The Nature of Gladiator Fights
The Gladiatorial fights were noble in some ways, but in others seem to
have the characteristics of the lowest form of entertainment.
Gladiators were considered to fight with pride, they honoured their
Gods with sacrifices and prayer for victory and they honoured their
traditions and heritage, often being armed in weapons and armour, and
having fighting styles originating from their country of origin. For
example "the Gaul." Glory and fame, were just two of the noble
characteristics associated with gladiators, and they were dressed in
the fashion of a noble soldier, often trained in the same way. They
were often given mythological names by their trainer, nothing says
nobility more than a mythological hero.
Basic tactics and skill are also a very important part of the
Gladiatorial fight, again increasing nobility. A gladiatorial fight
can certainly be compared to a noble, international fight for the
expansion of the Roman Empire. The nobility of the fight can only be
increased by the whole context, the religious origin, probably being
the origin of the religious ceremonies to mark the commencement of the
games. Then the gladiators would salute the sponsor of the game with
an extremely brave and courageous statement looking death right in the
face.
The gladiatorial fights also had strict, formal rules that were
enforced, which adds something to the general nobility: e.g. a lanista
would supervise the fight and weapons were submitted for inspection
before the fight (those not sharp enough were discarded) As with any
supposed sport, Gladiatorial fighting had strict etiquette, for
example, a trumpe...
... middle of paper ...
...s, gambling and prostitution to name but two. Gladiatorial shows
were often considered by the emperor as a political weapon to
manipulate the people, which is a shame.
To conclude by today's standards the shows do seem extremely blood
thirsty and due to this not noble. However in Rome, Blood and nobility
were not necessarily contradictions, the Gladiatorial shows were
certainly not as bloodthirsty as certain other forms of Roman
entertainment, e.g. the midday executions. The fights themselves as a
formal sport seem quite noble, but when looked at from the perspective
of cult entertainment the nobility is lessened. In the gladiator
fights the main focus was on skill and not blood. Although death was
of course a possibility, the likelihood is that the majority of the
time a good gladiator would live to die another day.
I selected Ralph Ellison’s short story “Battle Royal”, as this assessment illuminates the struggles of both race as well as issues oppression within society, in which many must continue to endure. The narrator, a young black teenager has attended an event absent of both law and order as a guest speaker only to be severed up as just another entrée for the prominent group of southern white ringmasters to feast upon. Subsequently, he now realizes “that it was on the occasion of a smoker, and I was told that since I was to be there anyway I might as well take part in the battle royal to be fought by some of my schoolmates as part of the entertainment.” Forced to fight for a right to speak, the young man is in the midst of an alcohol induced and cigar smoke filled circus of violence and sexual misconduct, which is fueled of force intimidation. Many of the symbols used in this story resonances of both race and inequality within a regime lacking integrity, where one is neither protected nor served fairly. Moreover, it is with this view of hopelessness, despair as well as mistrusts that offer a seed of change in society, in which the invisible becomes the visible.
Throughout Greek history and mythology, the greatest heroes have been driven by the desire to gain heroic glory. For them, kleos served as a fundamental indicator of their personal value. A warrior’s worth was defined by how they were viewed and discussed by their peers. Personal glory was more important than life itself. Warriors would rather die young with renown than live a long life of little consequence. However, once they reached the underworld, many found their struggle for kleos by way of personal gain never earned them what they desired. True glory goes beyond an individual’s accomplishments and lives on after their death through their posterity as demonstrated by Agamemnon and Achilles who, upon being visited by Odysseus in the underworld, inquire after the
Scott’s film, Gladiator, contains an inherent meaning or theme, not connected to any other films or literature. Scott’s film explains everything that the viewer needs, within the movie itself. This allows the viewer to watch and understand the film with no extra or background information. Although background information, helps the viewer understand the circumstances in the film, it is not needed to understand the meaning or theme. Scott’s film, portrays a theme of the greatness of man, and freedom. Forced into slavery, as a gladiator, maximus, must fight for not only his life but his beliefs. Once a great hero, Maximus, must fight and kill, to rise once again, and enact his revenge. Maximus’ character reveals this heroic nature, through his actions, and thoughts. The viewer sees and understands this, without the need of background information. ...
"Gladiator", comes from the latin word "gladius", for sword. They were primarily made up of slaves, criminals, prisoners of war or even volunteer free men. The crimes that could lead one to the arena included treason, robbery, and murder, among others. Some free men became gladiators of their own free will in hopes of gaining notoriety and patronage amongst the wealthy citizens. By the end of 50 BC almost half of the gladiators fighting in the Colosseum were free men.
On top of justice is being done, we need to look at the functions of
sent to the gladiatorial schools to become a gladiator, criminals thought twice before commiting a
even today for his campaign, the hatred Hannibal felt for Rome was clearly seen on the
The first scene in Gladiator has many different meanings and purposes. It has to fill in the audience with specific information, in a small scene. The time and place (Germane, 185AD) must be explained so that the scene can be established quickly. The most important character
as a tear ran down his face. "Yet I will never forget the family I so
It is said that the Romans were known for their honor and glory as a reflection of the society they lived in. This may perhaps explain why the gladiator games were popular to the citizens, because the Romans enjoyed observing these characteristics throughout the battles. Most of the time the contestants were slaves, these individuals were bought and traded at the coliseum with the intentions of battling in these games until their death. Soldiers that were captured at the end of a battle were chained to one another as they marched hundreds of miles back to Rome.... ... middle of paper ...
The Roman Gladius was one of the main weapons used during the early Roman empire. “Gladius is the Latin word meaning sword” (Rayment), so any kind of sword could be called a Gladius, but the Roman short sword was mostly referred to as the Roman Gladius. The main parts of a Roman Gladius (As shown in the picture to the right from Rayment) are the Pommel, Hilt Wasp waist and the 50-cm blade. The Roman Gladius was very popular because of Its double bladed edge and its point. It was very popular for light infantry because it was small and good for close quarter combat. The disadvantage in length was made up with its light and maneuverability design. The Roman Gladius was used mostly in organized formations so they didn’t suffer a lot of casualties when charging in with a short-sword. The Roman Gladius could also be used in
Gladiators were combatants equipped for arena battles. These battles were against other soldiers, conquered enemies, slaves, and criminals. Even wild beasts were added to be part of the bloody spectacle. Gladiators were a source of entertainment for Roman crowds, politicians and nobility at the Coliseum. It was the Roman equivalent to a Packer game at Lambeau field. A few gladiators were volunteers, but most were detested as slaves. Regardless of where they came from, gladiators allowed spectators to see an example of Rome 's military principles and, how to die an honorable death. The origin of gladiator combat is unclear, evidence supports that it became an important attribute of politics
Picture, if you will, a knight in shining armor charging on his noble steed down the open stretch toward his enemy. From his great helm, (Jousting Helmet) a detachable sleeve whips in the wind at approximately 30 miles per hour. Just before the two knights meet, they each brace themselves for the impact they know awaits them. The wood splinters fly, and one of the knights is knocked from his steed, spilling his life's blood on the ground.
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...
Throughout the history of the Republic, there was a difference between the gladiatorial contests and other forms of spectacular entertainment. The Romans did not invent the concept of gladiatorial fighting; there is some uncertainty as to the exact source. One ancient source says it was the Etruscans, a non-Indo-European people who lived directly north of the Romans.