Gladiator

             Throughout history, one of the most well-known and most revered cultures was .
             This empire lasted for hundreds of years and to this day still .
             has an effect on our society. The characteristics of this culture are still evident in todays .
             day and age, and we see this in various ways. One way in which we as a people learn .
             about the history of the Romans is through film. Throughout the years there have been .
             many films in which we see the Roman Empire depicted, but one of the most recent and .
             well known films is Ridley Scott's Gladiator starring Russell Crowe. This film gives us a .
             fictitious look at the Romans and their culture, and also introduces us to some characters .
             and places that actually have existed.
             One of the most interesting and well-known periods of history was that of the .
             Roman Empire. During this time we learned many of the bases for what our culture is .
             today. We also learned of how barbaric and sadistic this culture was. Through Ridley .
             Scott's film Gladiator we see the many beauties and the many horrors of the Roman .
             culture in the perspective of Maximus, a former Roman General turned slave. This film is .
             a constant struggle between good and evil. This film can also be considered a tragedy due .
             to the fact that the main character Maximus is consumed by his vengeance and his rage .
             towards Commodus, the man who betrayed him and killed his father Marcus Aurielles. .
             Since death is his only freedom, Maximus throughout the entire movie is led by his .
             yearning for death so that once again he can be reunited with his wife and son, who were .
             slain by Commodus. This film in some ways is based on actual events and people, but for .
             the most part this film is fictitious. While it is obvious that an impressive amount of .
             historical and scholarly research was undertaken by the filmmakers, much of the plot is .
             fiction. The fiction does however, appear to be inspired by actual historical events. In this .