Analyzing The Movie 'Gladiator'

Introduction:
Gladiator is a film about the Roman emperor’s son, Commodus, betraying the general, Maximus Decimus Meridius, by murdering the emperor and seizing the Roman throne. Then Commodus murders Maximus’ family, resulting in Maximus becoming a slave and eventually a gladiator. Soon after, Maximus arrives at the Colosseum where he seeks revenge from the death of his family by killing Commodus.

Three Important Historical Points:
Many of the events in this movie are changed to have a more entertaining aspect, but there are three important historical ideas that should be pointed out. The first being the death of the Roman emperor, Marcus Aurelius. In the film, Marcus was murdered by his son Commodus; although, in history, Marcus actually died a natural death. This event is important because it allowed Commodus to gain the Roman throne. The second important event is the gladiators fighting in the Colosseum. This was important because it was what the film was based on. A large portion of the movie was based on Maximus

I felt like this movie showed a great example of what the gladiator competitions in the Colosseum looked like. Not only was this movie entertaining, but it also had some important information in it. It showed how a person 's position was never guaranteed in the Roman civilization. A person could go from being a general in the army one minute, to a slave the next. This film did a good job of showing how unstable their positions really were.

Salient Issue:
This film reminds me of the view people have on our government. Many Americans have the idea that our government officials will do whatever is necessary to gain power, even if it means breaking the law. The reason I think it relates to the movie is because one of the main conflicts was Commodus killing his own father just to become