Jose Batista

Mrs. Petty
10-16-2014
English 101

Hero
As Arthur Ash said True heroism is remarkably sober, very undramatic. It is not the
urge to surpass all others at whatever cost, but the urge to serve others at whatever cost.
Maximus in the movie of The Gladiator follows Joseph Campbells monomyth of the hero by
separation from their loved ones and the normal farming live, initiation/fulfillment in training to
be a gladiator in order to win his freedom, and finally returning to back home with his loved ones
, where he belongs .
The Journey of the hero begins with the separation. With the first stage which is the call
to adventure. In this stage the hero receives the call to the adventure or to the unknown. This is
where the heros journey begins. Maximus in the movie the gladiator receives the call to
adventure from the emperors helpers. The emperor was requesting maximus to succeed after
him, and to give control of Rome to the senate. At first the hero denies the call to adventure or as
Joseph Campbell refers as the refusal to the call. Maximus wants to return home, he has been in
war for nine years, he is missing his wife and child. Yet the hero denies the call, he is still
thinking of the opportunity. He is in the search for supernatural aid. Supernatural aid is a
religious figure or another object that will help him in this journey. This aid helps the hero to

make a decision, or to prepare himself for a major challenge. Maximus prays to his ancestors and
family religious figure, seeking for guidance and protection in this journey he is going to take.
The hero takes the adventure and takes the road to his goal. But the first threshold comes by. The
first threshold defines as where the challenge starts, or where the hero arrives to the unknown.
Maximus refuses loyalty to Commodus which in cause orders the assassination of maximus. The
belly of the whale is when the hero crosses the first threshold but almost dies in the crossing.
Maximus kills his assassins, and returns home severely injured. Arriving home he finds his wife
and child dead. Here he passes out. Poximo takes maximus as a prisoner and trains him to
become a gladiator. This stage in the hero of a thousand faces is called the road of trails. Which
in definition means the hero goes through a series of training or tests in order to change.
The second part of the heros journey is the initiation. The initiation stage is where the
story really starts. When the story is starting to build towards the climax. This stage starts with
the meeting with the goddess. This part is when the hero gets an extra boost, gains respect or gets
complemented by something or someone. In some cases it is a women. Maximus starts doing
great performances as a gladiator that he starts wining the crowd. The crowd started liking him
and liked how he fought with other gladiators. After several fights, his master Priximo tells him
that he was also a gladiator, but he won his freedom by getting the crowds to like him. This is
also known as the atonement with the father. This is seen in different ways depending on the
story. In this stage the hero reconciles with the father or has a answer to one of many question he
has. Now in this part of the heros journey is when the main goal of the journey is accomplished
or the goal is met. This is also called the ultimate boon. Commodus challenged maximus on the
arena. Before that to insure his victory Commodus stabbed maximus. He covered the wound with

armor, that way he could insure his victory. Even though maximus was stabbed he still defeated
and killed Commodus. And by this freeing Rome from oppression.
The last stage of the heros journey is the return of the hero. The return on each story or
movie is different. The refusal of the return, the hero does not want to return to the real life to
where he belongs. Because the found enlightment, or feels that he is where he belongs. Maximus
dies after the battle with Commodus and He died being a hero. Even though the hero does not
want to return he has to return because other people are waiting for him where he belongs.
Maximus dies and he travels to the afterlife, which is where he belongs now, after he completed
his journey. But before returning where the hero really belongs he has to cross the return
threshold. This crossing of the threshold marks the end of the journey for this hero. In this case
maximus marked the end of his journey by dying for his people and returning back to his family.
After the hero returns he will gain the power to master both of his worlds, which is called in the
journeys hero mastery of the two worlds which is mastery spiritually and materially . Maximus
masters both of his worlds by freeing his people from oppression, and by returning back to his
family even though they are in the after world. The hero is now free to live, he has done what is
mission was now he is free. This is called freedon to live. Not only did he free himself but he
freed his people and all rome from the oppression. Last the hero is always appreciated or
sometomes seen as asaint. The hero as a saint, lucilla demands honor and respect for maximus
sicne he freed them from the oppression of commodus, and demands for the people to honor him
and in a way thank him for what he did. In coclusion, Maximus in the movie, The Gladiator,
follows the journey of J Campbell in the passage of the hero of a thousand faces, Through the
three stages which are The Call to Adventure, Initiatiion and Return of the hero.