If you were a citizen of Ancient Rome what would your opinion of the gladatorial games be?

Answer 1

I fear that all who have answered this question have missed the point completely. The gladiatorial games or ludi were not really games at all but a sacred show (Martial) and part of the Roman criminal justice system.

It is wrong to judge the games as barbaric as you are judging them from a modern perspective rather than as a citizen of ancient Rome would have done.

Here's a few important point regarding the gladiatorial games and what they meant to the Romans.

1. An Emperor or any other person of means who put on a gladiatorial spectacle were seen by their contemporaries as a good Emperor/person.

2. The games were a way in which to show the masses a working criminal justice system and allow them to be a part of it.
Those who had comitted a crime against Roman society were as good as dead already. You were either with Rome or against it. There was no in between. Those sentenced to die in the arena could win back their lives if they fought valiantly and courageously. These were qualities which impressed the Romans and the crowd could give a worthy criminal their life back. The crowd could also see the terrible consequences of those who comitted crimes against Rome and it served as a warning.

3. However awful the punishment fitted the crime. If you burned a house you could be burned alive, if you acted like a beast you would die by the beast.

4. Rome did not have prisons of any decent size to deal with captured armies or criminals therefore the arena was an ideal way to dispose of them.

5. Not all Romans agreed with the games, especially after the excess of Nero's reign but they were not concerned about the humans who died in the arena, they were more concerned with the effect of the games on the audience. Why should they be concerned about those who were already dead in essence.

6. Generally though, the games were so well loved that a community could be punished by having them disallowed. There was a riot in an provincial ampitheatre and the citizens were punished by having the games taken from them for several years.

I could go on for ever with regard to this subject although I must close here. I hope these thoughts have helped and if you need more information please ask.

Answer 2

Probably the same way I view Pro Wrestling today as a bloody spectacle meant to amuse people without anything better to do than watch. (Like me for instance.) One of the previous replies was correct in that the Gladiatorial games were meant to distract from poverty and harsh living conditions. That is why admission was free. Maybe if the government sponsored Wrestlemania or all the Baseball games so people could attend for free then maybe no one would care about minimum wage. That and give all the American citizens a daily allowance of like a hundred dollars or something like that to cover meals.

Answer 3

It's hard to know because if I were a citizen, I would have been in a class that appreciated putting the others down. Yet, since I am not "into" sports and especially not into sports like wrestling, boxing, hockey where blood letting is an important element, probbly I'd stay home rather than attend the arena. This is especially true when the "circus" included fighting animals.

Answer 4

I would have wondered why emperor Vespasian decided to play the cool parent role and build something violent and vicious for the kids. He was an old war vet that wanted to be cool for his empire. I think I would have chuckled a bit... but definitely watched the games. They performed all kinds of ridiculous things! How could you not! They even reannacted greek myths like the one of Eros- flying to close to the sun and melting! ...and they actually did "melt" the characters on stage. No faking the pain back in the day. Yikes!

Answer 5

Games were staged by emperors to win of the people. wen rome became an empire the ppls power to vote for there leader was removed and in order to satisfy the people and lessen the lost of there right to vote they were given free entertainment. i.e games, during these games the emperor was required to feed the crowd.

SO the games were demanded by the people and were held for the people so if i was a citizen i would be pleased with them

Answer 6

If I were Roman, I would probably view it as "normal", a sport to watch and possibly place bets on. Gladiatorial games were just a regular, accepted thing, like people today view football, baseball, rugby, etc. as normal sports.

From the stand point of a Christian however, I'd in no way be in favor of them ... they sent many of the early believers into the ring against lions and such. It was senseless slaughter. Death and/or murder should never be a "sport", never something to enjoy watching or doing.

Answer 7

As a citizen of Rome, I would of thought they were quite entertaining, especially the naumachiae, or mock sea battles, where the whole Colosseum was flooded for them.

Answer 8

Disgusting by today's standards. Probably acceptable by ancient Rome standards. Different times, different attitudes.

Answer 9

Had I been a citizen of Rome, I'm sure I would have supported and enjoyed the Games.

I'm not, of course, and I shiver to think what they must have been like.

Answer 10

I would never watch them. It's sick to watch two men slay each other for no reason. Where is the fun in that ?

There are more interesting things to do in ancient Rome, like orgies :)