Gladiator Hero Journey

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Joseph Campbell's Journey of the Hero, Gladiator

In the book The Hero With a Thousand Faces, Joseph Campbell lays out the steps that one must complete in order to become a hero. The first step of the cycle is the Separation phase, in which the hero must accept a challenge and experience that which is unfamiliar to him. Initiation, the second phase of the cycle, consists of several trials that not only challenges the hero, but also brings the reality of love and the opening up of the conscious. The final stage, The Return, is when the hero brings the knowledge he or she has learned during their voyage back to the people. Each phase is broken down to better explain the journey one must take in order to become a hero.

To illustrate, in the epical adventure film Gladiator, director Ridley Scott's clearly fits the main character, Maximus Decimus Meridius, into Campbells idea of the Heroic Journey. Maximus is a well-loved and trusted general in the roman army, as well as a close friend to the ailing Emperor Marcus Aurelius. The Emperor, asks him to take over as Emperor after he dies. He wants Maximus to return Rome to the people. Maximus isn't fond of the idea because he wanted to return to his family and home, but before he can give his answer, Commodus, the biological heir to the throne, murders his father. After Commodus orders Maximus and his family to be killed, Maximus escapes death only to be sold into slavery. Becoming a feared gladiator, he then seeks revenge. This revenge and his trials and circumstances are what make this Maximus greatest journey yet. All three phases, Separation, Initiation, and Return are completed.

For example, we first meet Maximus the hero in his Ordinary World, which will create a vivid contrast with the strange new world he is about to enter. It is the winter of 180 A.D. The mighty Roman Empire has conquered the entire Europe except for Germania. General Maximus is about to lead his 5000 men into battle. He smells and touches the earth before going into battle. He is more than human; he is a simple man close to the earth. Before giving the signal to his men, he introduces his dramatic need and we discover the heros personal goal. After his final battle he will return home to his family and resume his role as father and farmer. He later finds out that he will be separated from his desired Ordinary World.

Subsequently, Maximus journey starts with the first phase, The Separation. The Call to Adventure is the first sub-stage. Marcus Aurelius, the emperor, asks Maximus to become emperor after he passes away. Maximus is stunned by the emperors proposal but tells Marcus Aurelius that he will have to decline. Maximus has never been to Rome and has no experience with politics; he looks forward to returning home to his wife and son and living the peaceful life of an everyday farmer. This is The Refusal of the Call.

Therefore, The Refusal of the Call is where Maximus starts his decline to become the next Roman Emperor. After Commodus, out of jealousy, kills his own father he then asks for Maximus support, and when Maximus denies his offer, he becomes a victim to Commodus. The new Emperor orders not only Maximus family to be killed, but for Maximus to be killed as well. Maximus manages to escape, but does not make it to his family in time. Eventually Maximus passes out from a wound he suffered during his escape. Once he awakens, he finds that he has been captured and is to be sold as a slave. He arrives in Zuccabar, a Roman province, to start his training to become a gladiator, the nastiest blood-sport ever invented. He denies the exercises and refuses to fight with the other men.

While in Zuccabar, Maximus meets Proximo, the man who bought him. Proximo has a fascination with Maximus and becomes his aid. This fulfills the sub-stage of the Supernatural Aid. Even though Proximo has no supernatural powers, he was once a gladiator and helps Maximus discover the ways to reach Rome. He tells Maximus that he must win the crowd and he gives him a chest shield for protection. Maximus' survival through his fights builds his reputation with the crowds. The first Gladiator contest in the arena of Zucchabar is Maximus first test, beyond who lays the unknown. This is The Crossing of the first Threshold passage, which is a form of self-annihilation; the hero goes inward to be born again. It is also his first sense of crowds thirsting for blood. This reputation with the crowds is what takes him to Rome as the famous and feared gladiator the Spaniard. Maximus then realizes that he may have a way to get revenge against Commodus once he gets to Rome.

As well, The Belly of the Whale sub-stage is also present. Commodus believes that Maximus is dead. In actuality, Maximus has been held captive and is preparing for his day to come. He becomes a new person with new morals, fighting by the crowd-given name of Spaniard. He fights to win and is not concerned with death. As Campbell wrote, The temple interior, the belly of the whale, and the heavenly land beyond, above, and below the confines of the world, are one and the same. Maximus knows that if he keeps fighting he can slay Commodus, but if he dies he may meet his family in the afterlife.

Moreover, the second phase in Maximus journey is The Initiation. This point in the story is the most interesting, but also the most difficult for the adventurer. The sub-stage is The Road of Trials. Maximus must fight many battles while being famished and quite fatigued. Before Maximus battles a physical desire - to survive - he is confronted by an emotional desire when he meets Lucillas son Lucius it serves a dual function; it is a painful reminder of his own son, and takes the audience back into the story to the slaughter of his family, clearly underlining the motivation that spurs the protagonist to take action. He sees many glimpses of the afterlife, seeing his wife and eight-year-old son waiting. He must, however, fight on so that he may reach Commodus and free the people of his wrath.

In addition, Lucilla, Commodus sister realizes how corrupt her brother truly is, and isn't happy with the way he is ruling. There are slight hints of a past love affair between her and Maximus, but more important, they have a deep-rooted bonding they both have a son. Lucilla confronts Maximus face-to-face while he is imprisoned after revealing his identity to Commodus. She too is vulnerable and tells Maximus that she is living in a prison of fear because her son is in danger. She wants to win Maximus trust and tempts him to join her in deposing the Supreme Enemy. This could be the sub-stage Woman as a Temptress. Also, Lucilla could represent The Atonement with the Father, which suggests that sometimes a female protector helps the hero. Lucilla helps Maximus by informing him that they cannot wait any longer and he has to escape that same evening.

Furthermore, Maximus achieves a full Apotheosis by mastering himself as a hero. While brute strength and intelligence are hereditary, compassion and humility must be learned. Before the hero is summoned to his quest, he must undergo a test of character to prove to himself worthy of the natural and supernatural assistance he will receive from helpers during the journey. Maximus recognizes his strengths and weaknesses and reconciles them. His character has won the crowds sympathy, the other gladiator's admiration, Commodus' fear and jealousy, and the Senate's respect as the savior of Rome.

Additionally, Maximus Ultimate Boon would be his death, which will reunite him with his family in the afterlife as his best prize. They are waiting for him. He has to return to his family and end his sorrow. Touching the field of wheat he stroked in the opening scene. He reaches for a door. His world changes accordingly, reflecting a shining new reality. He dies peacefully. We see vivid, happy images of his wife and boy waiting for him at the other side of the door. His wife smiles and his son runs towards him. He collapses and is rewarded by society and fate, and he receives generous compensation for his sacrifices.

Maximus journey is completed when he enters the third and final stage, The Return to his family in the afterlife. By slaying Commodus, he brings freedom back to the Roman people. He brings them the Freedom to Live. The Republic is restored in Rome and the people may all live according to the fairness of the Senate. Maximus is martyred when his life ends. His heroism is celebrated with ceremony, ritual, and public honor. The hero has now completed the journey, from strength in the beginning to honor in the end. Gladiators carry Maximus body out of the arena. His rank is elevated both privately and publicly. In contrast to the sunrise of the opening scene, the film last scene is a glorious sunset.

In conclusion, after analyzing the epical adventure film Gladiator, there is no doubt that Ridley Scott's film is a perfect fit for Joseph Campbell's idea of the Hero Journey. In this exceptional masterpiece, Ridley shows Maximus as the perfect Hero, the most paramount I have analyzed since Odysseus. Maximus, who was a general from the Roman Empire, who later was sold into slavery and then becomes a feared gladiator that defies an Emperor. His situations and encounters clearly illustrate almost every step of Joseph Campbells design of the Heroic Journey. All three stages are included in the film; Departure, Initiation, and Return are accomplished by the heroic figure Maximus Decimus Meridius.

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