Gladiatorial Conquests as Public Entertainment In the ancient world public entertainment was crucial in most
societies so that the order of the people could be maintained and
monitored by the respective ruler. Public entertainment came commonly
in the form of an act or show that was used as an amusement or
diversion to hold the attention of mass audiences of which is open to
the whole community or the people in general (Entertainment, nd,
online). With Rome and Greece being accountable for the positioning of
the foundations that shaped modern day Europe we are instinctively
drawn to analyse the functions of these societies. A plausible way to
the way of life of these civilisations is to look to the forms of
public entertainment that were enjoyed by the individual populace. The
public entertainment that the Ancient Greeks and Romans enjoyed was a
reflection of their societal values and individual way of life. Facets
of this essay will be contrasting the Gladiatorials exhibited by the
Romans and the Ancient Olympics by the Greeks. Subtopics including the
origins of the two forms of public entertainment and the role of
spectators and the athletes in each will be used to support the
reflection of societal values and way of life that is represented
through these forms of public entertainment. Of course in order to
understand and comprehend the societal values and way of life of each
of the civilisations we must first learn of the origins of both forms
of mass entertainment...
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... entertainment that gave the citizens a sense of power and emperor a
sense of control. Note these two feelings; power and control reflect
Rome’s unrelenting desire to dominate the Mediterranean region and
their violent fight in gaining that. These games that the Romans
enjoyed so much are unmistakably a mirror image of a society in chaos.
The Ancient Olympic Games however reflect a more respectful society in
harmony. When the two civilisations are placed side by side the hidden
connotation of the age old saying good verses evil is evidently
apparent. Roman public entertainment of gladiatorials was evil and
Greece’s ancient Olympic entertainment was of high morale. Proved in
this essay is that the public entertainment enjoyed by these two
civilisations clearly reflects their societal values and individual
way of life.
Parody: a piece of work that exaggerates a person, song, or film in an amusing way
Types of entertainment is something we share with the Romans. Document 6 shows a fresco of young men playing with a ball. Today, we have many sports like basketball and soccer that we play just to pass time or competitively. Document 4 shows the Colosseum and its uses such as gladiator and animal fights. Although gladiator and animal fights are illegal today we go to massive stadiums for spectacles like concerts and soccer
In contrast to the publicity spin of today’s tabloids, ‘losers attract notoriety,’ (Fear, 2008, p, 6) Roman society was no different with one’s reputation of paramount importance and continually defended. Antony and Cleopatra’s union was ammunition for Octavian and propaganda used against the couple in their pursuing battle of Actium. (Fear, 2008, p.7.)
Theatres and How We Had Fun." Little, Brown, and Company. (Boston, Toronto, London); 1991. P. 139, 144.
Probably the competition outside the games, such as to get positions in the government was the fiercest. This competitive nature came from the narcissism of the Greeks. The Athenians were the first settlement to establish the ideology of democracy. In a democracy, all free men are considered equal. Here, individualism and philosophy thrived. Men valued themselves, just as each city state valued itself, although this didn’t apply to women, as well as those considered to be “slaves by nature,” as Aristotle put it. This, however, may have gone too far, resulting in personal narcissism. Whatever the reason might be, the narcissism of the Greeks made them egoistic. The unwillingness of the Greeks to unite will eventually become a fatal flaw that leads to their eminent doom.
"Gladiator", comes from the latin word "gladius", for sword. They were primarily made up of slaves, criminals, prisoners of war or even volunteer free men. The crimes that could lead one to the arena included treason, robbery, and murder, among others. Some free men became gladiators of their own free will in hopes of gaining notoriety and patronage amongst the wealthy citizens. By the end of 50 BC almost half of the gladiators fighting in the Colosseum were free men.
During their travels the Trojans often played games and had competition, this principle of honor and competition would develop a type of mastery within the nation. But even so competition is a catalyst for anger and hatred that can boil men’s blood, so did it build or break the Roman empire? In either case it happened, which did improve the men’s strength from athletic competitions and grew the culture immensely, but also inspired a competition that had the ability to ruin the people’s love for each-other. In addition this competition has inspired western culture even today with the Olympics and sports. Aeneas’ men were inspired and motivated in their competition which led them to pushing and working harder than their normal capacity would allow, so this competition helped the people work harder than thought possible. Although the side-effects of things like this could be problematic the good that comes from it outweighs the problems, and it is a principle for nations to seek out correctly. In conclusion the competition of the Romans inspired men and women to go beyond their natural capacities and do great things for their nation, proving that it acted as a type of masterful competition against one’s
battles; so many criminals were sent to the gladiatorial schools. Since the criminals were getting
You’re a gladiator in Rome in 72BCE. You fight with little to no protection with someone in the same place as you to the death for roman entertainment. “Gladiator games started off as a form of celebration at important funerals. It was believed that the killing of a gladiator would keep away the evil spirits and please the gods.” In the games animals were also brought in to fight.
During the middle and late third century Roman republic era gave rise to the arena games and became a great phenomenon for the Romans. An amphitheater, also known as a coliseum, housed these dangerous games that potentially harmed the audience as well as those who participated in them. Gladiatorial combat originated as part of funerals for deceased influential Romans. These large gladiatorial games were held by emperors during funerals of important roman officials, but were also included during other occasions. Over time the connection among the gladiator games and funerals decreased, and the upper class put on the games mainly to raise their social standing and gain favor with the public. Many politicians held these highly known games to help them sway votes of power and popularity (Meijer 2003, 27). “The arena was the embodiment of the empire.” (Futrell 1997, 209). The contestants, or the gladiators, had more significance of the Roman Empire beyond that as their role of entertainment.
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.
" Life of a Gladiator. N.p., n.d. Web. The Web. The Web. 06 Mar. 2014. The 'Standard' of the 'Standard The "Roman Gladiator" - "The Roman Gladiator" The Roman Gladiator.
“The Romans are often characterized as loving violent and cruel entertainment in the amphitheatre. It has been suggested that the games served the dual purpose of providing entertainment for the people and maintaining the political status quo.”
Because of the tranquil times, the civilization’s society had more time to focus on writing, math, astronomy, and artistic fields, as well as trade and metallurgy. Out of all the city-states of Greece, two excelled over all the rest, Sparta and Athens. Even though they were the most advanced and strong civilizations, they were bitter enemies. While Athens focused mainly on the people’s democracy and citizen rights, Sparta were ferocious and enslaved its original inhabitants, making them unable to leave and kept under a close eye to prevent insurgence (History of Greece:The Golden Age of Greece). Additionally, Sparta had strict and trained soldiers that underwent intense physical exercising and instruction.
Humor has been the source of entertainment throughout history. Today humor is practiced in movies, plays, songs, television shows and radio. Humor has brought fame and fortune to those who have mastered its power.