Question

PLEASE HELP!!

Gladiator movie questions...

1). What happens to the emperor, Marcus Aurelius? Why dors commodus decide to kill him?

2). After Maximus buries his family at his home, what happens to him? Why does Proximo buy Maximus?

3). During his first battle at the Roman Colosseum (the recreation of the battle against hannibal and the Carthaginians), how does Maximus show LEADERSHIP as the fight at the coliseum is about to begin?

4). Why does Maximus gain the title of “Merciful”? What does this do for him in the eyes of the Romans watching the fight?

5). With the senate and Lucilla (Commodus’ sister), what does Maximus attempt to do? Why does it fail?

6). The final battle of movie is fought between Commodus and Maximus. 2 Questions: a). What does Commodus do to Maximus before the battle?
b). What happens at the end of the battle?

7). What role do the gladiator fights play in the movie (hint: it deals with the crowd and Commodus’ position as emperor)?

8). Overall, how accurate do you think the film adaption was to the actual lives of gladiators? What makes you think so?

Answer 1

Hello, I hope this helps you. I had to watch again some parts of the movie so I could be more accurate.

1) The emperor is murdered by his son Commodus. The reason of this is that Marcus Aurelius thinks his son is a man without moral and not good to be the next emperor and decides that his general Maximus should be the protector of Rome and end corruption. Commodus is jealous and feels that his father doesn't love him and that's why he kills him.

2) He faints and then is taken and sold as a slave. Proximo buys Maximus because the slaver gives him a price. Also Proximo sees the mark of the Roman legion in his arm.

3) He shows leadership by speaking to the gladiators about fighting together to survive. During the fight he also raises the moral of his group and commands them.

4) He gains the title of Merciful for sparing the life of "The tiger of Galia" in the arena, contradicting Caesar's decision in the coliseum. The Romans found this to be a form of rebelion to Caesar's power and an opportunity to get the people's support with their idea of a new political order (the republic).

5) They conspire against Commodus to take him down as head of the empire and get the power. To do this Maximus has to be bought by Gracus and taken out of Rome in secret. This way he can get to his faithful men in Ostia.

With this army he would invade Rome and give it to the senate. The plan fails because senator Gracus discovered and put in prison. Lucilla's son, while playing with Commodus, speaks of "Maximus, the savier of Rome" and that way he discovers her sister's plans against him by threatening her. He sends soldiers to kill Proximo. Ciceron is murdered and Maximus is captured as he tries to escape.

6) Commodus stabs Maximus in the lung before the battle. At the end of it, after Commodus drops his sword, his commander gives the order to sheathe the swords to his soldiers, denying the request of the emperor. He draws a knife and tries to stab Maximus. Finally Maximus kills him with his own knife and dies due to his lung wound.

7) I think it's not very accurate because gladiators did not have any real power in comparison with an emperor. They may have gotten some influence in the audience but I think that didn't give them possibilities to face the powerful people. I also think that they may also have lived in worst conditions than the movie shows.

Answer 2

1. Even though he was already dying, Commodus learned that Marcus Aurelius chose General Maximus as his heir for restoring power in the Roman Senate. After killing his father, Commodus sentences Maximus to death and orders other soldiers to kill his wife and son.

2. After he buries his family, he collapses in their graves. Some traders find him and take him to a province in South Africa. Proximo buys him because he has the mark of the Legion and he thinks he is a deserter.

3. Maximus shows his leadership skills in battle, understanding the background of the other gladiators. He asks if anyone has been in the army and claims that they have a better chance to survive if the work as a team.

4. Maximus fights against the only undefeated gladiator in Rome (Tigris of Gaul), winning the fight and holding Tigris' fate in the Emperor's hands. Commodus votes for his death, but Maximus spares Tigris. This is an insult against Commodus but increased the audience approval. This is the reason for him to be known as 'Maximus the Merciful"

5.They planned to reunite Maximus with his army, which remained loyal to him. They wanted to remove Commodus from power. The plan failed as Commodus learned about his sister's betrayal from her son, and threatening her discovers the plot. Commodus ordered to kill the gladiators, but Maximus scapes. He uses Cicero, Maximus servant as bait in order to capture him and challenged him to a fight in front of the audience.

6. a) As Commodus knows that Maximus was a better fighter, he stabbed him with a stiletto.

b) Maximus manages to take off the sword from Commodus' hands, and even though he asks his soldiers for aid, they refuse. He then pulls out the hidden stiletto to use it against Maximus, but the latter kills him with it. In the end, as Maximus is dying, he sees his wife and soon in the afterlife. But before his reunion, he orders the release of the gladiators and the Senate, in order to restore the Republic as Marcus Aurelius wanted.

7. The role in the movie was to entertain the crowd and the emperor's position. It also showed the power of the royal family, as they decided at the end the fate of the defeated. It was also a way for prisoners to serve their sentence.

8. The adaptation is accurate to some extent, as gladiators were mostly purchased or serving a sentence. However, not all of them were forced to join as gladiators. Training them became a good business, and they were also considered and treated as athletes.