Question: Why did Marcus Aurelius and Lucilla hate Commodus so much?
Tailkinker
29th May 2009
Gladiator (2000)
6th Jul 2005
Gladiator (2000)
Question: There is a scene where there is a play fight between 'Maximus' and 'Commodus', but how would the people be able to get away with making fun of their Emperor? Wouldn't guards or someone else like that punish them or tell the Emperor?
Answer: The art of parody dates back to those times - examples exist in both Greek and Roman literature. While it was potentially unwise to make fun of somebody quite as unstable as Commodus, they're not really risking much. It would hardly look good for an Emperor who's trying to win the hearts of his people if he executed a bunch of actors simply because they poked fun at him.
3rd Feb 2005
Gladiator (2000)
Question: I wonder, in what year is the movie set?
Answer: According to the opening text, the initial battle takes place in the winter of 180AD.
15th Nov 2004
Gladiator (2000)
Question: In regard to the scene in which Maximus (Russell Crowe) kills all the challengers and says "Are you not entertained?" can someone explain the people's silence before cheering? Why would they wait to cheer? Was it because they were so stunned at how good he was or insulted by how quick he finished it? It just seems very peculiar.
Chosen answer: You're probably closest with the suggestion that they're rather stunned at the sheer speed with which Maximus has carved through the opposition. They'd certainly be used to more of a show, so for Maximus to slay all his challengers in less than a minute would take them aback. If anything, the "Are you not entertained" is closer to the theatrics that they'd really expect to see, which would prompt them into cheering him - up to that point, he's not exactly won their favour, even though he's defeated all comers.
1st Aug 2004
Gladiator (2000)
Question: I'm curious, why is it stated that the Tigriss of Gaul is the only undefeated gladiator? Wouldn't Proximo be an undefeated Gladiator, seeing as how he won the wooden sword? I do take in mind that Proximo could not be counted because he was set free, but could someone clear this up for me?
Answer: Gladiators weren't automatically killed on losing a fight - it almost certainly wasn't even the norm. As such, a gladiator could be defeated, but be spared to fight again and, if luck was with him, ultimately retire in some fashion.
17th Feb 2004
Gladiator (2000)
Question: I just wondered if anyone knows how much of the historical content of Gladiator is accurate, e.g. are the characters based on people who actually lived?
Answer: Some of the characters are real - Marcus Aurelius and Commodus are both real emperors and were indeed father and son, but both are used in fictional ways. Marcus Aurelius did spend a lot of his reign fighting the Germans, but he died of the plague in Vindobona (now Vienna) rather than being murdered. Commodus did, in fact, fight in the arenas, but he did not meet his end there - in reality he was strangled in his bath by an athlete called Narcissus.
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Answer: They don't hate him, particularly, he's family and, in their own ways, they love him, but they certainly don't trust him. He's unstable, unpredictable, arrogant, power-hungry, prone to conspiracy and ruthless. In a potential Emperor, that is not a good mix of qualities, as far as they're concerned, so they keep a very close eye on him and, as we see, Marcus Aurelius chooses to elevate Maximus in his place, something that unfortunately pushes Commodus over the edge.
Tailkinker ★