 The plot revolves around King Leonidas ( Gerard Butler ) , who leads 300 Spartans into battle against the Persian " god @-@ King " Xerxes ( Rodrigo Santoro ) and his invading army of more than 300 @,@ 000 soldiers . As the battle rages , Queen Gorgo ( Lena Headey ) attempts to rally support in Sparta for her husband . The story is framed by a voice @-@ over narrative by the Spartan soldier Dilios ( David Wenham ) . Through this narrative technique , various fantastical creatures are introduced , placing 300 within the genre of historical fantasy . 
