#Also as a child I was so devastated by this show like inconsolable after series 2

[rooshappy]

Does anyone remember BBC's Robin Hood? Marian being a total girl boss would put on a mask and hood and suddenly she was THE NIGHTWATCHMAN and Guy of Gisborne (who was in love with her) could never recognise her and he would be like WHO IS THIS MAN??? MY ENEMY! I MUST KILL THE NIGHT WATCHMAN. Then The Nightwatchman would do a backflip and and run away. Also everyone was gay apart from Robin.

[nanossaestante]

The Song of Achilles

Inglês não? Leia em português

By Mari

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I started reading “The Song of Achilles” by Madeline Miller upon a friend’s suggestion. The pretext was that the inconsolable void left in my heart after finishing “The Untamed” could only be mended by another epic tragic love story between men. Although my fascination with the TV series and its ridiculously gorgeous theme song continues, “The Song of Achilles” did manage to satisfy my craving for emotionally engaging stories.

The book tells the story of Achilles in the Trojan War as viewed by Patroclus, his faithful companion and, according to some versions of the myth, lover. Of course "The Song of Achilles" adopts this version.

The two meet as children when Patroclus is exiled in Achilles’ land, Phtia, after accidentally causing the death of another child in his homeland. Achilles, as a prince predestined to be Aristos Achaion (the Best of the Greeks), is idolized by everyone, adults and children alike. Patroclus, that strange boy that does not speak to anyone, is ignored. Despite these external differences, both boys are alone. The weight of the expectations upon Achilles alienates him from any intimate human connection, with the exception of his father. Patroclus, on the other hand, was deprived of this kind of connection from an early age because he did not meet his father's expectations for a son, leading him to become a shy and clumsy boy. The two bond over this feeling of being detached from the rest of the world, opening up to each other in a way they cannot do to other people.

But what is really interesting is how Patroclus and Achilles, growing up together and so connected, develop in such different ways. Even though he was rejected from birth, never having had friends other than Achilles, or receiving affection or sincere encouragement, Patroclus develops something markedly absent in Achilles: empathy. And here I think it is important to talk about empathy, not humanity, as if Achilles' self-centered attitudes stemmed from his being a demigod. Many other characters did not have a trace of divine blood and yet they acted indifferently to the suffering of others. Miller highlights this mainly in relation to the Greeks’ treatment of women, always stressing that, if a woman was treated as a thinking and independent person, this was either seen with astonishment, or the woman in question was a goddess.

I would say Achilles' lack of empathy comes from the godlike treatment he always received. He knows he is destined for greatness—there is a prophecy saying so and prophecies are never wrong. He knows his name will be praised for generations. So he doesn't care much about the people who cross his path in the meantime, what they think and feel about him. Achilles cares only about how they act: that they show open respect and admiration towards him. Achilles cares about being obeyed in all his wishes. This is what finally leads to his conflict with Agamemnon. It was clear from the start that Agamemnon did not like Achilles but it is only when the king of Mycenae questions Achilles’ exploits before the army that he explodes.

Once you realize this, it becomes clear that Meleager’s story would never convince Achilles to fight for the Greeks again after Agamemnon's insults. It does not matter that people would think he was too late and would start to hate him for not having intervened earlier. It is enough that his name would be remembered for generations as the best of the best. What Achilles does not realize is that no one wants to remember a petty person with admiration, however skillful they may be.

The one who has this sensitivity is Patroclus. Since the beginning of the novel, Patroclus has been concerned with what people think of them (sometimes too much). He fears that Chiron and Peleus would be furious if they knew of the love between him and Achilles. He continues to cringe at the contempt Tethis, Achilles' mother, shows him even though he knows that this is due to the fact that he is a mere mortal and it will never change. Patroclus is extremely sensitive to others’ judgment of him, having suffered from such negative perceptions all throughout his life. But Patroclus builds on this experience to develop his greatest quality. He becomes sensitive not only to what others think, but also to what they feel. Patroclus uses his suffering as an outcast to understand the suffering of others. He finds himself instinctively compelled to try to relieve this suffering, something foreshadowed when he shows interest in Chiron's medical apparatus. This is why Patroclus goes out of his way to save the women captured in the war, save the wounded, save Achilles' reputation from self-destruction.

I must admit that Patroclus’ submissive attitude irritated me at first—the way he seemed to want to do nothing but walk behind Achilles as the world went round. It was extremely gratifying to see him slowly coming out of his shell. In the end, Patroclus manages to establish more connections than Achilles himself, as is clear from the passage in which Patroclus and the soldiers he had healed greet each other warmly. Achilles simply shrugs and says he can't remember the names of so many people, it would be easier if they just remembered his. It is impossible not to agree with Briseis—Patroclus deserved better.

Still, the romance between Patroclus and Achilles never seems forced, especially when we see the differences between the way Achilles acts before Patroclus and the way he behaves before everyone else. Patroclus grew up with Achilles and got used to seeing the prince of Phtia’s best version, the one that comes up when they are together. It is devastating when that version does not hold up in other situations.

“The Song of Achilles” sensibly addresses themes of love, loneliness, and the legacy one leaves behind, bringing a refreshing perspective to a well-known story. Now, back to “The Untamed”’s theme song.

[dunderklumpen]

Nikolaj Coster-Waldau interview: Lannister’s greatest battle yet — defending the Amazon

The Game of Thrones star is now a UNDP goodwill ambassador on climate change. It’s hard to care about dragons when the rainforest is burning, he says

Was Nikolaj Coster-Waldau — best known as the “Kingslayer”, Jaime Lannister, the sexy, incest-loving baddie (turned goodie, turned . . . it’s complicated) from Game of Thrones — devastated when the hit television show ended this year?

The Danish actor shrugs. “No, I was fine.” After eight series, though, many of the cast were apparently inconsolable. “Yes, I heard that, but I wasn’t. I don’t want to sound ungrateful, I really enjoyed it, but at the end of the day it was just a television show. I would work on it for a maximum of 30 days a year, then I would do other stuff that I would spend more time on. Of course it was a bit sad, when you’ve spent 10 years with a group of people, to know you won’t be seeing them regularly any more, but the job was over. It had run its course — you couldn’t really squeeze any more out of it.”

When he was cast in Game of Thrones a decade ago, Coster-Waldau, long a jobbing actor on both sides of the Atlantic, had no clue that the production he had signed up to would become a cultural phenomenon.

“Actually, when the show started there was a lot of stigma. When I told people I’d got this job with HBO, they were like, ‘Oh my God, it’s going to be amazing — is it about gangsters?’ And when I said, ‘No, actually it’s a fantasy with dragons’, they were like, ‘Oh well then, good luck.’ A lot of people had to be almost forced into watching it before they realised the supernatural stuff is really not what it’s about.”

If Coster-Waldau sounds dismissive about his part in TV history, it’s because, post-Thrones, he has been busy. As well as finishing a couple of Danish films, the 49-year-old is making a documentary about the nerdy world of “comic cons” — comic-book conventions. He keeps in touch with a handful of Thrones pals, especially Gwendoline Christie, who played his non-sororal love interest, Brienne of Tarth.

He has also become a goodwill ambassador on climate change — and on gender equality — for the UN Development Programme. Why do actors seem compelled to bang on about climate change, even when the public makes it clear they don’t enjoy receiving lectures from luvvies whose job consists of jetting around the world to prance around on sets with carbon footprints greater than most of us will produce in a lifetime?

“I acknowledge 100% that actors talking about climate change annoys people. It is ridiculous. I understand why people say, ‘Why should I listen to him? — he’s a f****** actor’,” he says.

“They’re right. You shouldn’t listen to me. It’s what I’m saying: don’t listen to me, but do listen to the experts, the scientists, the people who actually have their feet on the ground and know what they’re talking about.”

Coster-Waldau, 6ft 2in, understands the public are more likely to pay attention to him than to a group of scientists. Dressed in sensible Scandi weatherproof gear, he is determined to talk about his recent visit to the Amazon rainforests of Peru, which have been devastated by fires set by farmers and loggers.

“There’s a huge spotlight on Game of Thrones and I’m happy to use that, because I believe climate change is a global problem and we all have responsibility for each other,” he says. “The UN is a very flawed organisation, but I still think it’s the way forward.”

There is a pleasing Nordic frankness to Coster-Waldau’s refusal to provide simplistic or patronising narratives about the cause of the fires and how they can be prevented. “Fires are very scary and very visually stunning, and there’s no question the deforestation of the Amazon is a huge problem. But when you’re actually there, you realise that everything is complex.”

The actor has long been an activist. When he was a child, his mother “dragged” him on anti-nuclear marches (his late father was an alcoholic).

“In my teens I was very involved in the anti-apartheid thing and we did a lot of ridiculous stuff. There was one night called Close the Doors of Power, when my friend and I went round at night putting sealant into all the locks of every bank and every insurance company. If I saw it today I’d be like, ‘You kids are so stupid. One guy will have the job of cleaning this all up, and nothing’s going to change.’ But at the time it was very fulfilling.”

Coster-Waldau is mindful of what happened when another do-gooding star meddled in complex local issues. “When I was a kid in Denmark, there was the big campaign by Brigitte Bardot and Greenpeace to end seal-clubbing. I remember those posters of her with the cute baby seals. We were like, ‘How can anyone kill them?’ Well, that campaign succeeded, but it also pretty much destroyed the livelihoods of the Inuits in Greenland, so Greenpeace is hated in Greenland. They destroyed a community. That’s what can happen when f****** actors tell us what to do.”

Coster-Waldau is big on Greenland, where on a previous UN trip he witnessed the rapidly melting ice caps. His actress wife, Nukaka, is a former Miss Greenland. She has never seen an episode of Game of Thrones. “She promised me she was going to sit down with my mum [to watch it], but it’s a long series. It requires some dedication.” So his mum hasn’t seen it either? “No, it’s not her thing,” he giggles. “Nor have quite a few of my family. Actually, it’s quite nice when there’s so much craziness surrounding it.”

At least his 19-year-old daughter has watched it. “My 16-year-old has started, but she finds it weird to see me as someone else. I mean, in the first episode I’m having sex.” And not just with any woman — with Jaime’s sister. “Yeah, exactly,” Coster-Waldau sighs. And Jaime then pushes a 10-year-old boy who catches them in flagrante out of a window. “Actually, for some reason people find that bit OK. It’s always the sex that gets people going. But without those scenes, we wouldn’t have had a show.”

No matter how deep into the rainforest he travelled, Coster-Waldau was recognised. The indigenous people had watched the series on the internet — which is also where they had educated themselves about climate change.

“In my own ignorance, I assumed they wouldn’t have much knowledge about it, which is really embarrassing because of course they did. They have a very clear understanding that what is happening to the Amazon is not great. This is their home, which they love and have real interest in seeing preserved, but it’s a question of people doing things to survive. You can’t say to them, ‘Why don’t you go and do something else?’ They have got to feed their families. There are no other jobs — it’s an impossible choice.”

Does Coster-Waldau, who was rumoured to be earning more than $1m (£760,000) an episode for the final series of Game of Thrones, plant trees to offset his hefty carbon footprint, like his fellow eco-warrior Emma Thompson?

“Yeah, when I buy a flight I do that thing of paying extra [to offset]. I just got an electric car. But listen: I don’t have a leg to stand on. I have two homes, one in Denmark and one in Los Angeles, which is absolutely horrific. But we also have to live in this world. I just don’t believe that anyone can magically transport themselves back to living how it was 100 years ago. We need to move away from that guilt thing.” Is he attacked for hypocrisy? He snorts. “I don’t read the comments.”

It is important to be optimistic, he adds. “If we can come up with so many amazing inventions, surely we can find solutions to this. I hate to believe we are so stupid we are just going to destroy ourselves.” This may all sound a bit woolly, but — as Coster-Waldau has made abundantly clear — he’s only a f****** actor.

By Julia Llewellyn Smith December 22 2019, 12:01am, The Sunday Times