Commodus more like Commo-sus
Gladiator follows an esteemed Roman general named Maximus (portrayed by Russell Crowe) as he is betrayed and presumed to be dead, only to rise again and exact justice on his evil nemesis Commodus. The movie opens with Maximus firing up his men for a battle against some scary looking Germanic tribes where he uses his expertise to decisively defeat them. After, the viewer learns that the aging emperor, Marcus Aurelius, intends to name Maximus as his successor instead of his ne’er do well (and incestuous) son Commodus. Commodus arrives and suffocates his father after learning the news. Then, he arranges for Maximus to be killed when he suspects that Maximus will not be loyal to him and off-screen he arranges for Maximus’ family to be killed as well. Maximus escapes (his family is not so lucky) and goes to his home to find his family murdered. He is then captured by slave traders and is sold to a gladiator trainer. He makes friends with some of the other gladiators and is a natural, winning all of his fights. Then, he eventually makes it all the way to the coliseum where he wins his fights against all the odds while wearing a mask and reveals his identity to the dismay of Commodus. After this, Maximus and some other influential Romans including Commodus’ sister arrange for Maximus to escape the city, retake command of his former legions, and topple Commodus from power. Commodus learns of this and blows up Maximus’ plans, murdering many of his friends and co-conspirators. Commodus decides to have a duel with Maximus in the coliseum to save face and eliminate his foe once and for all, but the fight is not fair as he stabs Maximus in the gut right before the fight. Despite this, Maximus still kills Commodus in epic fashion before collapsing and dying, finally seeing his family again.
Taking Roman Revolutions definitely made the story of Gladiator much more enjoyable than when I had previously watched it. So many little things gained a new meaning due to the class. Connections were everywhere: Maximus had 3 names exemplifying his noble birth, he was a farmer/soldier which was the idealized system in the Republic, his trainer had been a slave that won his freedom, and the scene in the coliseum was of the 2nd Punic War. It also elucidated the differences between the Republic and Empire. For example, the emperor had essentially supreme control over everything as opposed to the Senate or the people. Next, the diversity of the Empire stood in contrast to the Republic as the Empire was far larger and encompassed more people than the Republic. Lastly, the prospect of an army led by Maximus marching on Rome was entirely foreign for most of the Republic (until Marian and Sulla at least) and shows where our study of the late Republic is leading.
