Does the potrayal of historical figures in popular media change the people's perception on them?

Answer 1

Of course it does. People in this day and age would rather get their historical information from the media than do the research themselves and find the truth.

Answer 2

It changes the perceptions of the people who decide not to dig deeper. For others, it doesn't "change" their perception because they had none to begin with. I am sure many people saw Braveheart who had never heard of William Wallace and Robert the Bruce. The movie gave them their perceptions of the two men, not change their perceptions.

If one is well read, it will not change the perceptions. If the only thing one sees is popular media, it makes the perception. If one is lazy or too busy to research, then it may well change the perception.

Answer 3

I believe that they do affect modern perceptions.

We've really gone from the extreme of all but deifying historical figures to oftentimes viewing them in the worst possible light (such as the inconsistency of Jefferson owning slaves but proclaiming that all men are created equal).

Historical figures were not gods and goddesses. They were human, like us, and, like all humans, there was sometimes a gap between what they said and what they did. I guess it may be a case of holding our historical personages to a higher standard, and judging their actions out of the context of their own time. We are constantly warned against doing this, but we do it anyway, imposing our present-day standards on people like Richard the Lionhearted (he thought nothing of putting women and children to the sword, as long as they weren't of his own noble status), the Puritans (who were not the grim lot who disapproved of anything pleasant as sinful), and the Founding Fathers.

They were flawed, yes, but not devils--but they weren't divine, either. They lived their lives in the context of their own times and places, which were vastly different from our own.

I just wish we could find a middle course that neither demonizes nor canonizes them!

Answer 4

Of course it does. As a child growing up in the 1950's, I remember how Native Americans were always considered the bad guys; how Columbus was celebrated for discovering America; how African Americans we freed during the Civil War, (but never fought for it) and many other historical fallacies.
Of course, one must always beware of the agenda of the writer or film maker.

Answer 5

Of course it does. Look at the Alamo for example. Popular media and cinema have changed the outlook on them. The commanders involved were very, very flawed individuals, but because of popular media and hollywood they have been seen as perfect people with no flaws and nothing but conviction.

Answer 6

I would point to one of the plays of Shakespeare as a prime example of how this does indeed happen. Richard III was a man who under the reignof his brother, Edward IV, demonstrated his loyalty and skill as a military commander. He was rewarded with large estates in Northern England, awarded the title Duke of Gloucester and appointed as Governor of the North, becoming the richest and most powerful noble in England and a loyal aide to Edward IV. In contrast, the other surviving brother, George Plantagenet, 1st Duke of Clarence, was executed by Edward for treason.
Richard controlled the north of England until Edward IV's death. In 1482 Richard recaptured Berwick-upon-Tweed from the Scots, and his administration was regarded as being fair and just, endowing universities and making grants to the church. He still has many admirers today.

Shakespeare's play about him, however, written to please the House of Lancaster, depicts him as a thoroughly evil, scheming and murderous character, greatly deformed by a hump on his shoulder. Under the Tudors portraits of him were altered to add this deformity. He, according to Shakespeare, was behind the murder of the Duke of Clarence and of the two young princes, the sons of Edward IV, who were in his charge. He became the epitomy of the evil uncle, as depicted in "Babes in the Wood". And this was all achieved through the media of the time.

Answer 7

Just look at the actor who is currently portraying King Henry VIII in "The Tudors." In another years, fat old Henry's image will be quite consistent with 20th century ideals of what a king should look like.