Reply question regarding Gladiator.

1. Is the story a hero's journey? Try to describe it as a hero's journey and see if it fits the template.
Yes, the movie gladiator fits to the template of hero's journey. This is because this movie had describe about the adventure story of the hero. The main character, Maximus is the hero for this movie. His family was kill by the new king. After that he is also be hunted. Although a contingent of gladiator save him, but he need to become their worker, which is the gladiator. That's how the Maximus start his Adventure story.

Departure: Maximus was called to become the king but Maximus refuse to be the king. However, the son of the old king kill his father and he becoming the king. Then the new king planning to kill Maximus. The family of Maximus was killed and the house was burned by the subordinate of the new king. Maximus was hunted also while he was then save by a group of gladiator.  Maximus was called to become a gladiator but he refuse to fight at the beginning. (This shows the call and refusal to the adventure.) However, he change his mind after that, he willing to fight in order to continue his life. He gradually become famous. 

Initiation: However, his leader told him he still not reach the level to do the best he can. He then keep practice and fighting. The following story describe that Maximus was bring and allow to fight in the Colosseum in Rome. He meet the sister of the king and also her son. Surely, he meet the king also. The king set a lot of obstacles for him. The king want Maximus die during the fighting, so he had plan many different kind of things to become the rival of Maximus. While Maximus was win in every of the fighting. The king after that decided to fight with Maximus. However, the king was loose and die.

Return: Finally Maximus save his man. While he fall down after that and he mentally return to his home where his wife and son live, he returns to where he want to go just same scene shown in the beginning of the movie. 

(written by Tan Xiao Han 1102883)

2. What did you learn about Rome from this movie? Do some research on the characters. Are they real people from history? Is the film accurate in historical detail? And architectural detail (for example, the Colosseum/ Flavian Ampitheatre)? 
From this movie , we have learn about the culture. different social status have their own costumes. Roman men are wearing Tunics, roman citizens are wearing toga. Senators wore toga with purple stripe as a mark of their rank while Woman wore stola.  They also play gladiatorial games on that century. Roman people also ate bread and fruits as their breakfast. as what in this movie showed. they also trust that everyone man should be masculien and brave to deal with the problem. as what maximus do. he pretend not be afraid of the tiger and still fight with the trigers bravely.while women should be stay at house and learn the skills to be famine  (teh wennie) (1005158)

Maximus is a fictional character and this person didn’t exist in the history of Rome. However,  there is an emperor who likes Maximus.His name is Diocletian and was from the lower classes of the society . At first he is a trusted bodyguard by the emperor ,after that he was named heir and this he ruled Rome from 284-305 CE. Besides Maximus, senator Gracchus is also doesn’t exist.It was believed that it appears to be the bassed upon Tiberius and Graius Gracchus.These 2 brothers were champions of the public and paid with their lives.
(wriiten by Lai Wan Cheng 1005433)

Marcus Aurelius was really exist in the history and he was an emperor who ruled Rome from 161 -180CE. His name was Imperator Caesar Marcus aurelius Antoinus Augustus. He ruled with Lucius Verus as co-emperor from 161 until Verus' death in 169.

Some of the film is accurate in historical details and some not. For example the character Commodus appears to have a dark hair and a right-handed 30years old adult. But in reality he had a natural blond curly hair and he was left handed. In the movie, he died after Marcus Aurelius but actually he died in 192 A.D. He was killed by a wrestler named Narcissus but not the  gladiator.

(Written by Lai Wan Cheng 1005433)


This film is loosely based on historical event but some deviation of historical fact were made to increase interest, maintain narrative continuity and for safety reasons. The character of Maximus is fictional although some aspects of him resembles the historical figures. Maximus also reminds one of the emperor Diocletian. Diocletian, who ruled Rome from 284 to 305 CE, was born in the lower classes, like Maximus. He eventually became his emperor's trusted favourite and bodyguard, and later became a general.Commodus, in reality, was not murdered in the arena by Maximus. He was however murdered by a wrestler.The Colosseum in the film was not the real one also. A replica of about one-third of Rome Colosseum was built in Malta. The rest of the Colosseum was created in CGI using set-design blueprint. The scenes of Ancient Rome were shot in Fort Ricasoli, Malta, which is a large military building on the island of Malta. 
(Ong Jing Yi 1102884)

3. What was happening to the Roman empire during the period of Commodus' rule? And what eventually caused the decline and downfall of the Roman Empire?


Commodus marked the descent" From a kingdom of gold to one rush and iron". Commodus has also reduced the weight of the denarius of Roman Pound. The Commodus 's Reign is the beginning of the decline of the Roman Empire. It is because a lot of conspiracy that was going around. Besides, The Roman Empire decline and fall is cause by the Christianity, decadence, lead, monetary trouble and military problems.

(Tang Yong Sheng 1103341)





4. Is this film propaganda for a certain set of ideas or a way of life? Did the writer, director and actors intend for you to have the reactions that you have expressed here? Aren't you just a bit suspicious and critical of the film and the black and white division between Commodus and Maximus? Such a bad and nasty Emperor and such a loyal gladiator! One is a 'good Roman' and the other is just out for himself? Doesn't it all seem a little too simple? So, again, is this film propaganda for an idea of loyalty? To answer this, look at which country produced it and when it was produced. How is the film 'constructed' to provide a lesson to the audiences of that country of its origin? Is it really about Rome, or about the country it came from? What was happening in that country in the years just before it was created?