American Rhetoric: Movie Speech

300 (2007)

Queen Gorgo Address the Spartan Apella

Audio mp3 of Address delivered by Leana Headey

Spartan Council Loyalist: May I give the floor now to the wife of Leonidas and Queen of Sparta.

Queen Gorgo: Councilmen, I stand before you not only as your Queen. I come to you as a mother. I come to you as a wife. I come to you as a Spartan woman. I come to you with great humility.

I am not here to represent Leonidas. His actions speak louder than my words ever could. I am here for all those voices which cannot be heard: mothers, daughters, fathers, sons -- 300 families that bleed for our rights, and for the very principles this room was built upon.

We are at war, gentlemen. We must send the entire Spartan army to aid our King in the preservation of not just ourselves, but of our children.

Send the army for the preservation of liberty.

Send it for justice.

Send it for law and order.

Send it for reason.

But most importantly, send our army for hope -- hope that a king and his men have not been wasted to the pages of history; that their courage bonds us together; that we are made stronger by their actions; and that your choices today reflect their bravery.