Gladiator Film Analysis

An individual on average would fight about three times a year, and for the rest of the time travel with the troop. The troops swore an oath to their master, and traveled from city to city looking for work (Roman Gladiator). The social class of the Gladiators was rather ironic in itself. On one hand they were considered slaves, that's the lowest class in a social structure, but on the other hand, some gained popularity and were looked upon as great warriors and heroes. Some rose to celebrity status in a short time as in the movie when Maximus became a hero to the public eye, worthy of praise of greater importance than even the king himself. In the movie this was a direct result in the downfall of Commodus, but this isn't factual, as Maximus is a fictional character. It just demonstrates the influence the Gladiators had on the public eye, he was the ‘Rockstar of the Roman Empire'.

Most of the gladiators were criminals or prisoners of war that were forced to fight in the arena. Although they were considered slaves, they surprisingly had a better standard of living than most lower class Romans. Because they were financial investments, they had access to doctors and medicine, better food, and exercise. As the gladiator became more and more popular, he would attract greater crowds, making him more valuable, which led to getting him a better lifestyle. For this reason, some free citizens, aristocrats, and even emperors would join in hoping to increase their own wealth. Even slaves would train and fight hard because they could purchase their freedom once they accumulated enough wealth.

Gladiators were a huge part of the Roman society and a large part of Roman culture. The people of Rome loved gladiator battles. The Roman coliseum was built in order to fit the standards of a bloody, brutal battle while also being able to keep thousands of Roman citizens comfortable and entertained.

Maximus becomes enslaved in a foreign land and is forced to fight for his life as a gladiator. Maximus’ fame as a gladiator grew within Rome as his skill at combat became apparent. Commodus fears that Maximus will turn the Roman people against him and return rule of Rome to the Senate.

The movie Gladiator is based on a fictional storyline that takes place during the time of Ancient Rome. After having learned about Ancient Rome and the fashions of that time, I can say that the film Gladiator had both accurate and inaccurate representations of Ancient Roman fashion throughout. Some of the costumes, hair and makeup shown in the movie were accurate, while others were not.

Commodus' ambition begins after he kills his father Emperor Marcus Aurelius because he feels that his father did not love him enough and becomes the Emperor of Rome. Marcus says that Commodus "is not a moral man" and that "he cannot rule". Commodus is the Macbeth character in 'Gladiator' but is still not the main character. The main character in the film is Maximus who resembles Macduff in the film. While still being shown as a great fighter, Commodus is also shown in the film as a bit of a coward, after Maximus wins the war for Rome, Commodus shows up late to the victory celebrations acting as if he wasn’t even aware of a war even existing. Quickly after being crowned as Emperor of Rome, Commodus becomes disliked by the Senate and the people of Rome and seen as a pathetic leader. Commodus uses the ambition to be like his father to create barbaric fights in the Coliseum. "He'll bring them death and they will love him

Throughout the film, gladiatorial games are shown to be one of the most important parts of the Roman society. Gladiatorial games and fights followed a strict procedure and ceremony. They arrived at the Colosseum through an underground tunnel. From there, they were able to access to the arena through a pair of gates reserved to them only. Additionally, the gladiators often marched in groups, with their distinctive uniform and equipment. This is displayed accurately when Maximus enters the arena through a pair of gates and works with a team of other gladiators with similar outfits. However, they did not wear fantasy helmets and bands wrapped around the lower arms and their armors are not always closely historically accurate. Moreover, Roman people loved to watch people battle to death and bloodthirsty violence as a form of entertainment. Spectators in the film cheered and chanted wildly in the Colosseum when their favorite, Maximus was battling with

Finally, the last thing that was unfair was how the audience influenced if the gladiators lived or died. The reason why I say this is because sometimes the audience could choose if the gladiators would die. The way they would do this is by giving a thumbs up or a thumbs down. What a thumbs up means is that it was a excellent fight, and they spare the losing gladiator’s life. But that usually wasn’t the case. They most likely would give a thumbs down, and that meant that the winning gladiator would strike his opponent with a sword. They did this because the audience found it entertaining. Also, according to history.com they said that the audience was unfair to the gladiators, because they yell things like “burn him, or flog him,” which also influenced whether the gladiators would die or not. Even if the gladiators fought a great

Do you ever compare modern athletes to Roman Gladiators? Many people see many comparisons and there is plenty reason to. They have similar lives on and off the field. The comparisons in this show that athletes are almost futuristic versions of gladiators.

Gladiator is an epic historical action drama set in the Roman Empire during the reign of Commodus, the last emperor of the Nerva–Antonine dynasty. The film is directed by Ridley Scott and features big name actors such as Russel Crowe, Joaquin Phoenix, and the late Richard Harris. In brief the story of Gladiator centers Maximus Decimus Meridius (Russel Crowe), a betrayed Roman General who is forced into becoming a gladiator. Maximus fights his way from a lowly arena on the outskirts of the empire, to the Colosseum at Rome with the goal of killing the emperor Commodus, avenging the murder of his family.

He is found by slave traders and becomes a gladiator, or slave fighter. These men’s purpose is to provide entertainment for the Roman Empire by fighting to the death in an arena. They are seen as disposable men. Maximus redefines that term and becomes a well-known gladiator, despite his disadvantages. Maximus is determined to survive and bring justice to his slain wife and son. With his natural abilities to lead and inspire others, he wins the support of his fellow slave fighters and other prominent members of the Roman Empire who want to overthrow Commodus. Commodus’ sister, Lucilla, can see the effect he has on the people of Rome, when she says: “Today I saw a slave become more powerful than the Emperor of Rome.” Commodus may hold more power in terms of money, men, and authority, but Gladiator teaches us through Maximus, that a hero can reside within any person through resilience, loyalty and the mindset that good will prevail, even when that person hold little to no political or societal

In doing so, he forges an identity for Spartacus that is not that of a noble Roman, which is how Spartacus had been previously portrayed in other renditions. (Futrell 81) The gladiators’ affinity for nature is highlighted by the scene where Antoninus sings a song about nature’s beauty, and Spartacus, who is filled with emotion, tells Varinia that he wants to learn. The phenomena he wishes to learn about are natural phenomena, like the wind, which creates a sense of freedom around Spartacus. He also wishes to learn about Varinia, which is portrayed as an ideal and natural relationship. Despite his lack of knowledge and his inability to read, Varinia still tells him that he “[knows] things that can’t be taught,” implying that Spartacus has a unique identity different from that of educated Roman generals, which has been forged in nature, and is free from corruption. This is also highlighted when Spartacus talks to Tigranes about the inevitable fate of the gladiators, and he chooses to identify himself as a slave, showing that this rebellion doesn’t aim to win the gladiators a Roman identity, but to let them forge their own. This identity was fabricated by Kubrick, but nonetheless differentiated the gladiators from the Romans. This can be contrasted with the scene where Crassus and Antoninus are in the bath, and Crassus attempts to abuse his power over

I suppose the Gladiatorial fights were somewhat a trademark of the Roman Empire and indeed Roman Civilisation. I expect that this has something to do with the fact that Rome was built upon bloody conquest, and the Gladiatorial fights amplify both bloody conquest and indeed a noble luxurious life. There was also an aim for all Gladiators, that turned savage blood lust entertainment into an acceptable "tournament" of the highest calibre; gladiators could be given the wooden sword, symbolising freedom; the fact that the Gladiators are working for a goal, rather than just killing each

One thing I noticed that wasn’t historically accurate was the chants of the spectators at the arena. When a gladiator was wounded the audience was able to whether or not they want him to be killed or spared. The way the audience would decide would be either to wave their thumbs around, if they want him to be spared, or they would press their thumb against their opposite hand,

The biggest moment in which Commodus shows his lust for power is at the beginning of the movie. His father Marcus Aurelius, who is also the Emperor, decides that the Roman General Maximus Meridius, who is very close to Marcus, is to take over the Roman Empire as Ceasar once he dies(Movie). He does not believe Commodus is fit to rule. Marcus tells his son this news and Commodus is so heart broken by Marcus’ decision that he suffocates his own father in order to take over the empire(Movie). Commodus also shows pride in himself multiple times throughout the film. Towards the beginning of the film Commodus constantly boasts to the Senate and Maximus about how will take over the Empire once his father dies(Movie). Commodus also asks Maximus if he is willing to stay and continue leading the Roman Army when he becomes Ceasar. Later on in the movie after Commodus has become Ceasar, he is always showing how he is royalty(Movie). He takes pride in the way he dresses with fine white royal robes, the crown, fancy armor, and capes. He loves that he lives in a marble palace with servants and guards to fetch his every need, and has the finest decorations and tableware(Movie).