Gladiator Battles In The Movie example essay topic

The truth on the gladiator The movie "Gladiator" was mostly a true story. Although much research was completed to create the movie, the main plot is fiction. The pieces that are fiction do seem to be based on true historical facts. Gladiator (derived from Latin gladius, sword): Professional combatants who fought to the death in public Roman shows. Contrary to many beliefs, Gladiator spectacles did not start in Rome. The Romans actually borrowed this from the Etruria.

The time is around 180 CE. Rome is a glorious city, one would only wish to see in their lifetime. The Roman Empire is expanding in all directions. They were the chief power. No one could stop them, it seemed. The strong Roman Empire survived several hundred years.

Marcus Aurelius was the current emperor. This is where the movie begins. In the film, there are many questions one may ask themselves while viewing the film. They may wonder of the Roman life, or of the classes of citizens. The three questions of the film that this researcher took upon is as follows; Was the life and story of Maximus true? Was the life and story of Commodus true?

And finally, are the gladiator battles depicted in the movie historically accurate? In the film Commodus seemed to be a little strange in the film. He desires to be with his sister, and acts in mysterious ways. His full name was Caesar Marcus Aurelius Commodus Antoninus Augustus. His father proclaimed him Caesar at age 5 and co-Augustus at the age of 17, in 177 CE. His father, was a great man, while his son was hated by the Senate and ridiculed by historians.

The army and the lower classes loved him. Many historians even question his sanity. He renamed Rome Colonia Commodiana, the "Colony of Commodus", and renamed the months of the year after titles held in his honor, Lucius, Alius, Aurelius, Commodus, Augustus, Hercule us, Romans, Exsuperatorius, Amazon ius, Invictus, Felix, and Pius. The Senate was renamed the Commodian Fortunate Senate, and the Roman people were given the name Commodianus.

Commodus went so far as to declare himself the new founder of Rome, a "new Romulus". He was trying to be like his father, by rebuilding Rome. The movie was pretty accurate in all aspects of Commodus. Commodus claimed to be descended from the God Hercules, and even began to dress like him, wearing lion skins and carrying a club. Commodus was actually a gladiator. He also fought wild beasts.

Dio Cassius wrote that Commodus killed five hippopotami at one time. He also killed two elephants, several rhinoceroses, and a giraffe "with the greatest of ease". He is recorded to have killed one hundred leopards with one hundred javelins. As a theatrical treat, he would slice the heads off of ostriches with crescent-headed arrows, which would run around the stage headless. One part that conflicts with the movie, is that Commodus did not die in the coliseum. He was assassinated by an athlete.

There were many attempts upon his life, but the one which finally succeeded was carried out by a wrestler named Narcissus, while Commodus was in his bath. This was carried out by his closest advisors, and also his mistress Marcia. It occurred on the last day of the year 192. It was believed that Commodus planned to kill the consuls-elect, and be sworn in as consul himself. This he reportedly was going to do dressed as a gladiator, in his lion skins. This was the final outrage.

Commodus ruled for 12 years, a much longer period than alluded to in the film. Dio Cassius wrote that Commodus was "a greater curse to the Romans than any pestilence or any crime". Maximus is a fictitious character. Even though he did not exist, he seems to be a composite of actual historical figures. In the film, Maximus was Marcus Aurelius' general.

There was actually a general by the name of A vidius Cassius, who was involved in the military campaign shown in the film, and, upon hearing a rumor of Marcus Aurelius' death, declared himself emperor. He was assassinated by his own soldiers. It is true that there was, in the later Empire, a General by the name of Maximus who appears to have had revolutionary intentions. He is most likely an inspiration as well.

Maximus is also like the emperor Diocletian. In the film, Marcus Aurelius names Maximus as his heir. Diocletian, ruled Rome from 284 to 305 CE, was born in the lower classes, like Maximus. He eventually became his emperor's trusted favorite and bodyguard, and later became a general. Finally he was named heir, and soon became emperor.

The character Maximus, while not real, is not that far-off. The gladiator battles in the movie were the most historically accurate parts in the movie. The coliseum was actually computer generated, and gave everyone who watched the film an idea of what the great coliseum looked like. The gladiators were usually prisoners of war, slaves, criminals condemned to death. There were many different races in the gladiator battle, as in the movie. There were also women battling.

The gladiators were trained in schools, called l udi. These schools were either owned by state or private citizens as in the movie. The gladiators were bought and traded, and this was a legitimate branch of commerce. There were various classes of gladiators with various weapons. The gladiators were also given special names, as Maximus was given in the movie. The spectators did decide if the wounded gladiator would live or die.

The movie was mostly accurate. The only parts that were not accurate, were the truth, only twisted a little. So, if one thought about it, the movie was totally accurate, in one aspect or another.