In the movie Gladiator, courage is a major ideal displayed through characters and a lack of courage is displayed through some of the characters of this film as well. Merriam-Webster’s Dictionary defines courage as “mental or moral strength to venture, persevere, and withstand danger, fear, or difficult”. Throughout the movie Gladiator, Maximus Decimus Meridius, a Roman general, is betrayed by Commodus who wants the throne for himself. Maximus is thought to be dead when in reality he survived and has become a gladiator. In the betrayal of Maximus, his wife and son were also killed. Maximus is out for revenge but to do that he must be in reach of Commodus. Maximus embodies the ideals of courage and the definition throughout the movie Gladiator. Maximus shows …show more content…
If Maximus dies there he will not have his vengeance on Commodus and Maximus won’t be able to help Marcus Aurelius’ vision of Rome happen. However, since Maximus has courage he isn’t scared but has the moral strength to say what he needs to say to Commodus. The only reason why Maximus is spared is because of the Romans in the Coliseum watching this scene take place. The crowd is screaming to Commodus that Maximus and the gladiators should be spared and Commodus listens to them to appease the crowds and gives a thumbs up, to signal that the gladiators are spared and they live to fight another battle. However, in Roger Eberts’ review of the Gladiator he talks about how Commodus’ thumb signal is wrong and is actually condemning the gladiators to die. “…since the practice at the Colosseum at that time was to close the thumb in the fist to signal life; an extended thumb meant death”. Eberts is saying that historically speaking, the hand motion that Commodus uses in the movie to spare the gladiators in the arena is actually condemning them to their
When it comes to being a tragic hero the character has to have the qualities of being a tragic hero. A tragic hero is where the main character of a tragedy whose fatal flaw leads to his or her destruction. Either the character was born into society as a great man or a slave, they may have carry
Consus where the opening sacrifices took place was located in the center of the Circus Maximus where the racing took place. Like racing, gladiators probably originated as funeral games, with religious significance attached to what in affect was the ritual sacrifice of the gladiators themselves. The first recorded gladiator fight was in 264BC, when 3 pairs of gladiators fought to the death during the funeral of Junius Brutus. The gladiator fights were known as munera as they were originally 'duties' paid to dead ancestors. They gradually lost their connection to funerals under the Roman Empire and became an important stage for emperors and leaders to put on spectacles for their own reasons.
Courage is when you know you’re beaten. The character Atticus, for instance, who was a seasoned lawyer acted courageous defending Tom Robinson. Tom Robinson was a black man who was accused of raping a white girl. Atticus was appointed to defend him. Jem was happy because he thought his father had won the case but Reverend Sykes loathed telling Jem “Now don’t you be so confident, Mr. Jem, I ain’t ever seen any jury decide in favor of a colored man over a white man…”(Lee 208). Atticus was sure he wasn’t going to win the case, nevertheless he gave it a try. That didn’t stop Atticus from trying to defend his client Tom Robinson. Another part in the novel when Atticus was courageous was when he shot at the man street dog. Heck Tate the Maycomb Sheriff was not as courageous as Atticus so he handed Atticus the air rifles and with one shot Atticus took down the street dog. Miss Maudie says “I saw that, One Shot Finch” (Lee 97). Atticus was referred to as one-shot finch because of his shooting skills. The other incidence in the novel when Atticus portrays courage was when he was not scared when Bob Ewell threatened him. Bob Ewell was the man who accused Atticus’ defendant Tom Robinson of raping his daughter Mayella. Atticus thought Bob Ewell threatened him as some sort of revenge, but unfortunately Atticus was wrong because when Bob Ewell said ...
Courage: the ability to do something that frightens one, meaning the act of being courageous is not to be deterred by danger. This one word can categorize a person on a whole higher level. Stonewall Jackson exemplified tho word better than anyone else ever could have. For example, at the first battle of Bull Run, while several Confederate units were falling into disorder and panic, their general pointed to Jackson and his men who were withstanding the attack and said "There stands Jackson like a stone wall!" thus urging his men to gather their courage as well and regroup behind Jackson's position. In spring 1862, in Shenandoh Valley, Virginia, Stonewall created the Valley Campaign. In Jackson’s Valley Campaign, he marched
Based on the Merriam Webster dictionary, courage is defined as the,“mental or moral strength to venture, persevere, and withstand danger, fear, or difficulty.” In the play, the characters are tested and forced to make life or death decisions, with
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).
This type of courage is shown by Bilbo as he accepts and departs on his adventure. The hobbits of Bilbo’s town frowned upon adventures and considered them to be dangerous and wasteful, yet Bilbo went on one because he thought it was right, thereby showing Bilbo’s courageous nature as he defied the status quo and society’s slander, thus making him an admirable character to many of today’s people as they do not have the courage to defy their status
Harper Lee’s definition of “courage” is still fighting for something when you know that you will most likely fail. As Harper Lee wrote in To Kill a Mockingbird “It’s when you know you’re likcked before you begin but you begin anyway and you see it through no matter what” (Lee 149). There are a few characters that stand out show courage in To Kill a Mockingbird and those characters are Scout, Atticus, and Mrs. Dubose. My first example of a character supporting Harper Lee’s definition of courage is, “‘Simply because we were licked a hundred years before is no reason for us not to try to win,’ Atticus said” (Lee 101). Cecil Jacobs said that Atticus defended niggers at school. Scout said that he wasn’t but asked Atticus about it when she went
Despite the triple digit temperature, the stadium is packed with spectators. The first group of men storm the grassy field dressed in their protective armor. They jump up and down, chant, and butt helmeted heads, fueled by adrenaline from the deafening cheers of the spectators. Another group, dressed in a different color storms the field, and the spectators cheers turn to boos that echo around the stands. Both groups line up face to face with their opponent, awaiting their leaders command to charge. In a blink of an eye they charge, clashing into one another as they fight for the upper hand, fueled by more monstrous applause… What may sound like a scene from the movie Gladiator, is actually the beginning of a college football game. The University
A tragic hero is defined as a person of high social rank, who has a tragic flaw or flaws that lead to their downfall. These heroes’ downfalls are usually either complete ruin or death. Tragic heroes face their downfall with courage and dignity. While many characters in Julius Caesar could fit these conditions, the person who fits the role of a tragic hero the best is Marcus Brutus. Brutus develops into a tragic hero throughout the play, and this is shown though his qualifications of a tragic hero, his high status, his tragic flaws, and his courage in the face of his death.
"Courage is when you know you're licked before you begin, but you begin anyway and you see it through no matter what" According to Atticus Finch, an honest lawyer in Harper Lee's novel "To Kill a Mockingbird" courage is not a man with a gun in his hand. "Real courage" is when you fight for what is right regardless of whether you win or lose. Atticus fits into this definition of what "real courage" is and demonstrates it several times throughout the novel.
But this isn’t the definition of courage. Courage is being able to act in the face of danger or in an uncomfortable state. Being stubborn and brash is the exact opposite, as someone acting as such may danger others and/or may be comfortable by standing alone. A prime example is shown in 12 Angry Men, as Juror 8 and Juror 3 represent courage and arrogance. At one time in the film, they both stand alone against a room full of people thinking against them, but how they act to it makes them who they are. Unlike how Juror 8 sways others individually, Juror 3 refused to act politely and focuses on himself, making others not appreciate him and seeing him as a barrier to
Within the novel "to kill a mocking bird" the character Atticus finch defines courage as, "Courage is when you know you're licked before you begin, but you begin anyway and you see it through no matter what." Atticus takes the first step by being courageous to take the Tom Robinson case, defying the towns liking of prejudice, even his own sister thinks that he is disgracing the family by taking the case he explains with concern
In this world, there are many courageous people mentioned on the television. The action movies are always talking about how courage is the key to save the world. The superheroes in the movie are always destined to make a courageous choice to save the day. But in this modern society, what is a real courage? What kind of action is a courageous act? Courage is something that anyone can achieve yet it might be the hardest thing for people. For an act to be courageous it must comply with the following criteria:
The expectancy theory proposes an individual will behave or act in a certain way because they are motivated to select a specific behavior over other behaviors due to what they expect the result of that selected behavior will be. In essence, the motivation of the behavior selection is determined by how much one desires the outcome to be. This is shown when Maximus is initially recognized as a supreme gladiator by his owner Proximo, the man who taught him how to fight as a gladiator. Proximo took great interest in Maximus’ abilities and encourages him to go to the Roman Coliseum to fight for his freedom. Proximo advises him that if he is able to “win the crowd”, he will earn their respect and eventually his freedom. Performance to Outcome poses the question on whether success will lead to reward. The reward in this case would be after successfully winning battles, and the crowds’ favor, Maximus would gain his freedom and seize his opportunity to kill Commodus. Maximus’ strong desire of vengeance for the murder of his family drives him to win every battle he comes up against. Infuriated by Maximus’ success, Commodus sets up a fixed fight between Maximus and Tigris of Gaul, the undefeated gladiator. Maximus prevails in the battle and against Commodus’ orders, spares Tigris’ life. Maximus’ defiance of the emperor and mercy to Tigris made him more popular to the crowd than even Commodus