Click2Flicks - Commodus and the Gladiator - Chapter 1 - Preface

<body link="0000ff" alink="ff0000" vlink="000000" bgcolor=000033> <table width="100%" bgcolor=000033> <tr> <td align=center valign=top><table width=90% bgcolor=ffffff cellpadding=5> <tr> <td align=center valign=top><div align=center><p><b><font face="arial, helvetica" size=5 color=000000><b><i>COMMODUS AND THE GLADIATORS</i></p> <p>THE STORY BEHIND THE MOVIE<br> <i>GLADIATOR</i></b></font></p>  <table width="590"> <tr> <td align="CENTER" valign="top" bgcolor="000000" colspan=2><font face="ARIAL, HELVETICA" size="3" color="FFFFFF"><b>STORY CHAPTER LINKS</b></font></td> </tr> <tr> <td align=center valign=top width=50%>  <table width="100%" cellpadding="5" cellspacing="5" border="0"> <tr> <td align="LEFT" valign="TOP"><font face="ARIAL, HELVETICA" size="2"><a href="#preface"><b>1. STORY PREFACE</b></a></font> </td> </tr> <tr> <td align="LEFT" valign="TOP" width="50%"><font face="ARIAL, HELVETICA" size="2"><b><a href="gladiator_ch2.htm">2. MARCUS AURELIUS</a></b></font> </td> </tr> <tr> <td align="LEFT" valign="TOP" width="50%"><font face="ARIAL, HELVETICA" size="2"><b><a href="gladiator_ch3.htm">3. HIS LEGACY</a></b></font> </td> </tr> <tr> <td align="LEFT" valign="TOP"><font face="ARIAL, HELVETICA" size="2"><b><a href="gladiator_ch4.htm">4. COMMODUS - IN CHARGE</a></b></font> </td> </tr> </table>  </td> <td align=center valign=top width=50%>  <table width=100% cellpadding=5 cellspacing=5 border=0> <tr> <td align="LEFT" valign="TOP"><font face="ARIAL, HELVETICA" size="2"><b><a href="gladiator_ch5.htm">5. THE ROMAN GAMES</a></b></font> </td> </tr> <tr> <td align="LEFT" valign="TOP"><font face="ARIAL, HELVETICA" size="2"><b><a href="gladiator_ch6.htm">6. COMMODUS IN THE ARENA</a></b></font> </td> </tr> <tr> <td align="LEFT" valign="TOP"><font face="ARIAL, HELVETICA" size="2"><b><a href="gladiator_ch7.htm">7.THUMBS DOWN FOR COMMODUS</a></b></font> </td> </tr> </table>  </td> </tr> </table>  <p><b><font size="3"><u><a name="preface">PREFACE</a></u></font></b></p> <div align=center><b><i><font face="Times New Roman" color="000000" size="3">Hail, Caesar,<br> Those about to die<br> Salute thee</i><br><br> Or, in Latin,<br> the language of the day:<br><br> <i>Ave Imperator,<br> morituri te salutant)</i><br><br> <a target="_blank" href="http://www.oup.co.uk/worldsclassics/magarchive/mag2/suetonius/">Suetonius</a>,<br> Historian of Ancient Rome</font></b></b><br><br> </div> <center> <table width="90%"> <td align="left" valign="top"> <div align="justify"><p><font face="arial, helvetica" color="000000" size="3">Usually "those <a target="_blank" href="http://mail.greenwichacademy.org/~John_Howard/myweb/Sixweb/Kara/images/gladiator.jpg"><b>about</b></a> to die" in the Roman <a href="http://www.athenapub.com/romecol2.htm" target="_blank"><b>Colosseum</b></a> were condemned prisoners, professional gladiators, <a target="_blank" href="http://images.amazon.com/images/P/0292725043.01.LZZZZZZZ.gif"><b>Christians</b></a>, or <a target="_blank" href="http://www.getty.edu/artsednet/images/Trajan/circo2-xl.jpeg"><b>animals</b></a>. The spectacle of the "games" was often <a target="_blank" href="http://www.vroma.org/images/mcmanus_images/gladiatordeath.jpg"><b>bloody</b></a>, a tradition started in Rome by its earlier conquerors, the <a href="http://www.omnibusol.com/ancadd2.html" target="_blank"><b>Etruscans</b></a>.</p> <p>But not until the reign of <a target="_blank" href="http://www.historyoftheromanempire.com/historyoftheromanempirecom/images/Commodus%202.jpg"><b>Commodus</b></a> (180-192 AD) did Roman citizens witness wholesale slaughter by a Caesar himself, dressed as a gladiator and acting like a madman. Who was this Emperor, this Caesar, who thought of himself as a god?</p> </div> <p align="right"><font size="2"><a href="gladiator_ch2.htm">GO TO CHAPTER 2</a></font></p> <p align="center"><font face="arial, helvetica" size="3"><a href="http://www.awesomestories.com/content/about_author.htm" target="_blank"><b>Author: Carole D. Bos, J.D.</b></center></a></p><br> </table>  </td> </tr> </table> </td> </tr> </table>  </body>