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Kevin Wattel
John Malizia
FILM 1003: Film Genres War
Nov. 28, 2014
Masculinity portrayed in Gladiator

Ultimately, were all dead men. Sadly we cant choose how, but we can decide
how we meet that end, in order that we are remembered as men (Proximo). From
commanding thousands to being thrown into the pit of slaves to prevailing in the great
Coliseum in Rome, Russell Crowes character, Aelius Maximus Decimus Meridius,
shows his masculinity in the film, Gladiator, over and over again. On the other hand,
Commodus, played by Joaquin Phoenix does not show masculinity by being disowned
by his father, delighting in watching death in the Coliseum and ultimately killed by
Maximus despite cheating in the fight. Maximus shows Masculinity whereas Commodus
does not in the opening of the movie in Germania, the Coliseum and in the final fight
between the two.
Maximus is the commander of Romes army in the North and General over the
Felix Legions. He has won many battles for Rome. As Maximus walks past the
regiments of his soldiers the men bow their heads and greet him. Smiles are on the
faces of the men who soon will go into battle because they know that Maximus whom
they respect and follow will be leading them. After the victorious battle, Maximus is
approached by the Emperor, Marcus Aurelius, and commended for his valour once
again in the field of battle. As the two walk back to the road the audience hears the
sound of cheering soldiers. Maximus states that the men honour their Caesar but

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Marcus declares that it is Maximus who is being honoured by the men. It is that night
that Marcus announces to Maximus that it is he who Marcus wishes to take over the
throne and lead Rome and not Marcus son, Commodus. Over and over again,
Maximus is shown to have the aspects of masculinity and the ideal man that men
should seek to be by the way his men view him and how he is held in high esteem by
the Emperor of Rome.
The viewer first meets Commodus when he and his sister are going to Germania
to meet their father. When Commodus does not find his father at the camp, he rides to
the front lines to greet his father. When he sees and approaches his father, Commodus
yells out to him saying, Have I missed it, have I missed the Battle? All Marcus has to
say to his son is You have missed the war. Even Marcus does not he regard his son
as heroic or valiant but instead portrays him as a man who cowers from Battle. Later
that night when Commodus is alone with his Marcus, Marcus announces to his son that
he will not be inheriting the thrown. Commodus breaks down in tears and begs to his
father to reconsider. Even in the dialogue between the two, Commodus confesses that
all the Masculine attributes that Marcus was trying to find in his successor were absent
from Commodus. Even in the beginning of the film the viewer can already see that
Commodus shows very little sign of masculinity whereas Maximus is portrayed with
many masculine features and is clearly the ideal man that the viewer should seek to be
like.
After avoiding the execution brought down on his head by Commodus and being
thrown into the pits of slaves, Maximus finds himself fighting for his life in the gladiator

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ring. After winning the hearts of the men in Zucchabar, he is drafted to go to Rome and
fight in the Coliseum. Whenever Maximus entered the Coliseum he was shown to be
victorious and winning the favour of the crowds. Maximus, however, does not find
pleasure in killing. He befriends and leads the men he fights with on to victory for one
purpose, to have vengeance on Commodus who killed his wife and child. After his first
victory in Rome, Commodus commands to see his face and know his name. Maximus
turns away from him at first and after more urging he reveals his face and angrily
speaks to Commodus saying My name is Maximus Decimus Meridius, commander of
the Armies of the North, General of the Felix Legions, loyal servant to the true emperor,
Marcus Aurelius. Father to a murdered son, husband to a murdered wife. And I will have
my vengeance, in this life or the next. Maximus shows attributes of Masculinity here by
defending his family expressing the corruption of Commodus.
Upon killing his own father to gain the crown of Rome, Commodus announces
that there will be many games held in the Coliseum. In doing this, Commodus shows his
desire for blood to be shed as a form of entertainment. Further, when Commodus
watches the games, he is shown laughing and licking his lips in a sick, twisted portrayal
of his approval for all the bloodshed. When Maximus goes against the champion of
Rome, he enters the stadium with crowds cheering. With envy and hatred towards
Maximus, Commodus tells his sister that no matter what the outcome of the battle may
be, it will not matter. Commodus has already arranged for Maximus death. Finally, after
Maximus fight, Commodus goes down to see him to demand why Maximus disobeyed
his order to kill the defeated man. When Maximus turns away Commodus goes on how
killing Maximus son and wife were of great joy to him. Trembling with anger, Maximus

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utters these words, The time for honouring yourself will soon come to an end,
Highness.
A final plan to free Maximus and bring him back to his army was destroyed when
Commodus caught word of it. Maximus was beaten and placed in chains when
Commodus arrived at the coliseum to see him. In this confrontation Maximus once
again laughs at the taunts of the emperor who challenges him in a one on one fight. In
the background the crowd cheers Maximus name. Commodus leans into Maximus and
stabs him in the back and commands the guards to put on the armor and conceal the
wound. Even here, Commodus shows cowardice and clearly shows his faults in true
masculinity as he cannot even fight a fair fight. As the fight goes on, Commodus loses
his sword. After crying out for a sword, no one would give him one because they have
no respect for him. While Maximus drops his sword thinking the fight was over,
Commodus takes advantage of this and revealed a dagger with which he tried to kill
Maximus but ultimately gets stabbed to death with by Maximus. As the crowd was still,
Maximus stood and commanded that the army and his fellow prisoners be released. He
then fell to ground with a smile on his face for he was going to see his family once
again. Here the audiences sees that even as a death approaches, Maximus takes care
of his men. When the prison men come out to the grounds where Maximus and
Commodus bodies lay, Commodus sister speaks to the men saying He (Maximus)
was a soldier of Rome, honour him. Here even Commodus sister ignores the death of
her cowardice brother and honours the death of this great man Maximus. Leaving
Commodus in the dust, the men carry their hero and liberator into the air and carry him

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out as a last sign of respect for this man who truly showed the characteristics of a
masculinity.
From highest commander, to lowest slave, to highest gladiator and victor of
Rome, Maximus Decimus Meridius shows true masculinity in the way he leads, fights
and conquers his ultimate foe. On the other hand, Commodus does not show any trace
of masculinity through his cowardice in battle, in killing his father and taking the thrown,
to gloating in the coliseum which ultimately leads to his justified death. Throughout the
film, the viewer can clearly see that Maximus has the true traits of masculinity whereas
Commodus falls disgracefully short.

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Works Cited
Gladiator. Dir. Ridely Scott. Perf. Russel Crowe. Shepperton Studios, 2000. DVD.