Gladiator Politics Quotes

How we cite our quotes: All quotations are from Gladiator.

Quote #10

COMMODUS: For the health of Rome, the Senate must be bled. And he will bleed too.

Commodus' political ideology sees the Senate as a body that needs to be "bled." It's way of saying that the Senate is an infection, and for the "health of Rome" it must be killed, eliminated, and destroyed.

Quote #11

MAXIMUS: There was a dream that was Rome. It shall be realized. These are the wishes of Marcus Aurelius.

Good triumphs over evil, freedom over slavery, and republican government over tyranny. Marcus Aurelius' "dream that was Rome" is a republican government, with power vested in the Senate. Maximus' death realizes that dream, and the film leaves us with a vision of the sacrifices necessary for the establishment of a good, political order.