Alia-801's Gladiator Study: Part II. Slave

Maximus the Slave

Scene: Maximus has been abducted by the slavers, and is on the back of one of their wagons. He is delirious, and drifting in and out of consciousness. We see his dreams:

The sun quickly traverses the sky...
Maximus sees himself floating across the ground...
A door in a whitewashed wall...
Walking through a field of corn...

Suddenly he hits his hand on a rock, and it jars him momentarily into consciousness. He sees a Numidian above him lifting the lid off a basket then placing it back again, as he drifts once more into unconsciousness

A white horse running...
White clouds skitting across a blue sky...
An animal - a bear? - above him...
The Numidian slave again...

Then, as he sees the next visions, a voice echoes through his dream: You will meet them again. But not yet.

A horse...
Himself in chains...
His family figurines clustered around a candle...

As he starts back to consciousness again, he looks to his shoulder which must be painful, and sees the wound crawling with maggots. He lifts his hand to knock them away but the Numidian tells him not to because they will clean it.
Maximus glances around and sees another man riding a camel nearby look at him with distaste, then he falls back to dreaming.
He wakes again, this time to see the Numidian chewing something, and applying it to his wound, which seems cleaner now. The Numidian tells him not to die because they will feed you to the lions, they are worth more than we are.

This scene is the beginning of the friendship between Maximus and Juba - while Maximus is unconscious, Juba is taking care of his wound, keeping it clean and putting paste on it to help it heal. Meanwhile, Maximus is bouncing between reality and his dreams, flitting between the present, the past and the future. Once again we see him going to his home: the gate, walking through the corn, at peace, though this vision disintegrates as soon as he wakes up. What he makes of the dreams, if indeed he remembers them later, is anyones guess.

Scene: At the Bazaar. The slaves sit chained to posts while the trader tries to convince Proximo to buy his stock.

Throughout this scene, the first where we see Maximus properly conscious since the murder of his family, he appears completely dejected and uncaring. He ignores most of what is going on around him, not even responding when Proximo notices his tattoo (prodding it must have caused the wound to hurt, but he doesn't even seem to notice). He doesn't react either, when Proximo suggests that he is a deserter, just letting him believe it. In his view, the army life is past. He looks up slightly as Proximo names his price, as though with detached interest, but that is the only flicker of life we see from him in this scene.

Scene: Proximo's School. The slaves have just been unloaded from the wagon.

Again, Maximus displays very little emotion. He is surrounded by men fighting, by exotic animals, and by rotting human corpses, but he doesn't exhibit any sign of interest. His only movement is to remove his vest at the behest of one of the men throwing lime on the new slaves.

Scene: In the courtyard of Proximo's gladiator school, the new slaves are being tested by the experienced fighters

Initially Maximus is sitting cross-legged with his eyes closed, apparently lost in thought - perhaps thoughts of all that has happened, or what the future holds. Most likely though, he is thinking of his family, and the things he has lost. He seems lost in his reverie, since it takes him a moment to react when Haken calls him by his new nickname: Spaniard.
Eventually, he gets up and walks over to where Haken is waiting. There is no nervousness or worry either in his demeanor, or in his face - this is a man who knows how to fight, and who has no fear of Haken or anyone else. He looks Haken full in the eye, then holding the sword by its blade, he throws it to the ground. If his intention is to confuse Haken it succeeds - the Big gladiator looks to Proximo for further instructions: the man he is supposed to fight has refused, and is now unarmed. But he is not refusing because he is afraid - he just won't fight. As so many times in the film, this one gesture conveys far more of Maximus's feelings and thoughts than any words could have done.

I could kill you here and now, if I chose. But I don't. And I won't. For you, for Proximo, for anyone, or anything. My life may be at stake, but I don't care. If you want to kill me, go ahead, but I won't demean myself by fighting you just because someone wants me to.

Maximus has spent his life fighting, but always for a cause: for Rome, for Marcus, for his home and family, for honour. Now he is being asked to fight for nothing more than because someone wants him to. And that is not reason enough. By refusing to fight, Maximus risks being hit by Haken, even being beaten at an order by Proximo, but nothing scares him. All he wants is to be with his family in the afterlife, so he will tolerate anything the world throws at him, But he won't just play blindly along.
Proximo seems intrigues by the actions of this quiet slave: he shows no fear of Haken, even once he is unarmed, and doesn't flinch as Haken lifts his own sword. Maximus takes the blows as Haken makes them, but each time he gets back up to repeat the challenge. He is prepared to die, or face serious injury rather than fight: after all, he has nothing left to live for. Everything that matters to him is in the afterlife waiting.
Proximo sees the strength and courage in him, and prevents Haken doing any serious damage -- perhaps sensing that there is something very -- special within this man - something which will reveal itself in time.

Scene: Inside a building at the gladiator school. Maximus sits cutting at the tattoo on his arm with a sharp stone. Juba crouches in the doorway.

Maximus seems at peace with himself as his scrapes at his arm, removing the evidence of his past. The tattoo, meant to remind him for whom he fought (the Senate and People of Rome), seems completely pointless now - he fights for no one, and couldn't even if he wanted to. It is another part of his history which is best forgotten.
Juba asks him the obvious question:

Juba: Why don't you fight, Spaniard? We all have to fight.

Maximus answers with nothing more than a glance, but that look reads volumes:

What do I have left to fight for? My family are dead. The emperor I served is dead, and his idiot of a son has taken over. I have lost my command, my army and my freedom. For what should I fight? All I have left is my honour. And that tells me not to fight merely for fighting's sake.

Content that he's answered the question, he goes back to scraping at his arm. Juba, however, is not content just to leave Maximus and presses on, asking what he is doing:

Juba: Is that a sign of your gods?

Again, the only answer is in the form of a look. This one seems to say Yes, for what it's worth.
Juba again presses:

Juba: Will that not anger them?

This time when Maximus looks up, there is humour in his expression. Yes, it does. But what difference will that make? What do I have to lose? They can do what they like - they already have!
Then, as he goes back to cutting at his arm, we see the only expression of how much it really hurts - he gasps, and some of the pain shows in his face.

But why is he really cutting the tattoo away?

It's a sign of his old life, of everything he was and had. Perhaps a reminder which is too painful to see and carry on him all the time. Everything he values is now gone, so now, maybe, he feels that he owes nothing to the Senate, or to the People of Rome. He gave them everything, and all he got in return was agony and slavery. There could also be a more practical reason, though given his state of mind at this time it is unlikely: As an ex-soldier he must clearly know how to fight. By giving hi enemies in the arena that knowledge, he loses whatever slight advantage it may give him.

Scene: Walking to the small stadium in Zucchabar, the slaves are chained to a log. They walk under newly-dyed red yarn, which drips onto them.

Haken comments:
The gods favour you. Red is the gods' colour. You will need their help today.

Again, Maximus seems underwhelmed. As far as he is concerned, the gods have something against him - they have robbed him of everything he has ever cared for. They certainly don't seem to favour him, and a few drips from some yarn is not going to change that. He just walks on without giving any reply.

Scene: In the holding area of the small arena, Proximo gives his slaves a pep-talk.

Proximo: Some of you are thinking that you won't fight. Some that you can't fight...

It seems possible that some of this is due to Maximus's display earlier, when he refused to fight Haken. We see few of his reactions to this talk, but it is probably fair to assume that he is only half-listening. not really caring what Proximo has to say. So far, he seems to think little of Proximo, this man who profits so much from the deaths of others. Something in the talk reaches him though, probably Proximo's closing line:

Ultimately we are all dead men. Sadly we cannot choose how, but we can choose how we meet that end in order that we are remembered as men.

While Maximus would seem happy just to walk into the arena and refuse to fight, he must be aware that his death would count for nothing under those circumstances, and he would be forgotten within seconds. While his refusal to fight Haken showed courage and determination, a similar refusal in the ring would illustrate only stupidity. Even though he has little left to fight for, he still has his honour, and he would rather die with that intact. The only way that can happen, that he can die as a man (are being a man, and having honour synonymous to Maximus?) is to fight. He sees that though he has few choices left, one of them is how he dies - fighting with a sword in his hand, or as nothing, barely even noticed. He also knows that he is an exceptionally good fighter, and cam probably survive the fight, should he choose to. We have never yet seen him give up on a fight he could win, whatever the odds, and he seems unlikely to start now. A line from earlier in the film echoes here:

Quintus: People should know when they're conquered.
Maximus: Would you, Quintus? Would I?

While Maximus would happily die for many things, he is not a man who would throw his life away for nothing, however low he feels.
We see the transformation from a slave who is unwilling to fight, to a man who knows he can, as he completes his pre-battle ritual, lifting a handful of dust, then thoughtfully running it from hand to hand, as though still pondering the decision, then decisively rubbing it between his palms. When he stands he is once again a fighter, prepared for whatever may come. The difference in him is clear, both in his posture and his face. Juba notices the difference in his partner, and looks slightly surprised when Maximus stands up: One moment the man was ready to die, the next he is focussed, concentrated and alert.
As the slaves are chained together, Maximus is immediately given the same disadvantage as the other 'yellow` fighters - his right hand is chained. For most fighters, this is enough to handicap them severely, as it restricts their sword arms (not that any of the yellow fighters have swords at this stage).
Maximus's experience and patience are once again clear as the men stand waiting to enter the arena. Some seem nervous and fidgety, while others including Maximus and Haken, merely stand and wait for the inevitable, knowing there is nothing they can do until the gates open. They know that allowing fear to take a hold will only hamper them. The look on Maximus's face now is similar to that before the Battle of Germania - Whatever I'm about to face, I'll meet it head on, as best I can. With honour.

Scene: The gates to the arena open, and Maximus and the other slaves rush out, ready to fight.

Since they are near the back of the line of fighters, Maximus and Juba can move further into the arena to find andabatae to fight, since the closer enemy have already been engaged. This gives them the slight advantage of more space.
Many of the other yellow fighters are losing or dead by this point, hampered by their inability to fight, their chained sword arms and their lack of swords. Maximus, however, is not a normal yellow. He was identified as one for dying by his refusal to fight, rather than any inability to enter combat. As he is used to close combat, with men all around him his is adept at fighting with any weapon, in either hand.
The first andabata he takes on quickly discovers this, as Maximus sidesteps his sword thrust, then back-hands him around the head with his shield. As this gladiator falls, Maximus takes his sword, holding it reversed in his right hand, while he continues to fight with the shield in his left.
Eventually, Maximus and Juba are left facing the only remaining andabata. Maximus manages to relieve him of his trident, reverses it, and then spears him with it, quickly backing away. As the man they are fighting pulls the spear out of his body and turns it back on Maximus and Juba, they work together to break his neck with the chain between them.
As the crowd begins to cheer, Maximus and Juba look around. Maximus seems almost confused and disgusted with what he has just done.

again, between the end of this scene, and the next, we see the contrast between Maximus - now a slave, dirty, exhausted, bloody - and Commodus - the self-proclaimed emperor, clean, fresh, riding into Rome in triumph. Again, it is Maximus who is cheered, while this time most of the assembled crowd jeers and boos Commodus. Even so, it seems at this point in the story, that Commodus is the one in control, while Maximus seems to be lost. Still recovering from the loss of his wife and son.
While in some ways the fates of these two men are still the same as they were previously, in others their roles have been completely reversed.

Scene: Maximus and the other slaves sit in a cage at the entrance to the arena, preparing to fight.

This scene is notable as the only pre-battle scene were we don't see Maximus complete his usual ritual with the sand to earth himself.
Maximus sits at the end of the cage farthest from the arena sharpening his sword ready for the up-coming battle. When he is satisfied with the blade, he stands, then quickly walks to the door to the arena. As he passes them, the other fighters raise their weapons and salute him, as his men did before the Battle of Germania. This time, he doesn't acknowledge them, or stop to talk, but strides blankly past them, focussing only on what lies ahead. The crowd too are calling for him: Spaniard! Spaniard! Spaniard! echoes all round the arena and the surrounding village, where people are standing on the hillside to watch him fight.
Once through the gates and in the arena, Maximus pauses and bows to his opponents. Perhaps he recognises that they are in a similar situation to him "Kill or be killed" and he salutes them. Once he begins to fight, it is clear that the others stand no chance - Maximus finishes them off in turn, quickly, cleanly and efficiently, in a matter of seconds.
Once he has finished, the crowd sits in stunned silence. Maximus in unimpressed: He has given them what he thinks they want - blood and death - and they just sit there. As his temper builds he flings his sword into the crowd. When this also gets little response other than a surprised murmur he turns on them directly.

Are you not entertained? ARE YOU NOT ENTERTAINED? IS THIS NOT WHY YOU ARE HERE?

He has given the crowd what they wanted, done something that he had no wish to do and for nothing. Maximus's shout betrays some of the anger and guilt he must feel at the deaths of his family. Perhaps he sees this fight as penance, seeking absolution for them in the blood of others. The crowd, by their silence, do not grant him his wish. Only when he throws his sword to the ground, spitting on it in disgust does the mob wake from its reverie and begin to call to him.
I think that Maximus is upset in this scene because he has given so much of himself - he is a disciplined man who does not fight to display his skill or strength, he fights only when he must (as we saw earlier at the gladiator school). He did not, in this situation, have to fight for his life - while the other fighters may have killed him if he had not fought them, the ease with which he dispatched them gave him no pleasure - perhaps he was fighting other 'yellows' again? We know nothing of the preparation for this fight, only that it gave Maximus no pleasure and perhaps even caused him pain. At the end, even with the crowd screaming for him, he seems like a man lost, in a world he no longer comprehends; a world where men fight to the death, but not for honour or love or loyalty, only for the entertainment of others. It is not the fighting he is used to - organised, planned, even in some ways elegant, but brutal and primitive - fighting to show who is faster, stronger and more skilled.

His manner before the fight was not that of a man about to face an enemy - more that of one about to slaughter an animal. He came across as thinking "Lets get this over with", which is what he did. This wasn't a battle, but a massacre - did he know before it began that it would be so?

Either way, when it was over, he did not act like a man who had won a fight, more a man who had lost his soul, or whatever was left of it. He gave everything he had left, and got nothing in return.
Once he had finished fighting, Maximus was still full of pain and hatred - the fight had done nothing to diminish these emotions, as perhaps he had hoped it might. He threw his sword into the crowd because he wanted to hurt them - he killed the men he fought so quickly for the same reason - he was trying to release pain, hatred, rage, guilt. Before he started fighting he was controlled. When he finished he was using raw emotion - it showed on his face, in his actions - he didn't just stab the last opponent - he beheaded him - and in his voice when he shouted to the crowd. His emotions begin to crystallise into contempt and disgust as he realises what he has done, and why. When he got no response, he throws his remaining sword down as if to say That's all you'll get - I will give you nothing more. This is perhaps the only time in the film where we see Maximus lose his temper - all the feelings he has buried surface during this fight - the men he fought stood no chance against the controlled fighter he started out as. By the time he finished fighting the other gladiators, his hatred of the world, the gods, the people, boiled at the surface of his emotions and was contained no longer. He only begins to calm finally as the crowd call for him.

Scene: In Proximo's quarters

From the outset of this scene, we see that Maximus has little time for his owner. He paces back and forth throughout, looking bored as Proximo talks to him. As usual, when asked a question, Maximus ignores it. He has no patience for small talk and is not interested in anything Proximo offers. Not entirely surprising, since Proximo offers replacements of what he has lost:

Proximo: What do you want, hmm? Girl? Boy?.

Maximus us still reeling from the loss of his wife and son. While many of those watching this film see the offer of a boy as a joke, to Maximus it is possibly a reminder of his son - later he refers to him as "My boy". Either way, the words only increase Maximus' intolerance of his owner. He acts as though Proximo hadn't spoken, asking instead:

Maximus: You sent for me?

This scene has strong contrasts with Maximus's meeting with Marcus - he opened both with the same words, though this time there is no honorific when he addresses Proximo, as may be expected from a slave to his master. As Proximo, ignoring Maximus's rudeness, continues, Maximus remains unimpressed and uninterested. Proximo's praise falls on deaf ears:

Proximo: You're good Spaniard, but you're not that good. You could be magnificent.

For Maximus, even now, fighting it still a necessity, not an art form. His answer sums this up:

Maximus: I am required to kill so I kill. That is enough.

"I am prepared to do what I have to. Don't expect me to give anything more." At this stage, killing is a way to survive, nothing more. So far there is no end which requires him to do anything more than fight to kill. He is being made to act on a stage - he will read the lines but sees no reason to put time and effort into putting on a good show. All this is changed by Proximo's next few lines:

Proximo: It's enough for the provinces, but not for Rome.

The magic word has resurfaced, the word which keeps coming back to haunt the man who was once her greatest General: Rome.

Proximo: The young emperor has announced a series of spectacles to commemorate his father, Marcus Aurelius. I find this amusing since it was Marcus Aurelius the wise, the all-knowing Marcus Aurelius who closed us down in the first place.

More of the magic words from his past: Marcus Aurelius. Maximus' friend, commander and adoptive father. The man he vowed to succeed. His promise is coming back to haunt him, one piece at a time. Proximo's words are enough to grasp his attention, though he barely lets it show.

Proximo: So after five years of scratching a living in flea-infested villages, we are finally going back to where we belong: the Colosseum...

Maximus must realise that he is now going to where he belongs. Fate has dictates that he should keep his vow to Marcus - in some way at least. Perhaps he even hears Marcus's words echoing now: But you have not been there. You have not seen what it has become..

However, there is much irony in such a thought: Marcus intended him to enter Rome as Protector, the highest power in the land. Instead, he is to go as a slave, the lowest of the low.

Proximo: Oh you should see the Colosseum, Spaniard...

As Proximo speaks, it becomes clear that the trainer knows what he is talking about. He ha been there, but not as a trainer or slave owner: he has been a gladiator himself. Despite himself, Maximus is interested.. He stops pacing, and watches Proximo, who is by now lost in his recollection. A new respect for this man begins to dawn.

Maximus: You were a gladiator?... You won your freedom?

Proximo, sensing that he finally has the attention of the enigmatic Spaniard, continues with his tale:

A long time ago the Emperor presented me with a rudius. It's just a wooden sword... a symbol of your freedom. He touched me on the shoulder and I was free.

A spark has just flared in Maximus's imagination - a while multitude of things have come together: Marcus's request, a visit to Rome, a chance to see Commodus face-to-face, a sword. Suddenly, Maximus's life has gained meaning. If he can fight before Commodus, he can stand before Commodus, with a sword. And if he can do that, he can kill Commodus, to avenge his family. After that, he can join them in the afterlife, happy that honour has been satisfied. He can't save Rome as her Protector, but he can at least serve he by killing Commodus. Mostly, though, he seeks revenge.
Happy to have found this idea, Maximus laughs as he asks Proximo:

Maximus: You knew Marcus Aurelius?

He sounds slightly sceptical, but this may be because he does not believe the luck that has given him this opportunity, rather than because he doesn't believe Proximo.
Proximo seems angry at being questioned, and snaps back

Proximo: I did not say I knew him. I said he touched me on the shoulder once.

Maximus steps closer to Proximo, no longer scornful of him, but understanding that here is a man who can help him get what he wants.

Maximus: You asked me what I want? I too want to stand in front of the Emperor, as you did.

Proximo senses the change in Maximus - more likely believing that he wants the fame and celebrity of meeting the Emperor, not to mention winning his freedom, than for his real reasons - and takes the opportunity to get his message across:

Proximo: Then listen to me. Learn from me. I was not the best because I killed quickly. I was the best because the crowd loved me. Win the crowd and you will win your freedom.

Proximo has heard Maximus's change in tone, from his stubborn refusal to do anything more than kill to his eagerness in wanting to meet the Emperor. Presumably Proximo stands to make more money from a popular gladiator than an efficient one, but he also sees something of himself in this man. Proximo seems stubborn too, and it is this which leads him to single out Maximus - he can see that the former soldier is someone special and wants him to use his talents rather than wasting them. Finally, Maximus straightens, standing to attention as he did before Marcus. It is at this point that Maximus makes the transition from a slave who fights because he has no choice, to a gladiator who fights to further an end - suddenly killing is no longer enough.

I will win the crowd. I will give them something they have never seen before.

Maximus must win the crowd, but not to win his freedom in the conventional sense. He must free himself from his guilt and pain at the deaths of his wife and son. He must free himself of his vow to Marcus by ensuring that Commodus cannot rule. He sees his end, but can now see the purpose of his life. All that has happened before is irrelevant: He lives only to kill Commodus.

Maximus can so something which will echo in eternity.

Last updated 20 Mar 2005 Page designed by: alia-801
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