Character Relationship Map: 300

Characters

• King Leonidas (played by Gerard Butler) — protagonist

  Spartan king who leads 300 warriors against the Persian invasion at Thermopylae.

• Gorgo (played by Lena Headey) — protagonist

  Queen of Sparta and Leonidas's wife, fiercely defends Spartan politics.

• Theron (played by Dominic West) — supporting

  Corrupt Spartan politician who betrays Leonidas for power.

• Dilios (played by David Wenham) — supporting

  Spartan soldier and narrator who survives Thermopylae.

• Captain (played by Vincent Regan) — supporting

  Spartan military officer commanding troops under Leonidas.

• Leonidas @ 7/8 yrs (played by Eli Snyder) — minor

  Child Leonidas beginning harsh Spartan upbringing.

• Leonidas' Mother (played by Marie-Julie Rivest) — minor

  Spartan woman raising Leonidas by tradition.

• Oracle Girl (played by Kelly Craig) — minor

  Mystical figure delivering prophecies.

• Leonidas' Father (played by Tim Connolly) — minor

  Former Spartan king training young Leonidas.

• Stelios (played by Michael Fassbender) — supporting

  Young, enthusiastic Spartan warrior at Thermopylae.

• Xerxes (played by Rodrigo Santoro) — supporting

  God-King of Persia commanding a massive invasion force.

• Leonidas @ 15 yrs (played by Tyler Neitzel) — minor

  Teenage Leonidas undergoing Spartan agoge training.

• Ephialtes (played by Andrew Tiernan) — supporting

  Deformed Spartan outcast who betrays Leonidas.

• Daxos (played by Andrew Pleavin) — supporting

  Arcadian commander allying with Leonidas.

• Astinos (played by Tom Wisdom) — supporting

  Spartan soldier and son of Dilios.

• Persian (played by Kwasi Songui) — cameo

  Generic Persian soldier or courtier

Canonical Relationships

Family, romantic, and professional connections based on plot evidence.

• Leonidas' Mother → King Leonidas (mother)
• Leonidas' Father → King Leonidas (father)
• Leonidas @ 15 yrs → Leonidas @ 7/8 yrs (Temporal Later Self) — The two listed versions represent successive stages of Leonidas's life.

  The film's narration follows Leonidas from childhood through adolescence and eventually to kingship.

• Astinos → Dilios (Family Son) — Their family bond intensifies the personal cost of the Spartan campaign.

  The character profile identifies Astinos as Dilios's son, while the plot places both men among the Spartan warriors at Thermopylae.

• Xerxes → Theron (Power Corrupting Patron) — Theron is connected to Persian influence and material corruption.

  A Persian agent appears with Theron while rewarding the Ephors, and Theron's robe later contains a bag of Xerxes's gold.

• Xerxes → Ephialtes (Power Recruiter) — Xerxes's side exploits Ephialtes's resentment and desire for status.

  Ephialtes defects to Xerxes in exchange for wealth, women, and a uniform before revealing the secret path.

Story Dynamics

Alliances, conflicts, and narrative interactions that evolve throughout the story.

• King Leonidas → Persian (Conflict Combatant) — Leonidas personally leads the defense against the Persian invasion force.

  Leonidas and the 300 repeatedly repel waves of Persian soldiers at the narrow pass.

• Oracle Girl → King Leonidas (Narrative Prophetic Authority) — The Oracle's prophecy becomes a political obstacle to Leonidas's plan.

  The Oracle corroborates the warning that Sparta should not wage war during Carneia, blocking Leonidas's request for official mobilization.

• Daxos → Ephialtes (Conflict Enemy Of The Alliance) — Ephialtes's betrayal destroys the alliance Daxos helped form.

  The Arcadians retreat after learning that Ephialtes betrayed the defenders and revealed the secret path.

• Captain → Astinos (Social Military Comrade) — Astinos's death affects Captain deeply during the fighting.

  The plot states that Captain suffers a personal tragedy when Astinos is decapitated during the battle.

• Dilios → Stelios (Alliance Comrade) — They belong to the same Spartan fighting brotherhood.

  Both are Spartan warriors who remain connected to Leonidas's force during the Thermopylae campaign.

• Theron → Gorgo (Conflict Political Betrayer) — Theron abuses Gorgo's political vulnerability and betrays her afterward.

  Theron promises help for Gorgo's appeal, rapes her in exchange for assistance, and then attempts to defame her before the Council.

• Theron → King Leonidas (Conflict Political Opponent) — Theron obstructs Leonidas through Spartan political maneuvering.

  Theron and the Council confront Leonidas for defying the Ephors and later works against efforts to reinforce the 300.

• Xerxes → King Leonidas (Conflict Arch Enemy) — The Persian god-king is Leonidas's principal opponent.

  Xerxes commands the Persian invasion, demands Leonidas's surrender, and orders the final attack on the surrounded Spartans.

• King Leonidas → Ephialtes (Conflict Rejected Recruit) — Leonidas's refusal becomes the personal source of Ephialtes's resentment.

  Ephialtes asks to join Leonidas's army, but Leonidas rejects him because his deformity could compromise the phalanx formation.

Story Analysis

A Spartan king's doomed resistance becomes the moral and military spark for Greek resistance against Persia.

Plot Progression

1. Forged in Sparta — Leonidas grows through the Spartan child-rearing system and military training. His royal identity becomes inseparable from Spartan discipline.
2. Defiance at the Gates — A Persian demand is rejected, while political and prophetic forces prevent Leonidas from mobilizing the full Spartan army. He secretly gathers 300 warriors and marches toward Thermopylae.
3. The Narrow Pass — Leonidas joins with Daxos and allied Greeks, fortifies Thermopylae, and uses the terrain to resist Persia. Ephialtes offers a secret path but is rejected from the phalanx.
4. Betrayal and Encirclement — The Spartans defeat successive Persian assaults, but Ephialtes defects to Xerxes and reveals the route around the pass. Personal loss and the withdrawal of the Arcadians make the defense increasingly...
5. Sacrifice and Memory — Gorgo exposes Theron's treachery while Leonidas and the remaining Spartans make their final stand. Dilios survives to tell the story and inspire the Greek army at Plataea.