Maximus' call to adventure begins with a scene of himself walking
through what is the roman army's camp in Germania on his way to meet
with the emperor. The first impression we are given is visually the
long line of tents spanning for acres with many rows. This immediately
helps us assess the size and organization of the army from which we
already have knowledge from the first battle just previous. The
weather here plays a key point- it is cloudy, dark and there is a
light snow falling giving very much the sensation of it being cold.
Although the snow is light and not thick it appears to give a certain
"clean feeling" almost of purity symbolizing the destruction of the
heathen hordes in previous scenes. As soon as we see Maximus we
initially regard his clothing as minimal as he is simply wearing a
short sleeve shirt and a kind of skirt. Already the director has told
us it is cold by effective use of weather and lighting therefore we
recognize Maximus is very much unconcerned with the cold and already
we are given a tough guy image to contemplate.
Although this scene is short and last perhaps 30 seconds the director
has crammed so many images and connotations for the viewer to pick up
on about our hero. After we first see Maximus he then greets three men
sitting together and as they stand to show respect, as Maximus is a
general he ushers them to sit. The director has placed a new side to
Maximus for us to see and that being compassion, he then taps one on
the head and even though we have no dialogue he smiles and says
something and walks on. This series of gestures although very short
and in a space of 5-6 seconds are very effectiv...
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... we have
already seen of Maximus' character, plus a new dimension is added. The
director builds on Maximus' praying as an important part of his life,
the procedure and dialogue has the slow and thoughtful theme music in
the background giving the prayer a sad rather than happy overtone.
Once we see Maximus has little wooden figures of his wife and child
the director has got us hook line and sinker for Maximus as a kind
family man. He has through this part of the film came across as
compassionate, polite, kind hearted, home sick amongst a list of other
characteristics. His ability to communicate with all walks of people
differing in their degree of importance and still show general
politeness and respect has been engineered by the director to its most
effective, leaving our hero with an almost universal "good guy" image.
“To face the blood and the slaughter” Spartan Society and Values according to Tyrtaeus and Xenophon
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...
Question : Who were the spectators at Roman games? Discuss the relationship between them and the performers they watched.
On top of justice is being done, we need to look at the functions of
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).
Maximus’ continuing acts of selfless heroism and putting his life at stake for those who betrayed him make him great. His first act of selflessness occurred when he agreed to help out Commodus’ sister, who knowingly let his child, wife, and almost himself be slain. He forgives her and agrees to meet with her senator to help give Rome back. His second act of selflessness occurred when he battled in the arena taking on 5 enemies while the other slaves stayed in the back of the entryway.
Simkin, John. “ Military Tactics of the Roman Army.” spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk. Spartacus Educational, Sept. 1997- June 2013. Web. 9 Nov. 2013.
The Circus Maximus was a large place in Greece. The Circus Maximus was a horse chariot race running around a track. Almost like our NASCAR races today, these races where the biggest attraction in the day of the Greece. The citizens were greatly involved in the racing of the Circus Maximus.("Circus Maximus princeton.edu") Because so many people were involved with these races, they had to find a way to seat all of these people. ("Circus Maximus aviewoncities.com”) This was the first time they invented stadiums. There were also other events held in the Circus Maximus. These events were held for a long time and were eventually ended around 549 BC. The Circus Maximus reflected the values of ancient Rome for entertainment and competition in ancient Roman culture.
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.
To a soldier, war was not romantic nor an intellectual adventure: It was a job of work to which he brought a steady, stubborn, adaptable schooled application (Adcock 6). A grouping of men called Legions were the main force in the Roman Empire. In the Republican times the legions were given a serial number (I, II, III, etc.) each year they were recruited. The smallest unit in the legion was the century, made up of one hundred men. Legionaries used javelins to begin the battle at long range and disrupt enemy battle lines before charging forward to engage the enemy at close range with swords and shields. The normal strength of a Legion was four thousand infantry and two hundred calvary, which could be expanded to five thousand in an em...
“This account I have given the reader, not so much with the intention of commending the Romans, as of comforting those that have been conquered by them, and for the deterring others from attempting innovations under their government. This discourse of the Roman military conduct may also perhaps be of use to such of the curious as are ignorant of it, and yet have a mind to know it.” –excerpt from “Description of the Roman Army,” by Josephus
David was standing at the table against the fence near the sand pit. He would walk to the sand to fill up his bowl and return to the table. After doing two or three trips he moved his buckets to the table located on the sand were Maximus was shoveling sand into a bowl with a large shovel. They filled their containers side by side. As they filled their containers they also would take turns pouring water into their individual bowl/buckets. David continued to collect sand from the ground and then pour water over it. David and Maximus continued to work on putting sand and water into their own vessels side by side for some time.
" 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 river tore through the earth like a hungry worm, ripping its way to the ocean. Along the shore of the river stood an army’s camp, the war tents and gathering tents stood well-kept, but empty. Not a soul could be found in the camp, even the lowly camp followers had left. The men who inhabited the camp stood on a small hill nearby, they encircled the base of the hill as a man on top read a letter. “The Senate and People of Rome address you, Gaius Julius, and the men under your service.
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,