Braveheart is a movie that takes place in 13th century Scotland and is based on the life and times of Sir William Wallace. The film was released in 1995 and is directed by Mel Gibson. Braveheart portrays both factual and fictional information about Sir William Wallace and the First War of Scottish Independence. I will be comparing and contrasting the movie with three historical monographs to separate myth from reality. The three monographs include; “William Wallace: The True Story of Braveheart” by Chris Brown, “The Hunt For William Wallace” by Andrew Fisher, and “Springing A Trap: Stirling Bridge” by James G. Taylor. I chose these particular monographs because I wanted to focus my research on William Wallace due to the fact that his life is fallowed during the duration of the film. I also wanted to incorporate the monograph with information based on the battle of Stirling Bridge because it was Wallace’s most notable victory.
The movie “Braveheart” starts off in Scotland in 1280 AD. In the opening scene you see William Wallace as a small boy fallowing his father Malcom Wallace to a meeting between noblemen. They arrive at the meeting only to find that all of the noblemen are dead, hanging from the ceiling under the order of King Edward “The Longshanks”. Soon after Malcom witnessed this tragedy, he set off to fight the people responsible for the massacre along side his eldest son John and other Scottish farmers. Forced to stay behind, William notices several carts being wheeled back into the village a day later. After further investigation, the young William sees that the carts are full of dead bodies, including those of his father and older brother. Soon after their bodies are laid to rest, William is adopted by his uncle Argile and taken away from where he grew up to his uncle’s home. Promised by his uncle, William would be taught not only how to wield a sword, but how to use his mind as well.
Years later, and long after Longshanks had taken complete...