Gladiator: Fact or Fiction

Paper Summary:

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."

More papers on Gladiator: Fact or Fiction:

• Essay # 42257 : "Troy: Fact or Fiction"
• Term Paper # 75116 : "Thanksgiving: Fact or Fiction?"
• Article Review # 64276 : "Gasoline Prices: Fact or Fiction"

APA Citation:

MLA Citation: