Do these  
death and Patroclus’ death ‘… men have control over
Achilles' grief (the god’s again, what happens?
(p. 19-22) their second
thrust!)’ Fate /
Agency - Do these Humanity/identity
men have control Mortality is what unites
over what happens? humanity.
When analysing this,
Oxymoronic use of .” Shows Achilles
parenthesis and connection with the
exclamation invites more physical/earthly
readers to consider side of his nature as he
whether the gods is more focused on
control all that where his ashes will be
happens. rather than his spirit.
Parentheses
typically add non-
essential
information;
however, the
exclamations
suggests that this
information is
crucial.

Achilles “wept
without restraint.
Sitting cross-legged Mortality is what unites
on the ground, humanity.

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 rocking back and
forth in his anguish,
pouring fistfuls of
dust over his head.”
Similar response to
Priam after the loss
of Hector. Look at
the impact of grief
causing people to
become
dysfunctional.

Patroclus ghost
comes to Achilles; ‘…
the ghost of
Patroclus had come This symbolism of the
to where he lay ground and earth reveal
apart from the Achilles’ vulnerability.
others, curled up like The sensory detail of
a child on the open the sea and the imagery
beach on rounded of a helpless child
stones that smelled elucidate Achilles’
of his mother, dry- vulnerability and need
damp sea grass.’ to reconnect with his
mother.
Patroclus’ ghost had
begged Achilles to
“bury his body with
all the proper Shows Achilles
ceremony, but connection with the
quickly and to let his more physical/earthly
spirit go at last and side of his nature as he

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 make its way among is more focused on
the dead.” Achilles where his ashes will be
thinks about the rather than his spirit.
time when his ashes
will be with
Patroclus’. “Just a
little longer
Patroclus.”

The death of Achilles

through the death of
Hector. After
Achilles “gave the
sword another The desire for
push” there was a vengeance is
still, extended overwhelming when
moment when they one does not have the
were joined, he and ability to cope with
Hector.” “ Achilles, grief.
leaning close, felt a
shiver go through
him as he recognised
the precise point
where Hectors’ own
breath gave out and
what replaced it was
the voice of a god.
You will not long
outlive me, Achilles,
the voice
whispered.” “
Achilles watched.

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 Himself like a dead Achilles death is fated.
man. Feeling
nothing.” “He felt his
soul change colour.”

10
11
Achilles' “He was waiting for
vengeance, the rage to fill him How does grief and rage
that would be equal
rage and affect individuals?
at last to the outrage
desecration of he was committing.
Hector's body That would assuage Leadership
(p. 25) his grief, and be so responsibilities versus
convincing to the personal responses to
witnesses of this grief.
barbaric spectacle
that he too might
believe there was a
living man at the Achilles wants to know
centre of it, and that that he is still living.
man himself.”

‘Achilles watched.
Himself like a dead

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 man. Feeling
nothing.’

‘…as if he had always

known that this is
what he would do,
slashed one after the This simile comparing
other from ankle to Achilles to ‘a dead man’
heel the tendons of conveys Achilles’ state
Hector’s feet.’ of mind.
Dramatic irony
foreshadows
Achilles’ death. He is
ultimately killed Fate
when shot by an
arrow in the ankle.

‘Then, like a man

obeying the needs of
some other, darker The simile, ‘like a man…’
agency…’ creates ambiguity over
whether Achilles is
acting as a man or as a
demigod. Is he in
control of his actions?

Achilles' ‘They love him. He Staccato expression

leadership - his has long since won emphasises the
men, The their love. It is strength of the bond

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Myrmidons and unconditional.’ between Achilles and
his need for his men.
'something
new' (27-36) ‘They no longer Free indirect discourse
know what authority reveals the confusion
they are under.’ and concern Achilles’
men have for their
leader. Use of first-
person plural creates a
connection between
Malouf and the readers.
This expounds a
universal and timeless
message that people
need to be mindful of
how others perceive
them.
‘…a kind of envy for
how free this
creature [Xanthus] is
of a self-
consciousness that
at times makes us
strange to ourselves
and darkly divided.’

‘The gods continue

to defy him.’ The constant violent
imagery corresponds
‘…a brutal with Achilles’
swiftness…’ compounding despair
and rage.

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 ‘…then savagely…’ The simile comparing
Achilles to ‘a man who
‘He is dealing with a has climbed out of his
sack of bones. As the grave’ suggests that
dogs know…’ Achilles has lost his
humanity. He is
‘Still his grief was physically alive but is
not consumed.’ spiritually dead.
Animal imagery hints at
‘But it is never the instinctive and
enough.’ primitive nature of
humanity.
‘Like a man who has
climbed out of his
grave.’

‘It offends them,

though they dare
not show it…’

‘…is drowned in
oblivion.’

‘…is an animal
quality he shares
with the wolves…’

‘His runner spirit has

deserted him’

‘…the self-
consuming rage that

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 drives him and
wastes his spirit in
despair.’

‘…call silently on a
spirit that does not
answer, and sleeps.’

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