Gladiator: The Forgotten Legion

The words “veni, vidi, vici,” or otherwise roughly translated as “I came, I saw, I conquered”, were spoken by the man who could be considered as ancient Rome’s most famous persona, Julius Caesar. These three words have become iconic and synonymous with what can readily be labeled as ancient Roman “philosophy”. It was an outlook that, in certain contexts, marginalized groups of people through slavery while glorifying the image of honour and warfare. The Forgotten Legion, written by Ben Kane, ideally follows the story of three men, two ex-gladiators and an Etruscan haruspex, as they travel to the far reaches of the Roman Republic’s hold on Asia in a legion of soldiers to face the dangers of the unknown. The film Gladiator, directed by Ridley …show more content…
Subsequently, being titled as “deserter”, Maximus holds great disdain towards the SPQR emblem that is tattooed on his arm. The irony depicted in the situation reminds Maximus of the bitter truth: his family and Marcus Aurelius (the previous emperor) were dead. While using a sharp edge to remove the tattoo from his arm, Maximus is questioned by the Nubian man, Juba: “Is that the sign of your gods? Will that not anger them?”(Gladiator) The “gods” that Juba inquires about, as seen through Maximus’ eyes, can refer to Rome itself or more specifically the new emperor, Commodus, who Maximus sees as the root cause of his anguish. Maximus’ scornful reaction, a mere nod of the head with tears in his eyes, to Juba in the movie reveals his desires to reject the very Empire, or the “gods”, that he swore to serve. Thus, Maximus is literally removing the only aspect of himself that can label him as identifiably “Roman”. When he removes his mark, it in a way, acknowledges the fact that he has no place in the life he had before, while he “accepts” his new one. Maximus knew that his only chance of surviving as a gladiator would come by changing his identity, in which he goes by the name “Spaniard”, no longer “Roman”. Maximus reveals through his show of determination, similarly to …show more content…
Despite only being a teenager, Romulus stands as a personification of the theme of perseverance in the novel as a result of his overall determination to survive the rough conditions that he is put through. In the novel, the character of Romulus explores the desire for revenge: “Romulus would not rest until he was free…Romulus glared at his former owner with utter hatred. One day [he would] kill him, very slowly.” (Kane 124) Romulus was conspicuously born a slave, but it was his deepest desire from an early age to become freed with the purpose to exact revenge against the man who tore apart his family. Even though he was only able to escape the Ludus with Brennus, Romulus was determined to return to Rome one day to kill his old master, find his sister, and avenge his mother’s death. After facing numerous battles, obtaining various injuries, and being stranded in the central Asian continent, Romulus still dreamt of revenge. In contrast to Maximus, Romulus’ venture to kill was a great deal smaller in scale, as his former master was merely a rich merchant. Although Romulus’ circumstances differ from Maximus’, they both share a similar thirst to avenge their families’ death and