AJ Frankelis

January 13, 2017

Braveheart Analysis

The movie Braveheart is truly inspiring and grabs the audiences attention. I have
heard about this movie from several friends, but never took the time to watch and
think about it deeply. The movie is about the Scottish revolution, or Scottish
Independence, against England under King Edward I. William Wallace (played by Mel
Gibson) is the main character in the movie. His brother and father both die in a battle
with English soldiers when William was young. After this, his uncle took him in, they
traveled throughout Europe until William was about 20. Once he was able to live on
his own, he returned to his homeland and fell in love with Murron (played by Catherine
McCormack).
After the English soldiers tried to rape Murron, William and the rest of the village
vow to hunt and kill every English soldier in town. Due to the events that occurred,
William wanted revenge on the Englishmen, so he created an army. He led the army
into battle, defeated the Englishmen, and Scotland became free. King Edward sends
Princess Isabella to offer William money and land in return for Scotland, but he
refuses because he loves his homeland. Then King Edward sends troops to destroy
Scotland and William gathers his army once again to defend their country.
Unfortunately, William is captured by soldiers. He does not beg for mercy and in return
he gets tortured and eventually executed.
This movie had a very inspiring story that I became attracted to quickly. I have
learned more about the Scottish Independence and have also researched more about
the topic. It turns out that the movie is almost accurate to depicting the true story. For
example, there is no evidence that suggests William had a wife or that he ever met
Princess Isabella. William Wallace did, however, have a giant impact on society at the
time. He rallied the village together to fight back against the English. He pushed and
defended Scotland against multiple attacks and ultimately gave Scotland their
freedom. He did end up being executed and was not there when Scotland truly
became free. Nevertheless, William was the first person who wanted revenge and was
actually brave enough to do something about it. He had a strong will, unbreakable

spirit, and perseverance. He gave Scottish people hope and courage to endure the
fight for their freedom. The final word that William shouts just before he dies was
Freedom! and that was just what his homeland received.