Michael B. Gordon

Xerxes tempts the rejected Spartan outcast Ephialtes with promises of wealth, pleasure, and status in exchange for the location of the hidden path behind the Spartan lines. Driven by a lifetime of resentment and a desire for the validation denied to him by Leonidas, Ephialtes agrees to betray his people and kneels before the Persian King.

Queen Gorgo addresses the Spartan Council to demand military reinforcements for her husband, King Leonidas. She appeals to the councilmen's roles as fathers and former soldiers, arguing that the survival of Spartan liberty and the future of their children depend on their immediate action.

Ephialtes, a deformed Spartan outcast, pleads with King Leonidas to let him fight alongside the 300 to reclaim his family's honor. Leonidas is forced to reject him because Ephialtes' physical limitations prevent him from holding his shield high enough to protect the man next to him in the phalanx formation. The rejection leaves Ephialtes devastated and resentful, creating a pivotal moment of emotional stakes for both characters.

King Leonidas delivers a powerful rallying cry to his 300 soldiers on the eve of their final stand. He frames their inevitable sacrifice as a necessary foundation for a future defined by freedom, reason, and the rule of law rather than the whims of tyrants.