The film is set just after the expulsion of the Tarquins. The Etruscan leader Lars Porsenna has launched an effort to restore Tarquin the Proud to the throne. The "Mucius" you see at the beginning of the film earns the nick-name Scaevola (the left-handed) for reasons that will become apparent in the first 15 minutes of the film.
For extra credit, watch the first 15 minutes of the film--or the whole movie if you like. What do you see here that shows the importance of the stories of early Roman in turns of their influence on subsequent history?
One thing that I noticed from the get-go was the influence that the men in charge had on their people. The people themselves early on were exhausted and tired, almost signalling the end in my opinion of the Roman Empire itself. The leaders or head soldiers to me seemed like Gods; at least in the eyes of the people, almost showcasing that they are their masters and cannot do no wrong. It made me think that even though the people were tired and hungry, they trusted that their men would feed them and prove their own worth. Muches looked to be the main man in charge and tried to keep an equal sense among the people. I think it also showed me the trust that these people have in their leaders, trust to the point that if the leaders fail, the people will fail, and the empire will fall. When they were able to defend themselves from the rushers coming up on the Romans and their men, they were able to secure the food needed for the people. Muches and his men were able to feed their people (even though he signalled they were greedy for taking so much because they were hungry) but once again he seemed to bring the morale up and once again signal his worth. Muches also realized at the end that his empire was in jeopardy, and he needed to kill another leader to secure it. This could’ve happened multiple times throughout ancient Roman history as people such as Muches would do everything in their power to maintain control and power amongst not only their people, but their empire as well, showcasing their strength and fortitude. All these factors shaped the early stages of Ancient Rome and were the driving force for other empires to follow. It almost set a precedent for how an empire was made, and how the continued success of the empire was pursued to continue and hold firm control of their empire. - Nile Hesson
ReplyDeleteThe main thing that I got from this was that the Romans enjoyed embellishing and exaggerating the truth behind their stories. This embellishment and exaggeration probably started off small with only one or two things changed to make the story more entertaining, but then when retold again by someone else they changed one or two more things. After hearing the story three or four or even 20 people down the story could be completely different but those hearing the story for the first time are unaware of this leading to a magnitude of tales of embellished history, tales that were originally rooted in fact. But this did not bother the Romans that their history was being exaggerated, for if their enemies heard a story of a great battle where the Roman army wipes out forces three times their size they might feel intimidated and surrender without fighting solely based off of embellished stories of Roman grandeur.
ReplyDeleteThe first 15 minutes really reminded me of the typical Hercules type story where one strong wise man helps save people. I think the thing that passes onto further generations of Rome is one man saving Rome by himself. This could have been a turning point into when they became an empire and went away with the Republic style of ruling. Ceasars probably felt the same way Mucius did when he wanted to save Rome by killing the other king.
ReplyDeleteDylan Schimke ^
DeleteThought the first 15 minutes it was very clear especially in the opening scene the power and respect a Roman man had. How their actions became that of physically impossible feats. From fighting of around 10 men to the throwing a log onto others as they advance. The people all had much respect for Lucious because he saved them. Something else I noticed about Lucious and the other Roman soldiers is their sacrifice towards what seems to be a useless cause. For example, when the grain cart was attacked the soldiers could have easily ran away. Another example is with Lucious is how he states that he will kill the Taniqua king to try and save Rome even though it is a suicide mission.
ReplyDeleteThere are multiple ways we can see how the stories of Early Rome influenced later history.
ReplyDelete-We see the people are hungry and losing hope. The situation is grim. Despite this, at least one person is willing to throw themself into the heat of the fire to bring relief to the people, thinking not of their own safety, but of the wellness of others.
-Despite being overwhelmed by their enemy in a surprise attack, a good leader was able to turn the tides.
-Said leader is strong, maintaining a clear head during battle to the point where he can fight multiple men simultaneously and win.
-They return with the relief, but a riot breaks out over the food. People are arrested. The love interest of the leader has sway with not only the leader (her love), but her father. With carefully chosen, pleading words, she is able to get the grain distributed much faster and those arrested freed. This shows that even the women (who were often looked down upon in history or faded into the background as wives and mothers only) were smart and capable, something a leader would need during wartimes.
-The leader is willing to make the ultimate sacrifice. Even though he will be leaving his beloved behind, he accepts and faces his death.
-The leader rushes into the very heart of the enemy. While he may have been afraid, he does not show this.
-When he realizes that he failed in killing the king, he willingly puts his own hand into a fire as punishment, something that was directly called a form of torture.
Throughout all this, we see that the leader (Rome) is willing to go through unimaginable pain for their country. Even if there is just one person willing to fight, they are strong and capable, thinking not of themselves, but of others.
All of these traits are things necessary for good leaders and great influence, as shown by the people of Rome in the movie.