Gladiator was made in Rome’s golden era, 180 AD. The Roman Empire controlled 25% of the world’s people at that time. It had been more than 60 years since Rome’s last expansion. Marcus Aurelius, the Emperor, was now fighting a series against the Germanic tribes. Marcus Aurelius can also be called the philosopher king. He was a Stoic philosopher. His self-discipline as Emperor is what made him so well-known. He could have enjoyed any short-term pleasure, but he was a good example of self-control. Stoic teachings of Aurelius have been an important part of the Stoic school. Historians consider Aurelius the last of the five good emperors. Marcus Aurelius questioned whether it was better to choose a successor than to become Emperor. He suggested that he return power to Senate. Marcus Aurelius was a strong believer in holding power and he willingly handed power to his younger son. Commodus, the son Marcus Aurelius’, was already co-emperor for three more years when his father died. Commodus did not have the same level of competence as his father, but he was able to make the people happy with gladiatorial battles in the Colosseum. He participated in many fights and even killed gladiators. To ensure victory for Emperor, however, the fights were always staged. The story of Gladiator is a completely fictionalized tale that is historically incorrect. However, it has interesting historical context. Maximus is shown fighting in one the Germanic wars. As the movie shows, the Roman Empire had a very advanced military. These advanced military capabilities meant that rebels, as well as intruders, had little chance to win on the battlefield. His demeanor was a small but interesting detail. Marcus Aurelius had a humble life. Yet, he boasts in a scene about the Empire’s expansion during his time. Marcus Aurelius would find this outlandish and incorrect. He did not succeed in keeping the Empire intact. However, the Empire had not seen expansions for many decades. Additionally, it is unlikely that Marcus Aurelius would choose a general from his army as the leader of the Empire. Commodus had served as co-Emperor for 3 years prior to his death. Commodus, however, is well-portrayed in the movie. Commodus didn’t want to rule and instead decided to keep people happy by organizing fights at the Colosseum. Amazingly, the movie shows how easily people got distracted by a corrupt government through these fights. Commodus’ brother was actually assassinated by his sister, as the movie portrays. She hired an accomplice to complete the task. Unfortunately for her, Commodus’ guards caught the assassin and exiled her. She was executed one year later. Maximus, a fictional character who kills Commodus in the movie, actually killed Commodus in real life. Commodus had hired an experienced wrestler as his trainer. Commodus died after his concubine got him very drunk. The wrestler he hired choked him. Although it isn’t exactly true to the facts, this epic movie is one of my favorites. The movie was enjoyable for me. Even though I dislike historical movies being inaccurate, the movie was enjoyable for me. The movie didn’t feature a true historical character, so they made up one.
