Wait a second!
More handpicked essays just for you.
More handpicked essays just for you.
Don’t take our word for it - see why 10 million students trust us with their essay needs.
Recommended: Essays on gladiators
Violence plays an essential role in Empress of Rome because it is a tool used to keep the nation unified. The power of the Roman Empire was maintained through the federation of the people, once they were happy peace was guaranteed. Quinn provides examples throughout the novel of ways in which this was accomplish. “The Colosseum had been thrown open to the crowd for the festival day, and the games were planned. No doubt a thousand lions would be slaughtered by spearmen, five thousand exotic birds by archers, and a few hundred prisoners by guards, and half the unlucky bastards sentenced to the gladiatorial fights would get dragged out on hooks through the Gate of Death” (Quinn 20). Violence is this era was seen as entertainment. The colosseum
housed what is widely known as the games, which are violent and murderous fights between gladiators, who were usually slaves, criminals, or prisoners of war, for the public. In addition to the games, the coliseum also held chariot races and other actives. Despite being emperor Trajan, like his people, took pride in the games and thoroughly enjoyed them. It could be due to his background as a legionary or it may be something else. Whatever it may be, the result was the love of his people. Like Sabina told Vix, “He goes all over the city without guards, and no one harms him” (Quinn 22). Product of their ability to identify with parts of him and fear of their lives. Who would be crazy enough to attack and emperor? Having a common understanding and love for violence allowed for everyone in the empire to stand together as one. Which is the main reason violence is such a contributing factor in the novel.
The games in ancient Rome have a long and colorful history, and were an incredibly large part of the culture of the great empire. For the purposes of this essay, 3 main functions of the games w... ... middle of paper ... ... the games could be effective by proving the armies absolute power and to divert political opinions. Quote (p 169)'
In contrast to the publicity spin of today’s tabloids, ‘losers attract notoriety,’ (Fear, 2008, p, 6) Roman society was no different with one’s reputation of paramount importance and continually defended. Antony and Cleopatra’s union was ammunition for Octavian and propaganda used against the couple in their pursuing battle of Actium. (Fear, 2008, p.7.)
There is almost no question that the lifeblood of the Roman state was war, and that the decisions made by Roman politicians were usually in the interest of keeping this blood flowing. Through all of the endless warfare Rome managed to conquer most of the territory surrounding the Mediterranean Sea, and ruled most of this large swath of land by the proxy of co-opted local elites. Therefore it is difficult to imagine how Rome managed to keep its citizenry in check without instilling a powerful sense of fear in them. Despite being such a war like nation the Romans did not run a police state. They did brutally police their citizenry when they saw a threat to the state from within regarding cult like behavior from religions they would have considered strange.
In many modern books written about Ancient Rome and her people, the Romans are often portrayed as brutal and unforgiving people who enjoyed violence and thought it amusing to see people being injured and killed to the point of obsession. It is my aim to establish whether this classification is justified or if it is simply an exaggeration of what a small group of people enjoyed.
Finally, social causes were the last main reason for the downfall of the Roman Empire. Crime rate bounced off the charts and hit the chains. Rome’s morals and values were unable to balance towards the end and emperors were blamed for misusing money on useless festivities that made people eat and drink until they got sick to their stomach. At the Coliseum, the most popular entertainment area for Romans, gladiatorial combats performed over an over again. It was very amusing and exciting at the same time. The ground would drain in blood and then be covered with a layer of sand for the following contest. It was great for the Romans because anyone was able to attend and probably took the problems in their life off their mind. For social purposes, us Americans like to go to the movies and mall and have lots of fun with our friends. It gives us the time to relax and not worry about family problems or school or what’s going on in the world these days. I’d say the United States has a long way until it comes to a complete fall. But I know in my heart if leaders such as Bush rise to run this country, we are surely in major dilemma and evidently American power will decline.
entertainment was cruel and brutal it satisfied the Roman's need for excitment and relaxation. In
“The Romans are often characterized as loving violent and cruel entertainment in the amphitheatre. It has been suggested that the games served the dual purpose of providing entertainment for the people and maintaining the political status quo.”
... for seemingly sympathetic or admirable portrayals of Roman enemies, but in this case it is a facile one. Using all the mechanisms mentioned, Tacitus rather seems to be interested in reminding his readers of the humanity even of Rome's enemies, identifying them with an earlier vision of Rome itself and pointing out the ways in which dishonorable acts on the part of Romans can lead to unnecessary bloodshed and carnage. The Romans made the Iceni into rebels, goading them into war (in Tacitus' phrasing), and then were obliged to put down the rebellion which was essentially of their own creation. In the Annales, Tacitus gently reminds that recognizing the common humanity even of barbarians can avert war and lead to a more humane and honorable way of life.
During the middle and late third century Roman republic era gave rise to the arena games and became a great phenomenon for the Romans. An amphitheater, also known as a coliseum, housed these dangerous games that potentially harmed the audience as well as those who participated in them. Gladiatorial combat originated as part of funerals for deceased influential Romans. These large gladiatorial games were held by emperors during funerals of important roman officials, but were also included during other occasions. Over time the connection among the gladiator games and funerals decreased, and the upper class put on the games mainly to raise their social standing and gain favor with the public. Many politicians held these highly known games to help them sway votes of power and popularity (Meijer 2003, 27). “The arena was the embodiment of the empire.” (Futrell 1997, 209). The contestants, or the gladiators, had more significance of the Roman Empire beyond that as their role of entertainment.
As with the open windows around the structure, giving a peak of what 's inside. The Colosseum is a significant amphitheater as the arena is only made of sand not like your typical arena. The sand is used in the arena for the gladiator fight and wild animal attack giving a more intimidating scene. The Colosseum is powerful for this violent event which were very popular in the ancient time. From the rich important people to the poor can come to the Colosseum and enjoy the violent show. The location of the Colosseum is significant as it is in the center of the city of Rome, Italy. Where the whole city has access to wonderful structure and admire the building, as it is a monument to the ancient
The Civil War in the eyes of most people is not glorious, but rather one of the worst crimes you could possibly commit when the state is all-important. Only under the most extreme circumstances should one be allowed to (in the eyes of the people that is) begin a Civil War with just cause. Caesar took this into consideration, but too many things were going wrong in Rome for him not to begin the war.
Roman culture was impregnated with an affinity for conflict at its inception. The myths of origin provided ample evidence to the people of Rome for importance of violence
Ultimately, the Roman Republic’s downfall lay in its lack of major wars or other crises, which led to a void of honor and leadership. War united all of Rome’s people, and provided the challenge to its leaders to develop honor and leadership by their causes and actions. The lack of war allowed the Roman Republic to stagnate and become self-indulgent. By the end of the Punic Wars, which combined these elements, Rome was sure to fail. Without a common thread uniting its society, the Roman Republic unraveled because it had nothing left holding it together.
The Colosseum is an important part of ancient Roman history. The amphitheater is a symbol of Roman culture. The Colosseum displayed the violence of Roman culture. This incredibly unique amphitheater dominated the city of Rome. It was one of the most innovative and complex structures during that time period. The vastness of this impressive building displayed the wealth and power of the Roman Empire to other empires and enemies of the Romans. The Colosseum was created for public entertainment purposes. Gladiator fights with prisoners of war and slaves, wild animal hunts, professional fights, and public executions all took place at the Colosseum. Sea battles, rarely performed at the Colosseum, involved flooding the arena with water and releasing sharks for gladiators to fight. The excitement and thrill of each event kept spectators coming back.
In fact, gladiatorial combat could be seen as an artistic spectacle. For instance, “the morality of the Roman state was more complex. They avoided pointless cruelty whenever possible,” (Baker 4). Contrary to popular belief, the Romans did not seek to use the games as a means to view brutal bloodshed. Instead it, “quickly came to symbolize Roman military might… it was also a warning to all parts of the Empire not to think of challenging Rome, whose citizens watched bloody slaughter for entertainment” (Baker 39). Thus, other empires were hesitant to challenge Rome after they heard that their citizens watched men fight in large arenas for entertainment. In combination with the mandatory citizen army, gladiatorial combat showcased the significance that Romans placed on military combat. The victors of the games were also compensated across all spectrums, “whoever gave the most impressive contest gained great popularity with the people, and could expect to do particularly well at election time” (Baker 33). Since Roman society revolved heavily around physical strength, it made sense that the victors advanced into political office. With that being said, gladiatorial combat is central to an individual’s fame, fortune, and political