Gladiator Screenshot- Amanda

 This scene in Gladiator is right after Maximus narrowly defeats the undefeated Tigris of Gaul. Commodus gave Maximus the decision to kill Tigris, but Maximus spares Tigris. The decision  Maximus made insulted the Emperor but delighted the 'mob'. He earns the name "Maximus the Merciful". Furious Commodus starts to plan the death of Maximus. With the blood dripping from Maximus' neck and arm, Commodus feels threatened which is why there is a circle around the two protecting the emperor. Also noted is the fact that Maximus is not armed only the Roman soldiers circling have a spear to protect their leader, Commodus. Commodus feels threatened and out of control, focusing his energy and anger on Maximus. 

Gladiator Screenshot Analysis - Ash Scott

 

In this scene, Maximus has just bested Tiberius in gladiatorial combat. Maximus stands right in the middle of the shot with the audience all around him, representing not only our focus on him but also the crowd's. Light radiates from the sky unlike most of the movie, which I believe represents well the mercy Maximus is about to give Tiberius. His expression, however, is not one of mercy, but of contempt. It's made clear that Maximus doesn't particularly care about the life of his opponent (as he's had no problem slaughtering countless people in the arena prior to this), but instead cares more about spiting Commodus' command to execute Tiberius. Finally, his ax has been moved to his right hand instead of both, which shows that his decision to spare Tiberius has been made after some consideration.

"Are you not entertained?" - Landon

 

After Maximus defeats a group of well trained soldiers in the arena with ease, he screams to the crowd, "Are you not entertained? Is this not why you are here?". The crowd replies with a roaring applause. In this moment Maximus realizes the power that he holds within the arena; the crowd gives him influence. There is also a Spartacus reference moments before when Maximus throws the sword into the crowd. In Spartacus, when Draba threw the trident it represented a similar turning point in the character's progression which led to the eventual revolt.

Alayna- Gladiator Screenshot

 

In this scene Commodus had Maximus chained before their battle, where Commodus assumes he will win. Commodus chains Maximus so he is able to wound him before the battle and put Maximus at a disadvantage so Commodus can win. The manner of Maximus' raised arms and tattered clothing makes him resemble Jesus during his crucifixion. Additionally, we can see the St. Andrews cross behind Maximus which adds to his "godliness". Maximus may be restrained in this scene but he is still taller than Commodus which foreshadows the killing of Commodus in the next scene. This adds to the theme of Commodus being less favored compared to Maximus; though Maximus is restrained and at a disadvantage, Commodus still looks up at him and is intimidated. 

Scene From Gladiator- Morgan Wigert

 In Gladiator, there is a very tumultuous relationship between Commodus and his sister, Lucilla. Commodus wants an incestuous relationship which Lucilla does not want at all. She stays with her brother because he is the emperor and she has no other choice. Lucilla finally makes a move to save her son and herself from the emperor. She sides with Maximus, whom she believes can defeat Commodus and restore Rome to the glorious empire it was before Commodus' reign. In this scene, Lucilla is dealing with the aftermath of her and Maximus' plot to overtake the emperor. Commodus discovers the plot through his spies. He practically holds Lucilla prisoner by threatening the life of her son. In this scene, Commodus is going to execute Maximus himself by fighting him in the Colosseum. Lucilla is emotionally drained as we can see in this photo. Lucilla has been consistently shown with clean makeup and hair but here, her hair is disheveled and her makeup is done darker as to show that she has been crying. Her clothes are not as put together as they usually are. While the changes are quite subtle, they make Lucilla's emotional state obvious to the audience. The audience immediately feels empathy towards her as she is in an abusive household and cannot get out due to being the emperor's sister and the mother of the heir. This scene shows the audience what Lucilla's emotional state has been since her brother became emperor. It is a culmination of all the emotions that Lucilla has felt in one moment. 

Gladiator Screenshot- Chase Banks

This screenshot is from the scene where the Gladiator they call Spaniard reveals himself as Maximus the former general that Commodus had ordered to be murdered earlier on in the movie. In this scene, the shadows on both Commodus' and Quintus' faces enhance their expression of shock and fear. The shadow on Commodus' face not only allows you to see the fear in his eyes but also the strip of light on the left side of his face allows you to see that his face has gone pale which shows us how disturbed he really is. The shadow on Quintus' face just shows how much disbelief he is in and this is really emphasized by his mouth being wide open when he realizes Maximus is still alive. Commodus is a very power hungry ruler that is driven by jealous anger and in this scene we can see that this only increases as Commodus clearly feels threatened by Maximus. Commodus feels as if not only was his own father on Maximus' side but now the Gods were on his side as well.

Gladiator Screenshot, Jaylah Bennett

 

In this shot, Commodus, Lucilla, and Lucius sit in their box at the gladiatorial games. The background is in shadow, to minimize distraction to the foreground and to add a level of unsettling dark behind the imperial family. In the very foreground to the right, Commodus looks on in contempt. He is in the most light in the shot (as evidenced by the fact that he has the most color in his skin and the gold on his costume is gleaming), and stands larger than everyone else; this shows not the size of his ego—though that would be accurate—but his power over Rome and his sister alike. Behind him and slightly left sit his sister and her son. They sit regally but are smaller and further back in the shot. Furthermore, with Lucius on his mother’s lap, he sits slightly above his mother, subtly illustrating that he holds power over his mother’s decisions (which we know to be the case from Lucilla’s various conversations with Maximus). Lastly, the Roman mob sits behind all of them in the shot—small but mighty, taking up a whole side. They tower above Lucilla and Lucius, but not even they reach as high in the shot as Commodus.

Gladiator Screencap - Emma Sherwin

 This screencap is from the scene where Commodus is talking to his father, trying to gain any kind of sympathy he can. Because of the lighting, we can only see half of his face, this also shows the darker side of him while he's plotting to kill Marcus. While we see him also completely level with the screen, so is the statue behind him, almost staring into his soul. We don't know exactly who the statue is, some might say it's Aristotle, because of the scene before this we do know how much he respects the person whoever it might be. And because of that, it builds this irony as we watch the thing he respects stare him down while he betrays the respect his father gave him.

Zach Gladiator Screenshots

 

This scene shows Commodus and Maximus rising into the stadium. As they get higher in the scene Commodus is bathed in light while Maximus’ downward facing face draws in more shadows. This plays into their contrasting ideals Commodus is bathed in the light and is dressed in white to represent the ideal life of luxury, power, and fame he wants, not having to be covered in dirt and grime to get there. While Maximus is much more focused on his current dirty circumstances, he is unable to enjoy the light of Rome and its citizens because he knows of the war and pain that it took to get there.

Scene From Gladiator (2000) - Veronica Castille

 

In this scene, the shot cuts from a close-up of Maximus to a close-up of Commodus; there are clear contrasts made between the two. For example, Commodus sports intricate white armor while Maximus sports dark armor--a clear reference to the dichotomy of lightness and darkness, but in this case, the association between light=good and dark=evil is reversed. Perhaps it reflects Commodus’ point of view that he is the righteous hero between the two. Commodus is also seen looking up, basking in the light and glory he believes awaits him as they ascend upward into the arena. Maximus is looking down, casting a shadow and a look of gloom over his face, almost as if he has accepted the death that awaits him at the end of the scene. This also highlights Commodus' susceptibility to delusion; he must truly believe he will be victorious in their fight and be loved and adored by all of Rome, while Maximus is realistic and understands his weakness of having a punctured lung will hinder his ability to fight his best and win.  

Play Comparison - Chase Banks

 Both plays were very enjoyable to read. They both had chaotic plots that provides the reader with many ups and downs. They were quite similar in different ways. The plot of each play was to get revenge on a man who has wrongly tried to claim a woman as his own. My favorite of the comedies would be the "Braggart Soldier" due to the overall ridiculousness of the play. However, I think “Casina” would be better to make into a movie since it has an easier plot to follow. The comedy skits would probably be easier to pull off without adding unnecessary complications.

Play Comparison - LW

Both plays had an enjoyable, chaotic plot that was a roller coaster to read. They were oddly similar in a lot of ways; the premise of each was seeking revenge on a man who has wrongly tried to claim a woman for his own. My favorite of the comedies would be the "Braggart Soldier" due to the overall absurdity of it all. However, I think “Casina” would be better adapted to film since it has a much more straightforward plot. The gags would also be much easier to pull off without making things too convoluted.

Play Comparison - Ash

Casina and The Braggart Soldier were fairly similar when it comes to plot, both featuring young women being fought over by means of deception. In terms of what I would prefer, I found the comedy of Casina to have a certain level of absurdity that made it a much more enjoyable read. That on top of its simple, easy-to-follow storyline, it would definitely transition best into film, as a short, absurdist comedy.

Martin Braggart Soldier/Casina review

 

The two plays were both limited by the fact that we had to read them. It made it a lot less fun, I feel like both plays rely on a sense of absurdity which is lost without tone. Both plays were oddly similar, and I thought it was interesting how in A Braggart Soldier a slave took the role of main character. Also, the meta tone of the plays where they were self-referential was interesting, but I would not say it was funny. I did not dislike them, but they just lost a layer of humor because of the limits of the medium.

Play Comparison - Amanda

 Although both plays were interesting and plot wise very similar. I would prefer the play ‘Casina’ because I found it a bit more engaging and it was straight forward. In that case I would make a movie based off the play ‘Casina’. Both plays have the plot of two men fighting over a young lady.  For ‘Casina’ the conflict between father and son becomes a battle between husband and wife. ‘The Braggart Soldier’ is about a young man from Athens who relies on his clever slave to steal back his girlfriend. She was kidnapped from him by an outrageously conceited soldier-for-hire.

Comparison of Casina and the Braggart Soldier

 While both plays are about deceiving people so that they might be with their lover, I think “Casina” is the more adaptable play. Personally, I think that this is the better play because it is more engaging than “The Braggart Soldier”. “Casina” has a straightforward plot line that can be adapted to film. This is not to say that “The Braggart Soldier” is not a good play. It’s just a lot more complicated than “Casina” which would make it a very convoluted film. I don’t think that either of these films would actually be made into films today though due to its content.

Play Comparison - Veronica Castille

The two plays are very similar, with both focusing on a young desirable woman being fought over by two men. However, I personally found Casina to be the better of the two, due to more exciting and engaging elements within the story. It is also for this reason that I believe it could be more easily turned into a film. The whole conspiracy between Cleostrata and her servants is much more thrilling than the conspiracy in The Braggart Soldier between Pleusicles, Palaestrio, and Philocomasium. There’s lots of devising and scheming involved behind the scenes that leads to more plot twists and turns that are fun to see play out in Casina.