Gladiator is a story which happened in 180 AD. Marcus Aurelius, the old emperor of the Roman Empire, declared that he hoped to appoint Maximus, the most prestigious general in the Roman army, as the heir to his throne, thus immediately arousing his son Commodus’s strong dissatisfaction. Blinded by greed, Commodus killed his father and usurped the throne, and gave orders to kill Maximus and his families. Maximus narrowly escaped from the tyrant's clutches, but all his family members were cruelly killed. Having no choice, he descended to a gladiator and fought in the arena to entertain the audiences. Benefiting from his rich combat experience, he gradually became one of the most famous and popular gladiators. In order to avenge the tyrannical Commodus who had deprived him of freedom and family happiness, Maximus began to use his fame and fighting skills to lead the people of Rome to overthrow the tyrant. Ultimately, Commodus realized the challenge from Maximus and had a duel with him between life and death in the arena.
电影《角斗士》讲述了一个发生在公元180年的故事。罗马帝国的老皇帝马库斯·奥里利乌斯对外宣称，他希望立罗马军队中最有威望的将军马西莫斯为皇位继承人。这一表态立马引起了马库斯儿子康茂德斯的强烈不满，因此利欲熏心的康茂德斯弑父篡位，并下令杀死马西莫斯和他的家人。马西莫斯死里逃生躲过暴君的魔爪，可是他的家人都被残忍杀害。别无选择，马西莫斯被迫沦为角斗士，在竞技场里用性命搏杀来娱乐观众。得益于他丰富的战斗经验，马西莫斯逐渐成为最著名和最受欢迎的角斗士之一。为了向剥夺了自己自由和家庭幸福的邪恶的康茂德斯复仇，马西莫斯开始利用自己的声名和角斗技术来引导罗马人民起来推翻暴君的统治。最终，康茂德斯发觉了马西莫斯向他发起的挑战，两人在竞技场上展开了生死对决。
The British philosopher Russell once commented on a person as follows:”He is a pathetic person, among a series of desires that must be resisted, he felt that the most attractive one was the desire to retire to a quiet rural life. But the opportunity to realize this desire has never come.”It can be perfectly used to describe Maximus. In charge of millions of troops, Maximus never forgot how many days he had been separated from his wife. Granted the throne, he still determined to return to his rural life.
英国哲学家曾这样评价过一位人物：“他是一个悲怆的人，在一系列必须加以抗拒的各种欲望里，他感到其中最具有吸引力的一种就是想要隐退去一个宁静的乡村生活的那种愿望。但是实现这种愿望的机会始终没有来临。”这句话可以完美地用来形容马西莫斯。坐拥百万雄兵却仍不忘与妻子分离的天数，被授予皇位却仍一心向往回归乡村生活。
He owned a deep sense of moral nobility. He was loyal and selfless to his country. In his mind, Rome’s dignity and honor were far above his personal honor and disgrace. Therefore, when the opportunity of being the emperor came, he claimed that he didn’t know politics. After knowing that his wife and son had been killed, he survived tenaciously despite great pain and sorrow. When Commodus deliberately told about the cruel death of his wife and children, he didn’t rush forward rudely but waited for the best opportunity. Maximus once said:”Death smiles at everyone, all people can do is smile back.” Facing the danger of death, he didn’t flinch. In his whole life, he persisted in disregard of all hardships.
马西莫斯有着极深的道德崇高感。他对祖国忠勇无私。在他的心目中，罗马的尊严和荣誉远在他个人的荣辱之上。因此他在担任一国之君的机会来临时声称自己不懂政治。在知道自己的妻儿都被杀害时，尽管悲痛万分，他仍顽强地活了下来。当康茂德斯故意在他面前讲述他妻儿死时的惨状时，他并没有鲁莽地冲上去而是静待最好的时机。马西莫斯曾说过：“死亡向所有人微笑，人们所能做的就是还以微笑”。面对死亡的危险，他并没有退缩。纵观他的一生，尽管艰难重重，他还是坚持了下来。
Though there are many trials and tribulations, we should hold on. Keeping tenacious is a key to surmount difficulties.
尽管生活充满艰难困苦，我们应该坚持下去。坚毅面对生活是战胜困难的宝典。
Date: December 15, 2022
