Bleier Grant 3/04/07 Classics 214 Monica Cyrino
Classics 214 First Take-Home Exam
Part I 1. Aristeia An aristeia is a scene in which a hero has his or her finest moments in the battle. 2. Geras A geras is a prize, trophy, or a symbol of honor. 3. Kleos Kleos is the fame, reputation, or status of a person. 4. Lanista A lanista represents an owner or trainer of gladiators. 5. Ludus A ludus is a training school for gladiators and games.
Part II
Bleier, 1 In the film Troy, Achilles is a man who has desire to be the greatest warrior but
does not want to take orders under the control of Priam, King of Troy. He was also known as being the most handsome of heroes. Achilles is stubborn because he knows he is the mightiest of the Greeks, and he wants all the fame and glamour that he can get. He is a leader figure himself because he trained and led the Myrmidons into the Trojan War. Achilles strives to assert individuality by taking a lead from all the other ships and capturing the coast of Troy. He shows that he is the strongest and greatest by not only talking about his plans, but also acting on them. Stanley Lombardo describes the relationship between Achilles and the Trojans as "their cause is lost without Achilles" (Stanley Lombardo, Iliad Homer, p.xxix). In my mind this is true, because that is the way all the Trojans feel about him. Achilles has no respect for Priam because he is angered by the fact that Priam is fast to start a war but would never fight his own war. He shows this by saying "Wouldn't it be surprising for a King to fight his own war" (Troy, 2004). Achilles knows that the Trojans need him to win the war, because in my opinion without Achilles, the Achaeans would have won the war. Achilles does not usually express his honor in his words, but he expresses his honor in his actions. He still boasts about how he is the best warrior in Troy and how no one else can beat him, but that could be considered as cocky. Achilles is a self centered individual and he shows it by not representing his country, but by representing himself. When Achilles is called upon by Priam in the beginning scene to fight the Achaean he is not optimistic about representing his country and solving a battle before it begins. He is mad because he has to go back up the king whenever the king snaps his fingers for
Bleier, 2 Achilles to be by his side. Another way Achilles shows his honor is in battles by being the first to cut through the first wave of men, and to be the last one standing. Achilles achieves his honor and reputation by fighting the battles and showing his people that he is the strongest and best gladiator. If it were up to his attitude and personality, Achilles would be one of the most hated men in Sparta. However, once you throw Achilles onto a battle field he is one of the most competitive and strategic warriors. This leads me to believe that he never gained his honor through words, but through actions. He shows he is not afraid of the enemy by jumping right into the action and by taking first blood. This is what makes him stand out from the other warriors because he has no fears, which is a quality of a good leader. Another way he gains honor is by being an independent person and not making his men fight his battle for him. He sets the example for other warriors by showing them that they do not have to be under the rule of another human being. The relationship between Achilles and King Priam is a good example of this theory. Other warriors might notify him as honorable because he is one out of a million and he strives to be his own man. Achilles rejects the war because he does not want to be recognized as a warrior under the control of a greater power. He rejects the war in multiple ways, mostly rejecting the orders from the greater power. For instance Priam orders Achilles to begin getting ready for battle after taking the coast, and Achilles ignores this order. Stanley says that Achilles "ends up doing what he has so adamantly insisted he will not do, fighting again for the Greeks" (Stanley Lombardo, Iliad Homer, p.xxxiii). He is so frustrated that he tells Priam to fight his own war, while Achilles proceeds to take his
Bleier, 3 Myrmidons and observe the battle from above. I believe the only real reason that Achilles continues to stay in the war is because his mother told him that if he fought he would die, but his name would live on forever. If it was not for this prophecy, I believe Achilles being as self-centered as he is, would not have even fought in the war. In the end of the film Achilles is searching for Briseis in the shrine of Apollo. He defeats Agamemnon's guards and finds her right after she kills Agamemnon with a concealed knife. But Paris sees Achilles and shoots him in the heel, which is known as the Achilles tendon. He continues to shoot him 3 times in the chest while he is down. Briseis yells at Paris, telling him not to kill Achilles. Paris then proceeds to pull out the 3 arrows from Achilles' chest, but leaves the arrow in his heel. Achilles then passes away from the first wound that was inflicted. Briseis is horrified and could not believe what she has just seen. To me this movie shows us Achilles' flaw as a hero. He is the greatest warrior of all time, but when hit in the heel with an arrow he dies. Most people would be able to survive cuts to the Achilles' tendon because blood flow is dense at the bottom and tends to flow slower. Achilles' name will live forever for what he accomplished throughout his lifetime; however his death by occurred his fatal flaw. In the end of the movie Odysseus narrates "Men rise and fall like the winter wheat, but these names will never die" (Troy, 2004). Achilles achieved his objective by making sure his name will live on forever as the greatest warrior. We will never know if he was the greatest warrior of all time or a self-centered, power hungry individual. But we do know that the courage of a man was enough to stain the pages in a book for a lifetime.
Bleier, 4 Spartacus is a man that has compassion for others and strives to be known as anything but a slave. The film begins with slaves working at mines in the Roman province Libya. Spartacus himself is a slave in the beginning of the movie working for the Roman authorities. A man collapsed from exhaustion and almost slips off of the cliff when Spartacus drops what he is doing to help the man. I believe this shows that Spartacus is compassionate for other people because he risks getting killed by the guards to help out another slave. Monica Cyrino describes Spartacus as "succeeding among creating family within the freed slaves" (Monica Cyrino, Big Screen Rome, p.106). Spartacus is also rebellious against authority because he has been treated so badly as a slave. When a guard tells Spartacus to get back to work, Spartacus attacks the guard. He is then tied up and sent to be killed, until he is saved by a man recruiting gladiators to join his army. Spartacus is the total opposite from Achilles in my point of view because when Achilles wants the glamour and fame, Spartacus wants none of it. Just as Spartacus will help anyone who is in need of help, Achilles will only help someone important to him, such as Patroclus. This shows that unlike Achilles, Spartacus is concerned for the well being of others and it shows when he enters the Gladiator school. Spartacus is chosen to be a gladiator out of many of the slaves working at the mines. You can tell he is hesitant against authority because he is not willing to go, but he is ready to leave the life of a slave. In the gladiator school, he is naturally a good fighter. He and fellow gladiators in training are being trained around the clock to be human killers. While in the school, the men are given women to have pleasure with while they
Bleier, 5 are in training. Instead of having pleasure with the woman he is given, he finds a natural attraction between them and wants to take it slow with her. He does not take advantage of her and the other guards ridicule him for doing so. This also expresses his compassion for women because he respects her and does not want to take advantage of her. He slowly becomes a skillful gladiator in training. I believe this transition to him is not a hard one because I think on the inside Spartacus is really a gladiator. One day Spartacus decides to backfire against the authority and start attacking one of the guards. This leads all of the other gladiators in training to join the rebellion and start attacking all of the guards. To me this act shows that Spartacus is really a leader and wants to let the other gladiators know that they do not have to put up with a dictatorship. The school has trained these ex-slaves so well that when they rebel they have no problem doing so. The rebellion is successful and they defeat the Roman authorities. He is a leader to the men because he gave them sometime to look up to. When he was chosen to fight to the death by Marcus Crassus, his life got spared. He was defeated by Draba, but when it came down to it the competitor could not kill Spartacus. This part is surprising to me because Monica states that "Draba's meaning is clear: communal relations among the slaves threaten the survival of the individual" (Monica Cyrino, Big Screen Rome, p.106). Instead, the competitor throws his trident at the authorities and attempts to run up to the spectator's box. In the act he gets killed and Spartacus' life is spared. Spartacus is in shock, not because he could have died but because he just lost a fellow companion. This changes Spartacus' thoughts in the later acts; because he says he never wants to see a one on one fight to the death again.
Bleier, 6 Spartacus plays many roles in the film ranging from slave to recruiter for his new army. Once his rebellion is successful, he begins recruiting new members for his army beginning with Antoninus. I would say Spartacus made a smooth gradual transition from gladiator to leader. He expresses his fighting skills in battle by defeating all of the armies that Rome sends to end the rebellion. Spartacus gets trapped between three Roman armies when in the middle of the ongoing battles. However during the battle the rebellion gets defeated. When the Romans continue to look for Spartacus after capturing the army, all the men stand up and repeat the saying "I'm Spartacus" (Spartacus, 1960). They continue to crucify all the men that pronounce they are Spartacus, until only 2 men are standing. Spartacus and Antoninus are the last 2 men standing are they are sentenced to fight to the death. Knowing that the winner will be crucified, both men attempt to kill the other in the one on one battle to spare each other a painful death. Spartacus is victorious and is crucified. The ending of the movie is strong because while Spartacus lies on the cross, Varinia shows him his son. To me this is a strong scene in the movie because it shows Spartacus the reason for his life and death. He lived to assist and help everyone, and he died for the freedom and wellbeing of others.