Mcs Paper Ancient Rome
Shane Correia
3/11/13
MCS 38
Final Paper
Prompt #4
Revenge the Building Block The term “Epic” tends to appeal to the general population of the world. It is my understanding that people love to watch films with big spectacle and great stories. They love to get lost in a world that takes them outside of themselves. Most of all, people love the themes represented in these “Epic” films. In the Ancient films we screened during this quarter, we screened the epic pictures of Ancient times. There have been many themes revolving around man’s most primal wants and desires. Themes such as; lust in Cleopatra, or Greed in Quo Vadis, are just examples of the basic primal wants that take over the screen. None of which is more prominent than revenge. The idea of revenge at first thought is trivial in my opinion. The thought of seeking vengeance for someone’s wrong doings against you seems childlike and un-motivational for a main character. However, after some thought, I wondered whether revenge was the real motivational tool to help them succeed in their quest. In films such as Spartacus, Gladiator and 300, the motif is apparent from the beginning of the film. Yet this motif wasn’t the driving motivation behind the main characters campaign. Rather, revenge served as the launching point for the real motivation, whether it was for revolution, regaining one’s honor, or being a symbol of hope, revenge was the building block. Revenge is a primal want of human nature, but what revenge can lead to is what defines you. In the film Spartacus, the title characters deals against an enormous amount of odds to fight against social injustice. But what started this crusade? What is some mystical force of self- righteousness or some sort of predetermined destiny? No. The answer is neither, but rather a self- realization of what is true justice. However, how does Spartacus arrive at this realization? What motivational action could have sparked this revolution? The
3/11/13
MCS 38
Final Paper
Prompt #4
Revenge the Building Block The term “Epic” tends to appeal to the general population of the world. It is my understanding that people love to watch films with big spectacle and great stories. They love to get lost in a world that takes them outside of themselves. Most of all, people love the themes represented in these “Epic” films. In the Ancient films we screened during this quarter, we screened the epic pictures of Ancient times. There have been many themes revolving around man’s most primal wants and desires. Themes such as; lust in Cleopatra, or Greed in Quo Vadis, are just examples of the basic primal wants that take over the screen. None of which is more prominent than revenge. The idea of revenge at first thought is trivial in my opinion. The thought of seeking vengeance for someone’s wrong doings against you seems childlike and un-motivational for a main character. However, after some thought, I wondered whether revenge was the real motivational tool to help them succeed in their quest. In films such as Spartacus, Gladiator and 300, the motif is apparent from the beginning of the film. Yet this motif wasn’t the driving motivation behind the main characters campaign. Rather, revenge served as the launching point for the real motivation, whether it was for revolution, regaining one’s honor, or being a symbol of hope, revenge was the building block. Revenge is a primal want of human nature, but what revenge can lead to is what defines you. In the film Spartacus, the title characters deals against an enormous amount of odds to fight against social injustice. But what started this crusade? What is some mystical force of self- righteousness or some sort of predetermined destiny? No. The answer is neither, but rather a self- realization of what is true justice. However, how does Spartacus arrive at this realization? What motivational action could have sparked this revolution? The
Cited: Ebert, Roger. “Spartacus:: Rogerebert.com :: Reviews. “RSS. Roger Ebert, 31 May 1991. Web 14 Mar. 2013 Plutarch. "Spartacus (1)." Spartacus. - Plutarch, n.d. Web. 14 Mar. 2013. Winkler, Martin M. "Gladiator Film and History." The Major Ancient Sources. N.p.: n.p., n.d. 172-202. Print.