Agora
Alexandria, 391 AD: Hypatia teaches astronomy, mathematics, and philosophy. Her student Orestes is in love with her, as is Davus, her personal slave. As the city's Christians, led by Ammonius and Cyril, gain political power, the institutions of learning may crumble along with the governance of slavery. Jump ahead 20 years: Orestes, the city's prefect, has an uneasy peace with the Christians, led by Cyril. A group from the newly empowered Christians has now taken to enforce their cultural hegemony zealously; first they see the Jews as their obstacle, then nonbelievers. Hypatia has no interest in faith; she's concerned about the movement of celestial bodies and "the brotherhood of all". Although her former slave doesn't see it that way.
The film struggled financially against its mid-range budget of $70.0M, earning $39.5M globally (-44% loss). While initial box office returns were modest, the film has gained appreciation for its innovative storytelling within the adventure genre.
11 wins & 15 nominations
Plot Structure
Story beats plotted across runtime
Narrative Arc
Emotional journey through the story's key moments
Story Circle
Blueprint 15-beat structure
Arcplot Score Breakdown
Weighted: Precision (70%) + Arc (15%) + Theme (15%)
Agora (2009) reveals strategically placed narrative architecture, characteristic of Alejandro Amenábar's storytelling approach. This structural analysis examines how the film's 15-point plot structure maps to proven narrative frameworks across 2 hours and 7 minutes. With an Arcplot score of 7.0, the film balances conventional beats with creative variation.
Characters
Cast & narrative archetypes
Hypatia
Davus
Orestes
Synesius
Ammonius
Cyril
Theon
Main Cast & Characters
Hypatia
Played by Rachel Weisz
A brilliant philosopher, astronomer, and mathematician in 4th century Alexandria who fights to preserve knowledge while navigating religious and political upheaval.
Davus
Played by Max Minghella
A slave devoted to Hypatia who becomes torn between his love for her and his conversion to Christianity.
Orestes
Played by Oscar Isaac
A wealthy student of Hypatia who becomes Prefect of Alexandria, struggling to maintain order between pagans and Christians.
Synesius
Played by Rupert Evans
A student of Hypatia who converts to Christianity and becomes a bishop, representing the bridge between philosophy and faith.
Ammonius
Played by Ashraf Barhom
A radical Christian monk and leader of the Parabalani who becomes a violent zealot destroying pagan symbols.
Cyril
Played by Sami Samir
The ambitious Archbishop of Alexandria who consolidates Christian power through political maneuvering and intolerance.
Theon
Played by Michael Lonsdale
Hypatia's father, a scholar and keeper of the Library of Alexandria who supports his daughter's intellectual pursuits.
Structural Analysis
The Status Quo at 1 minutes (1% through the runtime) establishes Hypatia lectures in the grand Library of Alexandria, commanding respect as the city's leading philosopher and astronomer. She is surrounded by devoted students including Orestes and Davus, representing the intellectual golden age before the coming storm.. Significantly, this early placement immediately immerses viewers in the story world.
The inciting incident occurs at 15 minutes when Christian parabolani violently attack pagan citizens in the streets and desecrate the Serapeum temple. The mob storms toward the Library, forcing Hypatia and her students to barricade themselves inside. The world of intellectual safety is shattered.. At 11% through the film, this Disruption aligns precisely with traditional story structure. This beat shifts the emotional landscape, launching the protagonist into the central conflict.
The First Threshold at 31 minutes marks the transition into Act II, occurring at 25% of the runtime. This reveals the protagonist's commitment to Hypatia chooses to evacuate the Library to save lives, watching helplessly as Christians ransack and burn the scrolls. She smuggles out what texts she can. This irreversible choice launches her into a new world where knowledge is under siege and she must operate without institutional protection., moving from reaction to action.
At 62 minutes, the Midpoint arrives at 49% of the runtime—precisely centered, creating perfect narrative symmetry. Significantly, this crucial beat Cyril becomes Bishop of Alexandria and escalates anti-pagan and anti-Jewish campaigns. Orestes is publicly humiliated and nearly killed by Christian zealots for defending Jewish citizens. The balance of power shifts decisively toward religious extremism, making Hypatia's position increasingly precarious. The stakes are raised., fundamentally raising what's at risk. The emotional intensity shifts, dividing the narrative into clear before-and-after phases.
The Collapse moment at 94 minutes (74% through) represents the emotional nadir. Here, Hypatia is formally charged with heresy and witchcraft. Orestes abandons her to save his political position. She is seized by a Christian mob led by Cyril's followers. Her world of intellectual pursuit and protected status dies completely. She faces certain execution, alone and powerless., indicates the protagonist at their lowest point. This beat's placement in the final quarter sets up the climactic reversal.
The Second Threshold at 104 minutes initiates the final act resolution at 82% of the runtime. Davus, still loving Hypatia, intervenes in the mob. Seeing her about to be brutally tortured to death by flaying, he makes the choice to show mercy. He convinces the mob to let him strangle her first, giving her a quicker, more dignified death. Love and humanity pierce through ideology., demonstrating the transformation achieved throughout the journey.
Emotional Journey
Agora's emotional architecture traces a deliberate progression across 15 carefully calibrated beats.
Narrative Framework
This structural analysis employs a 15-point narrative structure framework that maps key story moments. By mapping Agora against these established plot points, we can identify how Alejandro Amenábar utilizes or subverts traditional narrative conventions. The plot point approach reveals not only adherence to structural principles but also creative choices that distinguish Agora within the adventure genre.
Alejandro Amenábar's Structural Approach
Among the 5 Alejandro Amenábar films analyzed on Arcplot, the average structural score is 7.2, reflecting strong command of classical structure. Agora takes a more unconventional approach compared to the director's typical style. For comparative analysis, explore the complete Alejandro Amenábar filmography.
Comparative Analysis
Additional adventure films include Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, The Bad Guys and Zoom. For more Alejandro Amenábar analyses, see Regression, The Others and The Sea Inside.
Plot Points by Act
Act I
SetupStatus Quo
Hypatia lectures in the grand Library of Alexandria, commanding respect as the city's leading philosopher and astronomer. She is surrounded by devoted students including Orestes and Davus, representing the intellectual golden age before the coming storm.
Theme
A student asks Hypatia about the conflict between knowledge and faith. She responds that they must question everything, even the Earth's place in the heavens. This establishes the central theme: the tension between reason/inquiry and dogmatic belief.
Worldbuilding
Introduction to 4th century Alexandria: Hypatia's teaching, the diverse religious landscape (pagans, Christians, Jews), the social hierarchy with Hypatia as a rare female intellectual, Orestes' unrequited love, Davus' slavery and secret affection, and rising Christian militancy under Ammonius.
Disruption
Christian parabolani violently attack pagan citizens in the streets and desecrate the Serapeum temple. The mob storms toward the Library, forcing Hypatia and her students to barricade themselves inside. The world of intellectual safety is shattered.
Resistance
Hypatia and students defend the Library, attempting to save precious scrolls. Davus wrestles with his loyalty to Hypatia versus the Christian message of equality. Negotiations occur. The Christians demand surrender. Hypatia must decide whether to abandon her life's work or die defending it.
Act II
ConfrontationFirst Threshold
Hypatia chooses to evacuate the Library to save lives, watching helplessly as Christians ransack and burn the scrolls. She smuggles out what texts she can. This irreversible choice launches her into a new world where knowledge is under siege and she must operate without institutional protection.
Mirror World
Davus, now freed and converted to Christianity, becomes a parabolani. His subplot represents the film's thematic counterpoint: he embodies the choice between devotion to truth (Hypatia) and devotion to faith (Christianity), showing the human cost of the ideological conflict.
Premise
Years pass. Orestes becomes Roman prefect and tries to balance Christian and Jewish factions. Hypatia continues her astronomical work in isolation, pursuing her theory of elliptical orbits. She navigates the increasingly hostile political-religious landscape while remaining dedicated to rational inquiry despite mounting danger.
Midpoint
Cyril becomes Bishop of Alexandria and escalates anti-pagan and anti-Jewish campaigns. Orestes is publicly humiliated and nearly killed by Christian zealots for defending Jewish citizens. The balance of power shifts decisively toward religious extremism, making Hypatia's position increasingly precarious. The stakes are raised.
Opposition
Cyril consolidates power, expelling Jews from Alexandria in brutal pogroms. Hypatia is accused of witchcraft and paganism. Orestes, though converted to Christianity, cannot protect her. Davus watches helplessly as his former teacher becomes a target. The noose tightens around Hypatia as reason loses ground to fanaticism.
Collapse
Hypatia is formally charged with heresy and witchcraft. Orestes abandons her to save his political position. She is seized by a Christian mob led by Cyril's followers. Her world of intellectual pursuit and protected status dies completely. She faces certain execution, alone and powerless.
Crisis
Hypatia is dragged through the streets to the Caesareum church. She maintains her dignity and intellectual integrity, refusing to renounce her beliefs even facing death. The dark night before her execution, she processes her fate with philosophical acceptance, embodying her principle that truth matters more than survival.
Act III
ResolutionSecond Threshold
Davus, still loving Hypatia, intervenes in the mob. Seeing her about to be brutally tortured to death by flaying, he makes the choice to show mercy. He convinces the mob to let him strangle her first, giving her a quicker, more dignified death. Love and humanity pierce through ideology.
Synthesis
Davus smothers Hypatia, sparing her torture. The mob stones her lifeless body. Her death is presented as both tragedy and martyrdom. The film shows the triumph of dogma over reason, the destruction of Alexandria's intellectual legacy, and the human cost of ideological extremism.
Transformation
Aerial shots pull back from Alexandria, showing the city that destroyed its greatest mind. The closing image mirrors the opening's intellectual vibrancy with emptiness and loss. Hypatia's death represents the end of classical philosophy and the beginning of the Dark Ages. Her ideas survived, but she did not.