Gladiator Maximus Is NOT A Tragic Hero

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In Ancient Greece tragic stories were the best form of entertainment. Because usually the fall of the tragic hero was relatable to the common people. One of the philosophers who developed the guidelines for tragic hero stories was Aristotle. He had five rules that you must follow in order to make a tragic hero story. The hero must be born of nobleness or have wisdom, the hero must have a fatal flaw, the hero must have a reversal of fortune because of his main error, anagnorisis, the hero must realize it’s his fault, and finally the hero must suffer a fate greater than what they deserved. Aristotle set these guidelines for many years to come. In Gladiator Maximus demonstrates some of Aristotle’s rules for creating a tragic story but I believe Maximus isn’t a tragic hero because he only follows two of the five traits required for a tragic hero. He is wise and suffers a fate greater than what he deserves. In the movie he shows his wisdom on the battlefield and in the arena. Also Maximus and his family both die and that’s not the fate he deserves. . …show more content…

When Commodus kills Marcus Aurelius, Commodus sends for Maximus to have him killed also. But Maximus is able to get away because he ends up killing the men that were sent to kill him, but he ends up getting cut. On the way he has a vision that the Legion is on there way to kill his family, when he arrives he finds his wife and son hanged and burned. As he sits there he passes out from the cut he received from the guards sent to kill him. When he awakes he is on a slave trader's caravan. He ends up getting sold to a guy named Proximo, who uses his slaves as gladiators. Maximus quickly becomes a great gladiator winning over the

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