Kingdom of Heaven Review

8/11/2019 Kingdom of Heaven Review

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Kingdom Of Heaven

A kingdom of conscience, a kingdom of heaven, there is peace between Christian and Muslim;

well live together ---- Baron Godfrey of Ibelin

Synopsis

Balian, a young French blacksmith, is mourning the loss of his wife and youngson. Destiny comes seeking Balian in the form of a great knight, Godfrey ofIbelin, a Crusader briefly home to France from fighting in the East. Revealinghimself as Balian's father, Godfrey shows him the true meaning of knighthoodand takes him on a journey across continents to the fabled Holy City.

In Jerusalem at that moment -- between the Second and Third Crusades -- afragile peace prevails, through the efforts of its enlightened Christian king,Baldwin IV, aided by his advisor Tiberias, and the military restraint of thelegendary Muslim leader Saladin. But Baldwin's days are numbered, and strains

of fanaticism, greed, and jealousy among the Crusaders threaten to shatter thetruce.

King Baldwin's vision of peace -- a "kingdom of heaven" -- is shared by a handfulof knights, including Godfrey of Ibelin, who swear to uphold it with their lives andhonor. As Godfrey passes his sword to his son, he also passes on that sacredoath: to protect the helpless, safeguard the peace, and work toward harmonybetween religions and cultures, so that a kingdom of heaven can flourish onearth.

Balian takes the sword and steps into history1

Greek Virtues

A virtue is a right inner disposition, and a disposition is a tendency to act in certain ways.

Disposition is more basic, lasting and pervasive than the particular motive or intention behind a

certain action. It differs from a sudden impulse in being a settled habit of mind, an internalized

and often reflective trait. Virtues are general character traits that provide inner sanctions on our

particular motives, intentions and outward conduct.2

Courage

Courage according to Wikipedia is the ability to confrontfear,pain,danger,uncertainty,

orintimidation.Physical courage is courage in the face of physical pain, hardship, death, or threat

of death, while moral courage is the ability toact rightly in the face of popularopposition,shame,scandal,or discouragement.

3

1IMDb., Plot Summary for Kingdom of Heaven

2Ethics: Approving Moral Decisions, Contours of Christian Philosophy, ed. C. Stephen Evans

(Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity, 1984), 116.3Wikipedia Courage
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fearhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Painhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Riskhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uncertaintyhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Intimidationhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ethicshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shamehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scandalhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scandalhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shamehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ethicshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Intimidationhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uncertaintyhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Riskhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Painhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fear


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In some literature, courage is called fortitude or bravery. In artwork, it is depicted as armour, a

tower, a lion or a broken column. The purpose of courage is to remove that which would stand in

the way of justice. It was considered a military virtue, the virtue of the standing army, in ancient

Greece. A man who demonstrated courage was stoic, using all his energy and emotion to stand

firm in his convictions. Developing courage calls for the strengthening and training of the will into

subjection of justice.4

I have seen the courage of Balian to overcome the pain to cleanse his sins and

the hardship he is struggling because of the death of his wife. He had faced the

difficulty or the responsibility of becoming a knight to help the helpless and

protect the kingdom and maybe someday protect the king when needed. He had

the valour or the heroic courage to fight for the right to defend the people behind

the walls of the city until the very end.

This much courage from a blacksmith to a knight in such a short period of time is

an insane transformation though weve known that he has the genes of his father

Godfrey that made him a noble knight and maybe he, being a blacksmith before,had the skills on how to handle or swing a sword.

Wisdom

According to Wikipedia wisdom is the judicious application of knowledge. It is a deep

understanding and realization of people, things, events or situations, resulting in the ability to

apply perceptions, judgments and actions in keeping with this understanding. It often requires

control of one's emotional reactions (the "passions") so that universal principles, reason and

knowledge prevail to determine one's actions. Wisdom is also the comprehension of what is true

coupled with optimum judgment as to action.5

In artwork, wisdom is depicted as a book or scroll and in some cases as a mirror being attacked

by a serpent. It is an ability to know and discriminate between what is right and what is wrong.

Im amazed that Balian has that kind of wisdom to lead an army of knights to

come up with all the strategies he could think of to attack the opposing team that

clearly worked after all specially on the fight to defend the walls of Jerusalem

even in their last breath. He measured the distance of how far the catapults can

go and when to throw them.

Balian has a wise attitude that could lead an entire army out of nowhere likewise

on how he bestow all the man-at-arms to become a knight, a perfect example of

leadership that can surpass a kings leading abilities. Its like what the priest said

for who is he to alter the world because he cannot make a man a knight he could

only make him a better fighter that answered all the doubts of the priest and

4eHow., What Virtues Are Important to the Ancient Greeks?

5Wikipedia Wisdom
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Passions_(philosophy)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Passions_(philosophy)


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disregard all beliefs and started to believe that they could get out of the situation

alive.

Acquiring that kind of wisdom made Balian the ability to discern inner qualities

and relationships that tends to befriend Muslim and Christians he has the

principle in which religion is not about the worship it is about the relationship tothe God for he said when they are about to burn the bodies of the deceased God

would understand what he was about to do for if he did not therefore he is not

God.

His wisdom also acquired him friends may them be allies or enemies of the plot

for one character told him that his good quality will be known among his enemies

before he ever meet them that was stated true because it once saved his life at

his first battle as a knight when hes troops were defeated and captured he

realize that the commander of the opposing team was the one he spared when

he was alone in the desert and met two cavaliers when one of them wants hishorse.

Justice

Justice is depicted in art as scales and balances, a sword and, in some cases, a crown. Justice is

the ability to consistently treat people fairly. Those who are just give people what is rightfully

theirs promptly, and with a good attitude. Justice also means defending those who are unable to

defend themselves, fighting against the unjust. In ancient Greek culture, justice was the virtue of

the commonwealth because it represents the harmony of the whole. It is also called the social

virtue because without justice a civilized nation would fail.6

According to most contemporary theories of justice, justice is overwhelmingly important: John

Rawls claims that "Justice is the first virtue of social institutions, as truth is of systems of

thought."7 Justice can be thought of as distinct from and more fundamental than benevolence,

charity, mercy, generosity, or compassion. Justice has traditionally been associated with

concepts of fate, reincarnation or Divine Providence, i.e. with a life in accordance with the cosmic

plan. The association of justice with fairness has thus been historically and culturally rare and is

perhaps chiefly a modern innovation.[8][9]

They say the good will always prevail that Justice will end all the war between

two opposing teams but kingdom of heaven taught me that whether you are the

main character or the antagonist of the story you still have the good inside you

There are two kinds of Christians or Crusaders on the Christianity side of the

story; one that brings havoc to the Arabs or Muslims and one that protects the

6eHow., What Virtues Are Important to the Ancient Greeks?

7John Rawls, A Theory of Justice (revised edn, Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1999), p. 3

8Daston, Lorraine (2008). "Life, Chance and Life Chances". Daedalus 137: 514.

doi:10.1162/daed.2008.137.1.59Wikipedia Justice


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name of the king. This taught me that not all Christians are good that they fight

for the right even if you say that it is the right that they should kill the entire

caravan who brings anti-Christian activities to other cultures because when you

look on the other side they all serve one God, Christians and Muslims, they just

have different activities to worship the God and specially different language to

say peace on each other.

But still, which Justice will prevail? Will it be on the Christian side or the Muslim

side?

None of their Justice conquered the other because a third, I would not say a new

religion but rather a Man who opposed their meaning of religion, appeared in the

battle who define Religion as the relationship between others, between families,

friends, enemies, and God. Because of this he stood up from nobody to

somebody to lead his knights and man-at-arms to battle which they had survive

for at least three days of battle between the Muslims and decided to have the talkof what they call the terms in which the Commander of the Muslim army will ask

for a truce with corresponding terms to be filled up.

When you acquire Justice will you have peace?

In such terms, yes but this may be for a while and then another war will erupt

again to defend the other or rather conquer the other.

According to the Epilogue of the Film Kingdom of Heaven that the peace in

Jerusalem remains elusive or somehow evasive that war is still going on to fight

for the right, to save many lives, to protect families and lands.

Peace is temporary, change is the only permanent thing in the world thats why

when you acquire peace there will be a sudden change on everything; the way

everyone works, talks, and fight thats why there is an endless cycle between war

and peace it depends on the team who wins or loses.

Reflection

Kingdom of Heaven has taught me that Religion is not the important subject here

in reality it is the relationship to God, to your friends, families, even enemies and

others you are about to meet that is the true meaning of Religion.

We may have sinned about almost everything but this doesnt mean you are the

worst human being in the world you have to do anything to repent those sins you

dont go murmuring in the corner of your room and feel depre ssed all the time

when opportunity knocks on your door grab the handle and slowly open it and


5/5

you will see how it will change your life that there is much more in life than what

you are doing right now.

Kingdom of Heaven gave me the virtues I could rip off from the film specially the

wisdom I saw on the main character of the film. He has this wisdom that could

make an entire army of Muslims go on with the terms and stop the violence ofconquering Jerusalem. Also what could wisdom do if he doesnt have the

courage to stand up for himself and go on with his Father to study the skill of

becoming a knight this Courage plus Wisdom is the key to good leadership that

could make your army fight and acquire much bravery that could bring Justice to

the things you are fighting for.

KENNETH RODRIGUEZ MANGURITMobile No.: 09055986560

StudentAB Theatre Arts II1Department of HumanitiesCollege of Arts and LettersPolytechnic University of the PhilippinesMabini Campus

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Kingdom of Heaven Review