The Gladiator

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For those who have watched “The Gladiator”, what did Maximus mean when he asked the crowed, “Are you not entertained? Are you not entertained? Is this not why you came here?” What can you say about the games? What do you see in the faces of the gladiators and the Roman audience? What was the intention of the emperor for holding the game?
In the movie, was the emperor’s intention to hold the games morally upright? What did the Romans benefit from watching the games? How about the gladiators, were they athletes or victims?
 
It was from a totally different time, much like we enjoy sports today in stadiums - that was part of the entertainment available to Romans at that time. There is no doubt some people disagreed with that form of entertainment back then, perhaps Maximus being enslaved started to realize what the life of a gladiator was like.

Gladiators were both athletes and victims, they were owned by someone else as shown in the movie. A lot of gambling took place, so they were valuable, they were slaves essentially. I prefer not to pass a moral judgment on the people of that time, if you grew up in those times, it would appear quite normal to you. These days it would be a major human rights issue, of course.
 
alitaptap said:
For those who have watched “The Gladiator”, what did Maximus mean when he asked the crowed, “Are you not entertained? Are you not entertained? Is this not why you came here?” What can you say about the games? What do you see in the faces of the gladiators and the Roman audience? What was the intention of the emperor for holding the game?
In the movie, was the emperor’s intention to hold the games morally upright? What did the Romans benefit from watching the games? How about the gladiators, were they athletes or victims?
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What does this have to do with Catholic morality? Can you clarify? Thanks.
 
diggerdomer said:
What does this have to do with Catholic morality? Can you clarify? Thanks.
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I believe the games went on well after Catholic domination of Rome, in fact I believe it was a Catholic Monk who stopped it.

Its hard to place a Catholic Judgement on another culture without some level of integration. This is why most of the successful Catholic Missionaries do not push for conversion.
 
diggerdomer said:
What does this have to do with Catholic morality? Can you clarify? Thanks.
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That is easy. Christ died for all people, and that means people have worth and value, that God loves them so much that He would die for them. Slaves in the ancient world were the first people to really receive Christianity, for they saw the message of God’s love for them even while the world thought them next to worthless.

This message of God’s love for humanity changed the world, and is the whole basis for human rights which we enjoy today.

.
 
alitaptap said:
For those who have watched “The Gladiator”, what did Maximus mean when he asked the crowed, “Are you not entertained? Are you not entertained? Is this not why you came here?”
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He thought they weren’t entertained because he didn’t die.
 
Stylites said:
That is easy. Christ died for all people, and that means people have worth and value, that God loves them so much that He would die for them. Slaves in the ancient world were the first people to really receive Christianity, for they saw the message of God’s love for them even while the world thought them next to worthless.

This message of God’s love for humanity changed the world, and is the whole basis for human rights which we enjoy today.

.
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No, the first to receive were Mary, the Apostles, and other disciples. Not slaves.
 
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