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Jose Batista
Mrs. Petty
10-16-2014
English 101
The Gladiator
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. It all
began with Roma Invicta General Maximus Decimus Meridius Lead the Roman army to
victory against Germanic barbarians in 180 AD. Commodus taking charge of Rome after the
emperors death, asks for Maximus for loyalty where he denies loyalty. Commodus fearing that
the general had too much power, orders the execution and of his family and Maximus himself.
He escapes the assassins and returns home. Where he finds his wife and child dead. Maximus
collapses and is kidnapped, taken to an arena to train as a gladiator. Nobody knew who he was
but himself. Maximus 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 the Return by returning to back home with his loved ones,
where he belongs.
The Journey of the hero always begins with the separation, with the first stage which is
the call to adventure. Maximus 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. A blunderapparently the merest chancereveals

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an unsuspected world, and the individual is drawn into a relationship with forces that are not
rightly understood (Campbell 1). Unitially 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 longing for his wife and child. Yet the hero denies the call, he is still thinking of
the opportunity. Looking for a motive or a reason of why he should go into this adventure. He is
meditating, thinking and this is when the search for supernatural aid is looked for. Which is a
religious figure or another object that will help him in this journey. The aid assist 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 and that
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.
Maximus felt destroyed, depressed, dispirited weeping for his family he passes out right where
he was standing. 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. To convert himself from normal
to a more prepared and more spiritual person. Or how it is called a spiritual rebirth in that way he
prepares to take the challenge that is ahead.
Next in order in the heros journey is the initiation. The initiation stage as stated by
Campbell The hero is covertly aided by the advice, amulets, and secret agents of the
supernatural helper whom he met before his entrance into this region. Or it may be that he here

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discovers for the first time that there is a benign power everywhere supporting him in his
superhuman passage. This 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 but before that to insure his victory
Commodus stabbed Maximus. He covered the wound with armor. In that way he could insure his
victory. Even though Maximus was stabbed he still defeated and killed Commodus. They battled
sword on sword surrounded roman soldiers. They start the duo and Commodus strikes Maximus,
slashing his foot. Maximus hurting takes vengeance and slashed Commodus on the back, and he
loses his sword. Maximus like a real man drops his sword and fight by hand, Commodus takes
out a dagger an attacks Maximus. The fight and by the end Maximus stabs Commodus in the
chest. Consequently freeing Rome from oppression.
The last stage of the heros journey is the return of the hero. when the hero-quest has
been accomplished, through penetration to the source, or through the grace of some male or
female, human or animal, personification, the adventurer still must return with his life
transmuting trophy (Campbell 1) . The return on each story or movie is different. The refusal of

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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 freedom 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 sometimes seen as a saint. The hero
as a saint, Lucille demands honor and respect for Maximus since 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 conclusion Maximus in the movie The Gladiator follows the monomyth of The
Hero of a Thousand Faces by J.Campbell. In following the sequence; The Call to Adventure,
Initiation and Return of the Hero.

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Works Cited
Ashe, Arthur. Good Reads. nd nd 2014. 23 10 2014 <http://www.goodreads.com/quotes/58200-trueheroism-is-remarkably-sober-very-undramatic-it-is-not>.
The Gladiator. Dir. Ridel Scott. Perf. Russel Crowe. 2000.
Hero of a Thousand Faces, by Joseph Campbell, Bollingen; Cmv edition (February 17, 2004)

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