Abstract This paper examines how, in his "Meditations", Marcus Aurelius seeks to make sense of the conflicting needs of being the sovereign of the Roman Empire and his own personal philosophy of Stoicism. The paper looks at how, although Marcus Aurelius glosses over important failings such as his treatment of Christians and the circumstances of his rise to power, the "Meditations" has much to offer. The paper also shows how, by providing an ethical foothold, Marcus Aurelius' "Meditations" continues to resonate more than 2,000 years after its initial inception.
From the Paper "For example, Marcus Aurelius believed that ideas about good and evil are not immutable. Rather, they are the products of human judgments, composites created by a person's preconceptions and mental habits. It remains up to a person whether or not to accept these impressions as true. Marcus maintained that a person has to "examine everything all through, what is its material, what the formal part" (Marcus Aurelius, Mediations, 12, 29). Therefore, it is imperative that people rigorously examine their impressions, making sure they are not swayed by unwarranted value judgments."
From the Paper "Emperor Marcus Aurelius Antoninus was the last of the great Roman Stoics and the so-called Five Good Emperors. His death brought an end to the Pax Romana, a period in ancient Roman history with relative peace and prosperity. In many ways, the Roman Empire reached its climax with the reign of Marcus Aurelius; he was perhaps the closest thing to a true "philosopher king" ever to rule a great nation. His reign from 161-180 C.E. was viewed by later generations as the very ideal of a sovereign head of state (Farquharson 25). His philosophy of life is well depicted in the movie "Gladiator", but his interests in naming an heir do not share the same historical accuracy."
Abstract A compare and contrast paper looking at Marcus Aurelius's "Meditations" and Niccolo Machiavelli's "The Prince". The author shows how both reflect the moral opinions of their respective times. They both delve into the good and evil in society and people in general.
From the Paper "Everyone at some point in their life is called upon to give their opinions on moral and ethical issues we face. During two very different, yet pivotal time periods in human history, papers were written as a sort of guideline to aid people with this task. Both describe how we should conduct ourselves as a people. The first of which is Marcus Aurelius? Meditations, in which the values of virtue and tranquility are focused upon in a very stoic manner. The second, which can only be labeled as a polar opposite to the latter, is Niccolo Machiavelli's "The Prince", where greed and dishonesty are the central philosophies. Both are relative to the time period in which they were written and reflect the ideals of the location as well. While being so different, both essays describe similar underlying traits of humans, being either good or evil."
Abstract This paper looks at Ridley Scott's movie , "Gladiator." The author compares and contrasts the movie's portrayal of Marcus Aurelius, Commodus, and Maximus Decimus Meridius, with what happened to them in their "real" lives in ancient Rome.
From the Paper "Marcus Aurelius was actually the Roman Emperor at the time the movie took place. The real Marcus Aurelius was the last of the Five Great Emperors of Rome. He ruled from 161 to 180 BC. The movie corresponded nicely with these dates. As portrayed in the movie, Marcus was a very wise stoic philosopher. In the movie Marcus desired to hand Rome to the Senate and showed so in his handing the Empire down to Maximus. In actuality Marcus Aurelius did often portray the image that he respected the Senate and publicly held a very Republican point of view. Speculations have been made though, that Marcus Aurelius simply may have put up this front to avoid the fate of other rulers such as Julius Caesar."
Abstract The ideas, attitudes, and issues of Greek and Roman life can be compared by considering some of the major Greek and Roman writers and what their work focuses on. This consideration provides the details that allow their ideas to be compared and the problems they were focused on to be compared , as well as the characteristics of the societies they lived in. This consideration begins by describing the Greek writers Socrates, Plato, and Thucydides. This is followed by a consideration of the Roman writers Polybius, Suetonius, and Aurelius.
From the Paper "Socrates was born in Greece in 469 B.C. and died in 399 B.C. Socrates writings are based on a philosophical approach and one of his major concerns was how to achieve virtue. This includes his statement that nobody every knowingly does wrong, and that any wrong action is a result of people not knowing enough to make the right decision. This thinking is based on a consideration of the nature of life for the individual, and is not concerned with more practical issues. Socrates also considered the natue of the state in some of his works and battled between wanting to accept the leadership of the state, and not believing that the state should have the ultimate power. In the end, Socrates decided that even when an individual is not treated justly, it is not justifiable for them to disobey the laws of the state. This represents a general belief in the system of government of the time."
Abstract The paper draws comparisons between two movies, "Gladiator" (directed by Ridley Scott) and "Braveheart" (directed by Mel Gibson). The paper discusses how, in both Braveheart and Gladiator, the tragic and unassuming hero ultimately suffers a horrible and dramatic death, as a result of his struggle for freedom and justice. Themes, scenes and protagonists of the films are also discussed.
From the Paper "Interestingly, both the movies Braveheart and Gladiator have become popular with both critics and audiences alike. Braveheart won five Oscars, including Best Picture and Best Director, both awarded to Mel Gibson. Both Spartacus and Gladiators were epics about romance, patriotism, battle, war, revenge, honor, intrigue, friendship, betrayal, and vain and dishonorable villains.
"Like Gladiator, the movie Braveheart showcases the horror, and futility of war and violence. Interestingly, these movies also honor those heroes, Wallace and Maximus, who stand up and fight against oppression and dishonor.
"In both Gladiator and Braveheart the horrors of the battlefield are clearly depicted and bloody and brutal hand-to-hand combat is clearly portrayed. In both movies both trusted friends and comrades die tragically in battle, and bloodshed and death are unflinchingly shown."
From the Paper "Review of the great works of Sophocles, Plato, Marcus Aurelius and Andreas Capellanus suggest that each of these men were shaped by their respective eras. Curiously, the classical writings of Sophocles and Plato appear not only to codify the age in which they lived but to challenge it to aspire to new heights. In The Oedipus Cycle Sophocles presents Oedipus the King as an Everyman who struggles to do good and avoid evil. Yet the drama heightens when the audience understands that despite his well established objectives, Oedipus commits the horrendous crimes of murdering his father and marrying his mother. Sophoclean drama appears to argue that unless societies can learn to deal with its deviances as well as its norms, they are destined to self-destruct. Sophocles adopts a stance of exhortation shared even..."
From the Paper "This paper considers the hypothesis that Sophocles, Plato, Marcus Aurelius, and Andraeus Capellanus were all individuals struggling to live in times that they believed were regrettable departures from a more secure and desirable past, and that their writing was both an attempt at personal consolation and an effort to influence the society in which they lived. The primary works to be considered in dealing with this hypothesis are Sophocles? Oedipus cycle, the Platonic dialogues that are usually grouped as ?the last days of Socrates,? the Meditations of Marcus Aurelius, and Capellanus? The Art of Courtly Love.
As a first pass, one might propose that the hypothesis seems to be true for all the authors except Sophocles. Plato's dislike of Athenian democracy, which had executed his beloved teacher, Socrates, is well-known. His two longest works, the Republic and the.."
From the Paper "The "heroic" life: until recently, this was the stuff of legend, epic poetry and philosophers' focus. Most certainly it was in the center of the ancients' view of Life. "Life," here, is purposely capitalized; it is the view of a world-universe-sacred-and-profane existence that does not separate the mythic from the mundane. One might call that a "religious" mindset - and the naming would be correct. In the ancient world, religion and life were more often than not one-and-the-same. As was the concept of "heroism": a person's acts were defined as heroic - or not - based upon one's religious/philosophic approach to Life. In the Western tradition, that approach changed over the centuries of ancient civilization: from the primal heroism of the ancient Greeks, as exemplified in Homer's epic poem The Iliad, through the Stoic conception of the Romans found in Marcus ..."
Abstract Geoffrey Chaucer's "The Canterbury Tales" is about a group of pilgrims travelling together to Canterbury, and along the way, they tell one another stories to pass the time. One of the persistent images in these stories is the image of women, which varies from the submissive to the more aggressive and which is found in both the pilgrims and their stories. This paper examines how this image appears in "The Canterbury Tales", focusing on "The Franklin's Tale", but touching on some of the others too.
From the Paper "The various contrivances in this story mean it is not at all realistic and is told to serve as a criticism and challenge to the Wife of Bath and the Clerk concerning their ideas on marriage. The courtly love tradition also takes a beating in this story, for Aurelius is the prime example of that tradition and fails to live up to it, while also showing how foolish it is because there is no end to it, meaning without achieving love, the lover merely languishes forever. The knight in particular is simply too good and too noble to be true, as is made quite apparent when he agrees to let his wife sleep with another man to protect her honor, something of a contradiction in itself."
Abstract This paper tells the life story and myth of King Arthur. It looks at the period before his birth, the legends of his strength and power, and the impact he had on the region.
Outline
Before King Arthur's Birth
Aurelius Ambrosius and Uther
Uther, the King
Uther's Death
Arthur Became the King
The Round Table
The Death of King Arthur
King Arthur's Childhood
The Sword in the Stone
Rebellion Against King Arthur
King Arthur Is Lied to
Evil Sir Mordred
The Death of King Arthur
From the Paper "Aurelius Ambrosius and Uther did not let the murder of their brother, Constans, just passed by without revenge. When the two came to manhood, they started their revenge to Vortigern. They burned Vortigern's palace. Along with it was Vortigern who was burned to death. The death of Vortigern paved the way for Aurelius to become the king. As the king, Aurelius fought the Saxons to drive them away of Logres. Horsa, one of the leaders of the Saxons, was killed in the battle while Hengist was captured and executed. Aurelius also fought with Octa, the son of Hengist, which led to Octa's defeat. Aurelius? kingship brought about the re-establishment of Logres. He was soon poisoned by Paschent, Vortigern's son. Aurelius was buried in a Stonehenge, a large circle which was built out of Merlin's advice."
Abstract This paper analyzes the main reasons for and results of violence within Roman society. The paper discusses the influence of violence on citizens' relations and international affairs of the Roman state. The paper contends that the Romans enjoyed great achievements, and we base our knowledge, our law and political system on elements of Roman achievements. However, we also have to remember the problem of violence, which the Romans could not overcome and was the ultimate downfall of their nation.
From the Paper "Ancient Roman history is the greatest and the most interesting period of the Ancient world history that influenced European civilization. Germans, Anglo-Saxons, Slavs based their cultures on great Roman achievements in any sphere of social life. Roman history is still an example of highly developed, educated and strong society, mighty and powerful state. Romans were leaders in all spheres of human life and they gained respect for many centuries in their present and future. For centuries (and even now) Roman civilization has been an example, a great aim that many leaders wanted to gain because they saw Roman social and state structure worth creating in their countries. And I have to admit many of them had succeeded!"
Abstract This paper attempts to compare the leadership and the times of the Pax Romana era to that of today's Pax Americana era. The paper suggests that, overall, Pax Romana was better for the people of Rome and of foreign nations, than Pax Americana is for the people of today.
From the Paper "The Pax Americana positions the United States as the most powerful nation in the world, and forced to act as policeman, arbiter, and peace-keeper, while providing funds for the lesser nations of our century to cope with their poverty and poor economic outlooks. Of course, one can truly say that living in America is the best possible location, given the alternatives. But, why would one opt for the Pax Romana? What were Romans really like in their everyday lives that made the Pax Romana an ideal place in which to live out one's days?"
This paper analyzes the historical role of the ancient Roman gladiator, using the film "Gladiator", starring Russell Crowe, as a basis for the discussion.
Abstract This paper explains that the ancient Roman gladiators were individuals, who were not free, were mainly condemned criminals and were prisoners of war or slaves. The paper further explains that, in contrast, the film "Gladiator", the protagonist Maximus Aurelius was simply an injured man considered to be homeless and worth money as a potential gladiator. The author points out that most gladiators were rigorously trained, fed a high energy diet and given expert medical attention; conversely, in the film, gladiators received very little training. The paper relates that the film did not display any religious factors except for one moment before battle when one of the gladiators remarked to Maximus about the color red that surrounded them: "Red is the gods' colors, you will need their help today".
From the Paper "In the film, Maximus and other gladiators were sent to a battle that they were supposed to lose. The battle was a real life reenactment of a previous war in which they were to be the losing barbarians. The trainer did not want to risk his best men in this battle because death was almost a sure thing. Despite the odds, Maximus rallied his fellow gladiators with his previous army experience and won the battle. The ruling emperor Commodus then comes down to the arena floor to meet the man they call "Spaniard". Commodus was the sponsor of these games, and the sponsor decides who lives or dies."
Abstract This paper describes the life and death of the Roman Emperor Marcus Aurelius Severus Antoninus who reigned from 211 to 217 C.E., and was known as Caracalla from the Gallic hooded tunic that he wore. The author explains that although he was a ruthless man and authorized many assassinations, even in his own family, he took great care of his army and marched with them, ate with them and fought with them. As a monument to himself, he commissioned the Baths of Caracalla, one of the last major architectural achievements of the Roman Empire, and the largest public bath ever built in ancient Rome. The paper describes them in detail and concludes that although Caracalla's reign was infamous for many reasons, it was not entirely negative, as Caracalla saw to it that the soldiers in the army were treated well and the baths that he had constructed are part of Rome's cultural heritage today.
Outline:
Introduction
The Rise To Power
The Reign Of Caracalla
The Army and the Legacy
The Fall of Caracalla
The Baths of Caracalla
Dimensions and Layout of the Baths
Conclusion
From the Paper "He was much like his father in that he was a strong and often cruel ruler and did not give others any second chances (Chastagnol, 1994). He had his own agenda that he followed, and he did not deviate from it just because it was unpopular or because others though that he was unfair. Mostly, people kept their opinions of him to themselves so that they could be left alone by the government and remain alive. Not everyone felt that they had to submit to the rule of Caracalla or that he was a fair emperor, and some people were killed because they became too vocal, but many others survived quietly."
