Watching a tragic play acted live on a stage has slowly lost popularity over time. As a result, the tragedy genre has had to adapt to the modernisation of visual entertainment by being presented through the medium of film. Though this transition drastically alters the audience’s experience with a tragic text, the same core conventions and intentional effects on viewers continue to be upheld. Similar to how a religion has traditions which are unique to them, genres have key components which distinguish a text as belonging to that particular genre. The Greek philosopher, Aristotle, developed six defining conventions of the tragic genre in ‘Poetics’. Horace expanded upon these conventions in ‘Ars Poetica’ to apply similar rules to a Roman tragedy. Though he doesn’t perfectly follow all the traditional conventions established by Aristotle and Horace, it is evident that Ridley Scott manipulates them in his film ‘Gladiator’. Gladiator follows the main protagonist Maximus’ descent from power from a respected general to a worthless slave, which occurs as a consequence of him refusing to accept Commodus as the new emperor. The audience witnesses a broken man who lets the loss of his family defeat him eventually rise up to become a fierce gladiator whose focus is on receiving justice. This essay will explore how Scott manipulates ‘character’ – one of Aristotle’s key conventions of a tragedy – whilst developing his character Maximus. I will also discuss how Scott manipulates Horace’s characteristics of a Roman tragic hero. Scott manipulates these conventions in two important scenes, the opening scene and the slaving scene, through utilising the film techniques motifs, costume and dialogue. Through combining these techniques in both scenes, Scott employs a contrasting effect to highlight Maximus’ change as a tragic hero and to ultimately achieve a cathartic experience in the audience.

Gladiator’s striking opening allows audiences to easily infer who Maximus is as a character. In this opening scene, Scott incorporates two traditional characteristics of a Roman or Greek tragic hero: having a stereotypical heroic nature and possessing hubris. Scott’s choice of costume for Maximus is displayed throughout the scene. He is seen donning a furry wolf skin coat over his shoulders and he has a carving of a wolf on his chestplate. Much later in the scene, we see a dog breaking free from his owner to join Maximus before the battle. Wolves represent loyalty and guardianship and Scott uses the reoccurrence of this animal as a motif to reflect these characteristics in Maximus. Afterwards, the camera cross-cuts from a European robin flying from a twig back to an intrigued and smiling Maximus. In Roman times the European robin is known as a spiritual symbol of divine sacrifice or death. Scott uses this robin to hint at Maximus’ future sacrifice towards the end of the film, when he ensures that the people of Rome are free from Commodus’ corruption, but dies during that process . The combination of the two film techniques, motifs and costume highlight how Maximus possesses stereotypical heroic qualities which are commonly possessed by the hero of a story. This is one of Horace’s characteristics of a Roman tragic hero, Horace describing a man who holds this characteristic as someone whose “human heart seeks wealth and friendships, the service of honor…”. Maximus doesn’t veer from the stereotypical image of a hero because it enables the audience to already be familiar with the gist of his character: selfless, benevolent and excessively loyal. From his behaviour to his appearance, Maximus is a stock character who draws similarities to the many modern heroes that the audience has encountered a hundred times before. This entices us to efficiently form a trusting relationship with him. Later in the scene, a tracking shot follows Maximus as he walks among his soldiers. His costume is noticeably different in comparison to that of the soldiers which surround him. All of the soldiers appear to wear the same dark iron armour and leather straps, whereas Maximus wears shiny steel armour of a lighter and more lustrous colour. Maximus’ more polished appearance, as well as his interactions with his soldiers, indicate that he feels that he is above their level, demonstrating his prideful nature. Next, the audience witnesses Quintus questioning the ranges of the catapult and whether they will hit their adversaries. Maximus responds by stating “the range is good” and this is followed by Maximus asserting that “it is acceptable, do you agree?”. Maximus shuts down Quintus’ suggestion quite harshly because of both his higher ranking and his prideful nature. Later in the scene, Maximus proposes to his soldiers that “what we do in life echoes an eternity”, expressing his belief that his story will always be remembered. These two choices of dialogue and Maximus’ costume highlight his hubris, another characteristic of an Aristotelian tragic hero. He holds himself as more important and therefore believes his opinion is always right. Overall, Scott intends to introduce Maximus to the audience in the opening scene as a straightforward and good-natured protagonist through manipulating two traditional characteristics of a tragic hero.

In the slaving scene, Scott establishes how Maximus has changed by incorporating two more characteristics of an Aristotelian tragic hero, nemesis and peripeteia. The slaving scene comes directly at the beginning of act two, when Maximus is in a state of misery after witnessing the charred corpses of his executed family. The slavers then arrive to capture Maximus and a montage begins which shows a series of visions Maximus experiences as he bends in and out of reality. In this montage, the audience first sees a zoom shot into a white gate with a large door which resembles that which one may find in heaven. A long shot of Maximus’ family within a farm drained of light and colour is also shown in the montage. We also see a tracking shot of a horse galloping majestically and a close-up-shot of a horse tossing its head in distress. White horses are a universal symbol of freedom without restraint, however in some religions – like Christianity – they act as a symbol of death. Scott combines this animal motif and the imagery featured in the dream sequence to bring attention to Maximus’ experience with nemesis. Nemesis is a characteristic of an Aristotelian tragic hero which is described as the inevitability of an inescapable and miserable fate. Scott foreshadows Maximus’ eventual demise and reunion with his family in the after life to evoke the cathartic emotion of fear in the audience. Scott places us on the edge of our seats in hope that Maximus will come out on top before the end credits roll. During the montage, the audience sees a feral dog in a rapid state and hears the hissing of snakes. Scott incorporates these two animals into the scene to make the audience feel concerned for Maximus’ safety in his current situation, inducing fear in the audience. After Maximus regains consciousness, he notices a monkey laughing cheekily – as well as the maggots cleaning his wound. Maximus relies on maggots to survive and he is now subordinate to the lions. Next, Juba states “don’t die, they will feed you to the lions, they are worth more than we are.” Scott combines dialogue, costume and motifs to suggest that Maximus is at the height of his peripeteia, another Aristotelian characteristic of a tragic hero described as a change “from good fortune to bad”. In the great chain of being animals have a lower status and Scott uses these film techniques to suggest that Maximus has fallen to this status. As a whole, this scene acts to full realise just how far Maximus has fallen since the beginning of the film. It’s a highly cathartic moment for the audience because of our strong feeling of pity for his current situation and immense fear for his fate.

The opening scene and the slaving scene work together to employ a contrasting effect because Maximus’ change in fortune is so drastic. Feelings of catharsis in the audience are maximised because Maximus’ experience with peripeteia is so heightened. Both scenes feature dream sequences containing imagery of Maximus’ hand running through the wheat fields within his home. He is seen wearing his wedding ring in this shot. This reminds us of the life he has lost and evokes pity in the audience because possessing a family and a home are two values which most people hold, treasure and dread losing. During the opening scene, the audience notices the soldiers smiling and kneeling – two gestures which indicate respect and admiration – as well as dialogue such as “sir” and “general”. This suggests that Maximus is a successful and highly respected general who is admired by many of his followers. Maximus is surrounded by well-groomed horses and he is accompanied by a friendly dog. Scott chooses these two animals because of their gentle nature and their association with power and safety. Maximus’ costume also highlights his fortune and success in his position. Scott combines soundscape, motifs and costume in the opening to place Maximus on a higher pedestal to fall from when he experiences peripeteia. Maximus’ drastic reversal of fortune becomes evident by the same film techniques being used in the slaving scene to employ a contrasting effect. At the start of the slaving scene, a close -up shot shows Maximus lying unconscious on the soil, his costume now consisting of a ragged tunic which is tattered, worn out and covered in dirt. Scott literally places the camera on the ground to signify that Maximus is at the lowest point in his journey. As mentioned before, the animals which surround him indicate that he has fallen to ‘animal status’ in the chain of being. In particular, there is a feral dog and a manic horse featured in the montage sequence, which clearly contrasts the same animals in the opening. Juba’s dialogue and the eery soundscape of various animal sounds in the dream sequence also enhance this idea that he has drastically reduced in status. Scott uses these techniques to bring to attention that Maximus has lost everything that he had in the beginning of the film. Status, shelter, fortune, family and freedom are among these losses. Since Scott has allowed the audience to relate and develop a close bond with Maximus in the opening, our cathartic experience in the slaving scene is enhanced. Such a drastic change in fortune also enhances these emotions of pity, making the film more captivating. Similar to Shakespeare’s ‘King Lear’, Justice is a key theme that Scott explores in the film because it is something relevant to all of us. Our human nature desires that terrible mistakes are punished and good actions are rewarded, injustice creating outrage and the need to control the evil causing it. Gladiator takes advantage of this human tendency by constantly encouraging the audience to believe that justice will be served and that Maximus will come out on top. However, each time we end up feeling disappointed and start to believe that justice is a myth that humans persistently believe in. Roman times were brutal and unforgiving and families rarely stayed intact and by adhering to this reality, Scott reminds us that injustice and suffering is an unavoidable aspect of our world.

Ridley Scott won an academy award for ‘Gladiator’ because of his careful crafting and combining of film techniques to maximise the audience’s cathartic experience. Introducing the tragedy genre to film, but retaining the traditional conventions, allows for the same cathartic emotions that audiences had experienced in Shakespeare’s time to be brought to modern audiences. The development of Maximus is central to the success of the film’s purpose and Scott allows us to follow him closely in his downward journey to form an attachment to him. Scott plays with our emotions, dangling hope right in front of our eyes before snatching it away and it is this emotional rollercoaster as we follow Maximus’ journey that makes the film so enjoyable from start to finish.