Vengeance, the act of revenge upon someone who opposed somebody wrongly. This is a big theme throughout the movie Gladiator along with many others like; honor, loyalty, deceit, power, tragedy, and perseverance. Maximus Decimus Meridius, the main character, and protagonist, was once a proud and dignified general that loses his status and is thrown into the slave trade. He becomes a gladiator, a job that relates to his leadership and fighting capabilities. Maximus fights his way to the top and eventually gets his revenge on Commodus, the person who killed his wife and son. He also restores order and creates a democracy for Rome by killing Commodus. Maximus is given two personas in Gladiator. One persona is symbolized when he is on a battlefield …show more content…
They respect him because of how he fights honorably and extremely well. Even during the thick of the battles while in the arena, he always watches out for his friends like he did with his soldiers. Maximus not only fights for freedom but for a chance to come face to face with Commodus so he can get his revenge by killing him. He thinks if he can become famous enough by winning the crowd, Commodus will come out and meet him. Through each battle, he wins and still stays true to his moral values and loyal to those who love him. Maximus’s perseverance is what makes him an amazing warrior. Even against all odds of being cheated by Commodus, he continuously wins battles and stays merciful. In the last battle, Maximus is not scared of fighting Commodus and says, “Death smiles at us all, all a man can do is smile back” (Gladiator). After Maximus said this while chuckling, “Commodus stacks the cards against Maximus by stabbing him with a dagger, puncturing his lung. He is forced to fight with the wound concealed beneath his armor” (Alchin). This once again shows who Commodus really is, a cheater and backstabber. After his long journey of losing people who were close to him, Maximus finally faces Commodus. Because of being stabbed before the fight, Maximus is on the edge of death the whole time, yet he …show more content…
Yet, he never changed who he was at heart. He remains stagnated throughout the movie. The way he battled and what he fought for did change, but Maximus as a person never did. He fought wars for his king with honor and glory. While in the arena he fought for survival and vengeance. He fought loyally for the people who loved him and fought for his fellow friends like he did for his soldiers. He was always concerned for those that were close. He fought to get vengeance and to fulfill his friends dying wish, shmoop goes into more detail saying, “Maximus never forgets the memory of his murdered friend, Marcus Aurelius. While his quest for revenge is partly about avenging the death of his family, he’s also motivated to fulfill Marcus Aurelius’ dying wishes and restore republican government to Rome” (Shmoop). With every word he screamed or said, every swing of his sword, every victory won was to get himself back home to his wife and son whether it be in life or the
Iago throughout the book uses manipulative language to convince characters throughout scenes. However he doesn’t fail, from the beginning he has a well thought out plan, he manipulates people and he has complete lack of empathy which gives him the perfect traits for being a villain. A perfect villain in my definition is someone who can plan out a villainous act and act it out without failure. Iago has achieved this and so I consider him a perfect villain. Although Iago has a few flaws acting out his plan he achieves his goal to an extent in an evil and villainous way such as the failure of murdering of Cassio and his being tortured.
When I watched the movie Gladiator (1999), the protagonist named Maximus. He shows the qualities that would represent on how great he was for Rome. In Aristotle’s ideas about tragedy
In the novella of The Crucible by Arthur Miller vengeance is walking Salem in causing several conflicts throughout the Salem village. Many of the conflicts are due with getting back at one another with the need for revenge. “We are what we always were in Salem, but now the little crazy children are jangling keys of the kingdom, and common vengeance writes the law!” (Miller 81). This quote is trying to prove the point the proctor has a very good understanding of what is happening in how the little girls are rebelling and acting out. They are accusing several women of being witches. “Why, Abigail Williams charge her” (Miller 77). The quote is trying to show how many of the girls are calling out the wives in the Salem village.
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...
Jack Spencer's dad is tough on him, but Jack's learned to live with it. For the most part, Jack has it pretty good. He's a star player on his high school basketball team with everything going for him - scoring records, popularity, and an easy path to a college scholarship. Then, the unbelievable happens, and bad news leads to worse news. Almost as fast as the crash that put his mom in the hospital, everything that Jack believes in starts to crumble. His only hope is to discover what's really going on, and quickly. If he doesn't, Jack may lose much more than a basketball career.
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).
While Brutus sees life as something to be solved with logic and guided by morality, Mark Antony views life as something that he can twist and mold into whatever he needs it to be at any given moment. Mark Antony uses the audience of the funeral speech as tools to wrench the Roman Republic from the hands of Brutus and place the crown on his own head. He inspires rage and distrust in the plebeians, and directly spurs on the Battle of Philippi. Brutus is roped into this situation despite his unselfish motives, and has to defend himself and his fellows against the armies of Mark Antony and the young Octavius. From beginning to end, the characters of The Tragedy of Julius Caesar are true to their defining qualities and do not depart from the molds they have cast of
Maximus was a great warrior in the Roman legion under Emperor Marcus Aurelius. His first courageous feat occurs when he defeats the last of the Barbarians of Germaina. Leading his army along a 12 year campaign he brought it to an end. Next he risks his life as he defies the new Emperor Commodus, knowing that this could mean death. Commodus was the only son of Marcus Aurelius. However Commodus killed his father and took the place of Caesar.
The statement peace is better than revenge is perfect for the book the roll of thunder Hear me cry. There are so many times while you are reading this novel that things could of went completely different if they would of gotten revenge but instead did the right thing to solve problems. Page 116 of Roll Of Thunder Hear Me Cry states “when the words had been spoken i turned and fled crying into the back of the wagon, no day in my life had ever been as cruel as this one”. This quote represents mamas effort to solve problems. By making Cassie apologize even when she wasn't the main problem caused more peace than getting revenge.
A dream which Brutus gladly fights when he utters, “Let us be sacrificers but not butchers, Cassius. And in spite of the men, there is no blood”(2.1.173-175). Brutus offers insight into his notion of worth, he will kill for a righteous deed, an honorable action, but not slay wantonly. Brutus is a true martyr for a deceptive plan, when he says, “I have the same dagger for myself, when it shall please my country to need my death”(3.2.41-43). A person of high moral values, an individual who strives to accomplish his ambition, Brutus was the most honorable Roman.
may the God of vengeance now yield me His places to punish the wicked,” (Dumas 131).
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...
Gladiator (2000) is an action drama about a Roman general that is betrayed by his country and is forced to fight in the Colosseum. This particular scene, which runs for approximately 5 minutes, is the aftermath of the fight scene between Maximus, the betrayed general, and Commodus, the jealous emperor who betrayed him. This scene is not only significant because it is the concluding scene of the film, but also because it represents the end of Maximus’s enslavement and his coming to peace with dying.
“I love the name of honor more than I fear death” (“Gaius”, Illustrated). I said this because I believe that it is important to do something honorable even if you have to die. It is considered honorable to die bravely in war instead of running away like a coward. This related to my purpose because it shows how courageous I was and how I was willing to die for my republic in war, making me a honorable leader in Rome’s history. I believe I was the greatest ruler of Rome in history because I ran my government to succeed. I feel no one is worthy of any power except myself, the best ruler of Rome, and this was only achievable with my political relationships, military experience, and government tactics.
The expectancy theory proposes an individual will behave or act in a certain way because they are motivated to select a specific behavior over other behaviors due to what they expect the result of that selected behavior will be. In essence, the motivation of the behavior selection is determined by how much one desires the outcome to be. This is shown when Maximus is initially recognized as a supreme gladiator by his owner Proximo, the man who taught him how to fight as a gladiator. Proximo took great interest in Maximus’ abilities and encourages him to go to the Roman Coliseum to fight for his freedom. Proximo advises him that if he is able to “win the crowd”, he will earn their respect and eventually his freedom. Performance to Outcome poses the question on whether success will lead to reward. The reward in this case would be after successfully winning battles, and the crowds’ favor, Maximus would gain his freedom and seize his opportunity to kill Commodus. Maximus’ strong desire of vengeance for the murder of his family drives him to win every battle he comes up against. Infuriated by Maximus’ success, Commodus sets up a fixed fight between Maximus and Tigris of Gaul, the undefeated gladiator. Maximus prevails in the battle and against Commodus’ orders, spares Tigris’ life. Maximus’ defiance of the emperor and mercy to Tigris made him more popular to the crowd than even Commodus