Braveheart is a drama movie that depicts Sir William Wallace while at war for his country. It is a struggle that led to the independence of Scotland. During the 13th century, when he was young, Wallace saw his parents lynched by the English troops. As he grew up to be a man, Wallace married a lady near his hometown. It was at the hands of the same English troops, that his wife died. Filled with rage, Wallace declared to topple down the English crown. Wallace used the help of his allies: Robert Bruce, Princess Isabella and other friends. This film is, however, pointed to a single leader whose ways and achievements are noted. However, the leadership qualities of the main leader can be compared to other characters that also portrayed leadership skills as well.
The main characters outlined in the movie include Mel Gibson, who is considered William Wallace. Patrick McGoohan and Angus McFayden take actions for King Edward Longshanks and Robert the Bruce respectively. Brendan Gleeson stands in for Hamish while Sophie Marceau represents Princess Isabella. Pert Hanly was captured as Prince Edward and Brian Cox was Uncle Argyle. These characters are the main people behind the success of the movie.
The leadership issue that the movie reveals is the struggle for independence as fought for by the protagonist leader William Wallace. His leadership depicts inspirational and transformational ways by which he guided his army. Wallace from an early beginning, declared to fight for freedom from the hostile English men. He modeled the way by voicing and setting forth his personal mission of bringing down the English crown. This he did by putting together all the pieces that he needed and sharing with other friends of the same course. This is clearly brought out in the movie where he engages his longtime friend in a throwing contest. By this, he clarified his intent and willingness to take on any enemy in the battlefield (McArthur, 2003).
The universal scramble and partition of the colonies had negative effects for both parties involved. As in the case of England, they had seized Scotland and wanted to exact their rule for the native citizens. This led to the development of unjust and harsh laws and policies that suppressed the local citizens. The fight for freedom is not limited to Scotland only. The north communist Vietnamese government also shrugged off any chances of losing what was rightfully theirs and engaged the American soldiers. Their consistent persistence not to give up led them to a victory that was next to impossible. Many individuals lost their lives, but the ultimate freedom was achieved.
Wallace was a great leader of men with the heart of a giant. With a sense of inspired shared vision, he imagined of better things that would come in the future and shared it with his friends. His stand alone speech made such aspirations and appeals to others and they saw the sense of claiming back their freedom. His rhetorical skills helped him together with his men to fight off large armies of the English men by sharing facts about freedom. His vision and capability to bond with his followers also played a part in his success. The traits of self sacrifice and trust building as well as image portrayal showed his transformational ways of ruling his subjects (MacArthur, 2003).
The Englishmen were forced into battles with the Scottish army under the leadership of William Wallace. The fight for freedom was the only way that could see the citizens saved from the chains of servitude. Wallace decided to challenge the process by first killing the people who murdered his wife. This made the villagers realize that they too could fight their way out. Wallace used the opportunity of revenge to start rebelling against the English leadership. Actually, by taking matters into his hands, he learnt that he could experiment some of his ideas to combat his enemies. This is seen where he made up a wooden spike to destroy the English cavalry.
This went right for them as he had followers who wanted to see an end to the English reign. He enabled others to act by leading them to battle to free Scotland. His speeches to them had impacts as they expressed a sense of unity and a fight for a just reason. He also identified himself as a collaborator with other parties so as to strengthen their ways of actions against the enemy. During the crisis in the battle field, Wallace handled himself and encouraged his men not to give up. He decided to take a choice which many never expected. He proclaimed Robert the Bruce to be the leader of his men by stating that the people needed him (MacArthur, 2003).
Wallace acts of leadership were of bravery and called for. This is because his actions led his country to freedom that would never have been achieved without him. He can be seen as a charismatic leader whose self interest leads his acts. His actions were of good morals and attracted people who followed him. What makes him powerful is the fact that he rose from a humble place to be a leader and never inherited it from someone. His admiration is reflected in his trust of the people as he also ensured that he performed his duties for the local subjects.
Many individuals say that he is a pacesetter. This is seen when he takes the initiative of fighting back the English crown to avenge the death of the loved ones he lost. He was not a dictator for his subjects. Though at times where democracy failed, he did impose some traits of dictatorship. This is seen when he kills Lochlan and Mornay for allegedly betraying him. His leadership is adaptive as he can change his ways of reasoning depending on the situations and circumstances.
MacArthur believes that Robert the Bruce was adored by the people because of what he believed. He never took for granted the society’s ways of life. He was against the English rule and acted as a traditional leader to his countrymen. King Edward was never looked upon because of his hostility to the people. As he was elected, rational authority took over him for the fear of losing his position. He acted strangely to convince his other masters that he was the right person for the job (2003).
For Wallace, freedom was the important objective, he wanted to accomplish. He was asked to humble himself before the king and seek his mercy before he was slain to death in order to face a lenient death. He did not obey this and refused entirely to submit to the pressures of his enemies. Instead, he shouted the word freedom to claim his stand for the people. The magistrates had no mercy for him and ordered that he be killed. He is regarded as one of the greatest legends of Scotland and his name appears in many history books for his country.
Reference
McArthur, C. (2003). "Brigadoon", "Braveheart" and the "Scots": Distortions of Scotland in Hollywood cinema. London u.a: Tauris.
