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Gladiator: Fact or Fiction The story of Gladiator takes place in Ancient Rome and contains intense action, great acting, and fantastic storytelling. Although most of this action drama is mostly fictitious, some certain events and characters appear in the history books. The movie starts out with an opening battle between the well-equipped Roman army and a Germanic tribe defending their lands. Russell Crowe is the main character in the movie and he plays a roman general named Maximus. Maximus is a good hearted warrior with valor and honor that is constantly displayed in the epic. He is loved by the roman people and the Emperor Marcus Aurelius. The Roman army led by General Maximus defeats the ragged Germans in the opening scene. …show more content…
There were emperor's named Marcus Aurelius and Commodus but as for the general Maximus, no such character exists. Aurelius, during his reign from 161-180 a.d., conquered many regions and countries. Under his vision, the Roman army defeated the Parthians and also defeated the Barbarians in the Marcomannic Wars. The Emperor Aurelius was not murdered by his son and serves as co-emperor for the last three years of his life with Commodus. Many scholars believe that Aurelius was one of the greatest emperor's of Roman history. He often showed compassion and other great traits of a leader. His son, however, did not share his leadership abilities. Commodus ruled from 180-192 a.d. Aurelius had many peace treaties in the latter part of his rule that his son violated and continued to increase Roman territory. Commodus has been rumored to have been insane and maybe that's why he loved the Gladiator games so much. The gladiator games were when men dressed in warrior outfits fought each other until one died. There were also games in which wild animals were placed with men. Commodus was so obsessed with these games that he even participated with these gladiators. He would be fully armored and the other man would have wooden weapons making it impossible for the other man to …show more content…
Narcissus had been working for Commodus as a trainer for his love of being a gladiator. Narcissus was employed by several high ranking Roman senators to strangle the emperor in his sleep. Commodus was hated in the Roman government as well as by many roman people. He named several roman landmarks after himself and even made a new calendar based on his likeness. He even renamed the senate the Commodian Fortunate Senate and the army was known as the Commodian army. Although his father was very great man and emperor, Commodus displayed many insane and maniacal traits which proved he was an ineffective
In the movie Gladiator, Marcus Aurelius is a sick ruler who is fighting against the Parathions to take over the land and make his empire greater than it was. The movie never showed Marcus Aurelius in his youth when he was the ruler, but only showed when he was a dying man. Of course, the movie was not based off Marcus Aurelius, but it could have gone more in depth of what his beliefs were on life and his citizens. The movie kind of represents Rome as a great city, but in reality, while Aurelius was the Emperor, Rome was not all that great. Aurelius went through a tough t...
Ridley Scott’s epic film, Gladiator, considered one of the greatest films in recent years, won five Academy Awards, including Best Picture. Scott’s film, tells the story of the fall and rise of the great Roman General, Maximus Decimus Meridius. The Roman Emperor, Marcus Aurelius, tells Maximus that he wishes that he ( ) the emperor after his death, instead of his son, Commodus. Angry, Commodus, murders his own father, thus becoming the emperor, and sentences Maximus and his family to death. Maximus escapes, but the Emperor’s men murder his family and burn his home. Slave traders, capture Maximus, and sell him into slavery. Maximus must rise to the top once more, and enact his revenge on Commodus. Through a liberal humanistic critique, the film contains an inherent meaning, shows the enhancement of life and propagation of values, and reveals that human nature never changes.
My first point links it to the epic status as it starts right in the
After its debut in America on May 5th of 2000, the movie Gladiator has been a nationwide symbol of heroism(Imdb). The film was directed by Ridley Scott and the lead roles of the film were carried out by Russell Crowe as Maximus and Joaquin Phoenix as Commodus(Imdb). The movie takes place during the reign of the Holy Roman Empire in the year 180 A.D. The Emperor, Marcus Aurelius, is dying and wishes to leave the Roman Empire under the control of Roman General Maximus Meridius. The Emperor’s son Commodus betrays Maximus, kills his father, and takes control of Rome. In betraying Maximus, Commodus has his family killed. Maximus knowing this returns to Rome as a gladiator under the alias “Spaniard” in search of revenge(Imdb). According to Aristotle, “Tragedy is an imitation of an action that is serious, complete, and of a certain magnitude”(Kwheeler). In order for someone to be considered a tragic hero, the person must meet the criteria of high social status, suffer from a hamartia, face a catastrophe, invoke catharsis, and experience anagnorisis and peripeteia(Kwheeler).
There were only a few different ways that the survivors could cope with what they had just been through. Most just focused on the fact that they were the survivor of said battle and kept on fighting to survive. Some, on the other hand, couldn’t deal with what they had just experienced and thought the only reasonable solution to their emotional pain was suicide. One such gladiator, a German slave and beast fighter, while preparing himself for his morning exhibition went to use the bathroom. While no one was watching, he shoved a Roman bog brush down his throat, thus clogging his windpipe, leading him to suffocate and die. Those gladiators who did not take this route found themselves again in the arena, facing death, which many of them suffered.
The movie Gladiator starts off by Maximus Decimus Meridas, who is played by Russel Crowe, being a respected general of Rome. Maximus leads the Roman army in a successful defeat against the barbarians. After this battle is over Maximus is confronted by the elderly Roman emperor and he tells him that he will be the next emperor of Rome when he passes away. The emperor’s son (Commodus) hears of this and murders his father. Now he is Emperor Commodus and orders to kill Maximus and his family. His family is murdered but Maximus ge...
Roman gladiators are often recalled when thinking of the Roman civilization for several reasons, including the extreme brutality of the gladiatorial games that took place. These games took place at funerals and ceremonies, as an offering of blood.
She began with refutatio stating that the gladiator slaves that had fought for three years were not let free and were forced to fight until their death. Natalie further stated that even if the gladiators were to earn their freedom, the horrors they faced in the ampitheatre would have prevented them from being able to integrate into Roman society. She also used pathos to depict the gruesome deaths of her fellow gladiators as they were ripped apart by savage beasts. This method works well for the argument that the gladiator games were anything but cruel.
The characters of the play were gladiators, or swordsmen, and animals such as tigers, elephants, lions, cheetahs, and other animals in Rome. Gladiators were armed combatant who entertained their audiences. The acts played were usually Gladiators vs gladiators, Gladiators vs animal, or even animal vs animal. There were also chariot races with horses. In all of these acts, many people and animals were either injured or killed. But, all that was for the excitement of the Romans, all gladiators were criminals or men that were trained for battles. A fun fact about the chariot races, and battles was that the prize was money, the grand prize was freedom from jail if they defeated three or more gladiators in a row. The chariot games were about speed and discipline of the horse. They have many men participating and the point is to come first by beating your competitors on the way. The games were very entertaining to the people of
It is said that the Romans were known for their honor and glory as a reflection of the society they lived in. This may perhaps explain why the gladiator games were popular to the citizens, because the Romans enjoyed observing these characteristics throughout the battles. Most of the time the contestants were slaves, these individuals were bought and traded at the coliseum with the intentions of battling in these games until their death. Soldiers that were captured at the end of a battle were chained to one another as they marched hundreds of miles back to Rome.... ... middle of paper ...
Yet, he never changed who he was at heart. He remains stagnated throughout the movie. The way he battled and what he fought for did change, but Maximus as a person never did. He fought wars for his king with honor and glory. While in the arena he fought for survival and vengeance. He fought loyally for the people who loved him and fought for his fellow friends like he did for his soldiers. He was always concerned for those that were close. He fought to get vengeance and to fulfill his friends dying wish, shmoop goes into more detail saying, “Maximus never forgets the memory of his murdered friend, Marcus Aurelius. While his quest for revenge is partly about avenging the death of his family, he’s also motivated to fulfill Marcus Aurelius’ dying wishes and restore republican government to Rome” (Shmoop). With every word he screamed or said, every swing of his sword, every victory won was to get himself back home to his wife and son whether it be in life or the
The Gladiator was based during the times of Marcus Aurelius and Commodus. However, its main character is Maximus Decimus Meridius. The movie began with a battle scene where Maximus, the general, led his men
Gladiator’s were men who became professional fighters specialising in fighting with weapons. Gladiator’s were known to fight in large purpose-built arenas for the public to view throughout the Roman Empire from 105 BCE to 404 CE (official contests).
...re. Tourism is the most profitable industry in Europe and gladiators grab a tourist attention and bring them to Europe (“The Roman Gladiator”). Some businesses have reenactments to give tourist a taste of what it was like to watch gladiators compete. There are several museums dedicated to the history of gladiators how they affect the modern world today. Gladiators lived a grueling life and were known for their ability to fight in battle. Gladiators were the ancient idolized popstars we see today. The Life a gladiator was a hard one but if a gladiator was successful in the arena he could live a peaceful life as a free man.
Throughout the history of the Republic, there was a difference between the gladiatorial contests and other forms of spectacular entertainment. The Romans did not invent the concept of gladiatorial fighting; there is some uncertainty as to the exact source. One ancient source says it was the Etruscans, a non-Indo-European people who lived directly north of the Romans.