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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.
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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
I did like the Gladiator movie, it did really shows perspectives of being a tragic hero. In which their was so much betrayal in this movie, it did represent on how much Maximus has done to bring an end to Commodus reign and the vengeance he seeked. I do believe that Maximus was a tragic hero because of what events that occur which would put him in danger. He was more admirable than an average person would be and would earn his glory. The fortune that a tragic hero would occur will end in a downfall. He does display on what a tragic hero will represent in which that will bring him justice or
A gladiators life was far from easy. Most were slaves, prisoners of war, or hardened criminals, therefore they were not free men. Often times they were trained and forced to take part in the events, hoping for their freedom if they were to conquer their grim fate and survived for a few years (wik). This was depicted in the most recent movie GLADIATOR. In this film Russel Crowe Maximus' starts out as an army general under Marcus Aurelius, until Commudus murders his own father out of spite for his fathers loyalty to Maximus and not him. He then inherits the title of king, and condemns Maximus to a gruesome fate as a slave/gladiator. Though this doesn't sound like the ideal life, to some at the time is was an appealing, so much so that some free men degraded themselves so they could battle in the games. Was it for basic living? Possibly but more than likely it was for the Fame and Prestige of a Gladiator. These free men were known as Professional gladiators.
My first point links it to the epic status as it starts right in the
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...
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).
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.
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...
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 ...
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.
...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.
Gladiator (2000) is an action drama about a Roman general that is betrayed by his country and is forced to fight in the Colosseum. This particular scene, which runs for approximately 5 minutes, is the aftermath of the fight scene between Maximus, the betrayed general, and Commodus, the jealous emperor who betrayed him. This scene is not only significant because it is the concluding scene of the film, but also because it represents the end of Maximus’s enslavement and his coming to peace with dying.
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
Vengeance, the act of revenge upon someone who opposed somebody wrongly. This is a big theme throughout the movie Gladiator along with many others like; honor, loyalty, deceit, power, tragedy, and perseverance. Maximus Decimus Meridius, the main character, and protagonist, was once a proud and dignified general that loses his status and is thrown into the slave trade. He becomes a gladiator, a job that relates to his leadership and fighting capabilities. Maximus fights his way to the top and eventually gets his revenge on Commodus, the person who killed his wife and son. He also restores order and creates a democracy for Rome by killing Commodus. Maximus is given two personas in Gladiator. One persona is symbolized when he is on a battlefield
The movie The Gladiator could be defined as a fictional movie that used real figures in history and portrayed their characteristics as accurately as possible while sticking to the storyline. While the filmmakers made the movie very realistic, they made liberties such as the main character, Maximus Decimus Meridius, and they combined many factual events and people to create the story in the way that they wanted. Viewers should not look at the movie as a true story but as an insight to what Rome was like as a civilization and a society.