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 …show more content…
in today’s Germany where it is cold, dark, and bloody. Even the music depicts a harsh environment. This shows him being a fierce and dignified general for the Roman Legion. While the other persona is symbolized by Maximus walking through a corn field with his family depicting him as a family man who is kind, caring, and gentle. Maximus falls from his status of being general and goes through a journey of pain and suffering while finding friendship along the way to get his revenge on Commodus and return Rome back to its original values while staying true to his moral values. Maximus’s background is very complex involving many aspects. He was a fierce hard-working general that was once a farmer. His men loved him and he was loyal to his king, Marcus Aurelius. Maximus was never scared and never lost a battle because of his will and motivation to return home to his wife and son. This shows his heroism as a character and Kate says “He never gave in to fear. Instead, he exuded a quiet confidence that unnerved his opponents” (McKay). As a general, he was an eminent leader and dignified general while being a rugged and tough warrior. His inspirational motives and actions won the loyalty of his fellow soldiers and many times “Those who follow him would go as far as the ends of the Earth for him” (Gladiator) is said. His soldiers show him profound respect and shmoop says “When Maximus walks among the ranks of his men, heroic music’s playing and many soldiers voluntarily kneel down respectfully” (Shmoop). As a husband and father, he is a caring man. He is depicted as a family man who is gentle and loving. Before being sentenced to death his objective was to return home to his family after the war. Once sentenced to death by Commodus, he must fight for a completely new reason. Maximus’s wife and son were both killed because of orders from Commodus. The only time in the movie you see him vulnerable and unmanly like because he is crying hysterically. Maximus is now captured and put into the life of a slave. He goes through the hardship of being a slave and is sold to Proximo to become a gladiator. He is now given orders to fight for entertainment. Maximus resists fighting at first but ends up fighting for mere survival. He does not see any glory in winning these battles until he realizes he can fight towards his freedom and vengeance. He never fights to bring the people entertainment because of his moral values, but rather kills to reach freedom and because he is required to kill to survive. During one match, he screams out “I do not entertain” (Gladiator) after brutally murdering his foes showing he is standing up for his beliefs. Even without his army backing him, he remains true, steadfast, and brave. He embraces taking on his enemies without fear. Maximus is still loved and cheered on by the people even though he is rebelling against the people who control his life, Proximo and Commodus. Once Maximus reaches Rome after Commodus brings back the gladiator games in The Colosseum, he continuously gains more and more power because of the people loving him as a gladiator.
They respect him because of how he fights honorably and extremely well. Even during the thick of the battles while in the arena, he always watches out for his friends like he did with his soldiers. Maximus not only fights for freedom but for a chance to come face to face with Commodus so he can get his revenge by killing him. He thinks if he can become famous enough by winning the crowd, Commodus will come out and meet him. Through each battle, he wins and still stays true to his moral values and loyal to those who love him. Maximus’s perseverance is what makes him an amazing warrior. Even against all odds of being cheated by Commodus, he continuously wins battles and stays merciful. In the last battle, Maximus is not scared of fighting Commodus and says, “Death smiles at us all, all a man can do is smile back” (Gladiator). After Maximus said this while chuckling, “Commodus stacks the cards against Maximus by stabbing him with a dagger, puncturing his lung. He is forced to fight with the wound concealed beneath his armor” (Alchin). This once again shows who Commodus really is, a cheater and backstabber. After his long journey of losing people who were close to him, Maximus finally faces Commodus. Because of being stabbed before the fight, Maximus is on the edge of death the whole time, yet he …show more content…
continues to fight. This shows his perseverance yet again. As he has from the start of the movie, he continues to fight against the odds even though the outcome looks grim. Near the end of the fight, they both lose their swords and fist fight but again Commodus cheats and pulls out a dagger. This shows the crowd what kind of a man he really is. Even in an unequal fight, Maximus still pulls out on top and finally gets his revenge by killing Commodus. Finally, Maximus’s fight is over. His journey comes to an end and he lowers his guard and falls to the ground after fighting with honor and integrity. Maximus fought for twelve years, traveled all over Europe, won a war, lost his family, became a gladiator, and even killed an emperor.
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
afterlife.
Jack Spencer's dad is tough on him, but Jack's learned to live with it. For the most part, Jack has it pretty good. He's a star player on his high school basketball team with everything going for him - scoring records, popularity, and an easy path to a college scholarship. Then, the unbelievable happens, and bad news leads to worse news. Almost as fast as the crash that put his mom in the hospital, everything that Jack believes in starts to crumble. His only hope is to discover what's really going on, and quickly. If he doesn't, Jack may lose much more than a basketball career.
A longing for revenge can hold people captive in their own minds, influencing thoughts and speech. The Tempest, by William Shakespeare, is a play that follows the story of Prospero, the rightful Duke of Milan, after he is overpowered by his own brother and left to die with his daughter in a cramped sailboat. He seeks vengeance against many; however, he is not alone in his pursuit of revenge. His servant, Caliban, yearns for revenge toward Prospero for commanding him to be his slave. As Prospero seeks revenge on Antonio and Caliban, he does not realize Caliban’s own craving for revenge against him.
Iago throughout the book uses manipulative language to convince characters throughout scenes. However he doesn’t fail, from the beginning he has a well thought out plan, he manipulates people and he has complete lack of empathy which gives him the perfect traits for being a villain. A perfect villain in my definition is someone who can plan out a villainous act and act it out without failure. Iago has achieved this and so I consider him a perfect villain. Although Iago has a few flaws acting out his plan he achieves his goal to an extent in an evil and villainous way such as the failure of murdering of Cassio and his being tortured.
The statement peace is better than revenge is perfect for the book the roll of thunder Hear me cry. There are so many times while you are reading this novel that things could of went completely different if they would of gotten revenge but instead did the right thing to solve problems. Page 116 of Roll Of Thunder Hear Me Cry states “when the words had been spoken i turned and fled crying into the back of the wagon, no day in my life had ever been as cruel as this one”. This quote represents mamas effort to solve problems. By making Cassie apologize even when she wasn't the main problem caused more peace than getting revenge.
In the novella of The Crucible by Arthur Miller vengeance is walking Salem in causing several conflicts throughout the Salem village. Many of the conflicts are due with getting back at one another with the need for revenge. “We are what we always were in Salem, but now the little crazy children are jangling keys of the kingdom, and common vengeance writes the law!” (Miller 81). This quote is trying to prove the point the proctor has a very good understanding of what is happening in how the little girls are rebelling and acting out. They are accusing several women of being witches. “Why, Abigail Williams charge her” (Miller 77). The quote is trying to show how many of the girls are calling out the wives in the Salem village.
When I watched the movie Gladiator (1999), the protagonist named Maximus. He shows the qualities that would represent on how great he was for Rome. In Aristotle’s ideas about tragedy
Although this storyline is very entertaining it isn't very factual. 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.
Brutus exclaims that the masses are worth more than an individual, that individual who is Caesar. In spite of those beliefs, Cassius offers him salvation. Cassius entices Brutus with the notion of a false faith, the end to his suffering with be at the end of Caesar's life. A dream which Brutus gladly fights when he utters, “ Let us be sacrificers but not butchers, Cassius. And in spite of the men, there is no blood”(2.1.173-175). Brutus offers insight into his notion of worth, he will kill for a righteous deed, an honorable action, but not slay wantonly. Brutus is a true martyr for a deceptive plan, when he says, “I have the same dagger for myself, when it shall please my country to need my death”(3.2.41-43). A person of high moral values, an individual who strive to accomplish his ambition, Brutus was the most honorable Roman. However, many would view
Livy begins early in establishing the basic characteristics of Romulus, arguably the most notable Roman in history. Romulus and his brother Remus were “energetic young men, who [were]… strengthened… in body and spirit.” (Livy 9). Livy then describes the clash of these attributes between the two brothers, as Romulus and Remus battle for supremacy. “From a war of words, anger turned them to bloodshed. In the heat of the melee, Remus met his death.” (Livy 11). Livy wastes no time in establishing the brutal tradition of war that helped to extend the Roman Empire. Romulus came to power because of force, and furthered his rule by the same means: “By brute force and without strategy the Roman king prevailed, using the might of his veteran army alone.” (Livy 20). This overwhelm...
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).
Much like today’s athletes gladiators competed with one another to decide a victor and is a form of entertainment for people spectating. But Gladiators competed much different than professional athletes do today. Gladiators were forced to fight for the entertainment of others and were considered slaves (“ The Roman Gladiator”). Gladiators did not just fight for friendly sport either they had to fight to the death. This made the gladiatorial games so exciting for the people watching. The people loved to watch others fight and the gore that they would see while the gladiators were fighting. It may sound horrible in today’s society but back then it was the most prominent form of entertainment. Different from today’s athletes and entertainers, gladiators were slaves and were told what to do against their will. Much of the gladiators were slaves, criminals, and prisoners of war. Gladiatorial games were mostly held by the Roman Republic and forced there enemy’s to fight for their lives in the...
The Scene begins with a high angle extreme long shot of about one quarter of the inside of the colosseum. Roman guards surround Maximus as he stands over the body of the defeated Commodus. Here, the graphic blocking of the guards represents Maximus’s enslavement and further reminds the viewer of the futility of his situation. After all,
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
While Brutus sees life as something to be solved with logic and guided by morality, Mark Antony views life as something that he can twist and mold into whatever he needs it to be at any given moment. Mark Antony uses the audience of the funeral speech as tools to wrench the Roman Republic from the hands of Brutus and place the crown on his own head. He inspires rage and distrust in the plebeians, and directly spurs on the Battle of Philippi. Brutus is roped into this situation despite his unselfish motives, and has to defend himself and his fellows against the armies of Mark Antony and the young Octavius. From beginning to end, the characters of The Tragedy of Julius Caesar are true to their defining qualities and do not depart from the molds they have cast of
“I love the name of honor more than I fear death” (“Gaius”, Illustrated). I said this because I believe that it is important to do something honorable even if you have to die. It is considered honorable to die bravely in war instead of running away like a coward. This related to my purpose because it shows how courageous I was and how I was willing to die for my republic in war, making me a honorable leader in Rome’s history. I believe I was the greatest ruler of Rome in history because I ran my government to succeed. I feel no one is worthy of any power except myself, the best ruler of Rome, and this was only achievable with my political relationships, military experience, and government tactics.