Film has become the greatest channel for society to consume art, narratives and information. Motion pictures are remarkably dynamic and well crafted movies will have sufficient detail in every frame of the film. This is used to manipulate how we interpret the story as a whole. Directors can cleverly craft their cinematic experience through cinematic techniques such as effective camera shots and a large variety of sounds in order to expose and bring out the emotions of their audience. Directors want audiences feel a release during while consuming their art. Ridley Scott does this bu manipulating the traditional conventions of tragedy through his compelling use of cinematography and sound design in his epic drama film, ‘Gladiator.’ Utilization of close up camera work and his thoughtful composure of non-diegetic sounds help to encapsulate how our protagonist Maximus fulfills the conventions of a tragic hero which as a result makes audiences reflect on their human nature and undergo catharsis.

Empathy is a social behavior that is fundamental to our human nature, it allows us to effectively communicate and understand other people. It’s an important feeling because it warrants us, as people to want to protect those who may be important to us and vice versa. With empathy being such a vital function in our emotional responses to the world, art is often used as a passage to exploit and imitate our feelings and within the genre of tragedy, audiences are able to put themselves through a cathartic experience. Ridley Scott uses close-up camera shots and non-diegetic sounds to manipulate our feelings while watching Gladiator. We begin in the introduction to Gladiator, right after the exposition the first two camera shots that we are presented with are long cuts of close-up shots. The first close-up displayed is of a hand brushing through a wheat field, this use of close-up shot allows us to quickly establish how we should be perceiving this character due to the focus being on the ring on the hand. This is because traditionally audiences will interpret a ring to symbolize trust and loyalty due to marriage being associated with family values and commitment. This use of close-up manipulates the traditional conversions of tragedy as our Tragic Hero is supposed to be a generally ‘good’ character. Within this one shot we can quickly understand that our protagonist that we will be following will be good. This good character is presented in the next shot which reveals us Maximus’ face, it is brooding and stern. Through this one facial expression, we can quickly see how Scott manipulates the tragic hero conventions. This shot not only highlights his expression but his costume design as well. We soon see that is costume is significantly different, his clothes are more prestigious and rich as he wears well crafted amour and warm wolf fur. Contrasting this design are the other characters that he interacts with as they wear generic plate armor. This gives us a sense that Maximus has authority, this also hints towards his hubris, Maximus display excessive pride through his actions because he talks to his comrades as if he is of higher value than them. It is true that he is still strong, respectful and good in these interactions even if he talks with greater authority. The next film technique used to manipulate the conventions of tragedy is non-diegetic sounds. The moment Maximus visually appears on the screen, our ears are treated to a soft harmony of singing accompanied by gentle guitar picking. Audiences will associate this with tranquility and will release positive feelings to these sounds. Viewers will now associate Maximus with these feelings, this helps to employ the tragedy conventions by once again setting up Maximus as our tragic hero, this once again makes audiences believe our protagonist has good intentions. In the later half of this scene we see some action picking up, accompanying this the music also begin to pick up, we hear some orchestral music that is continuously speeding up in it’s tempo. This is a convention of Roman Tragedy where the story picks up in the middle of the action. In this part of the story Maximus is in the middle of a crusade in glory of Rome. Starting in the middle means we can learn lots about the character very fast through his actions and dialogue. The music elevates this tragedy convention by making the audience realize that Maximus is very capable in battle, it uplifts our perception of him which makes his story so much more cathartic by the time the film end.

Audiences root for underdogs. We enjoy rags to riches stories. It’s in our own human nature to see balance, if a weaker person can overpower a superior than we view it as just. This underdog convention is present in all tragedies because a tragic hero must experience peripetia. Scott presents this convention in Gladiator when Maximus must experience the harrowing event of his family being slaughters on the commands of Commodus. Scott uses the close-up camera angle as a device that accomplishes it’s purpose very succinctly in the film; the close-up effectively shows us the shock, horror and pain coursing through our protagonist. Although this is the beginning of Maximus’ reversal of fortune, it’s also his scene of suffering. There is nothing else that is more valuable to him than his family, not even his own life. The close-up shot elevates the scene of suffering to be so much more heartbreaking. For an audience, seeing every detail of Maximus’ face speaks a thousand work detailing what emotions he’s feeling and this is only over the span of a few seconds. Another cinematic technique that enhances the anguish of this scene is the use of non-diegetic sounds. It’s a powerful device that enhances our empathy for Maximus during this devastating scene. The audio consists of this fast paced, exciting orchestral music with harsh clashing symbols, this is used in order for us to have hope in Maximus’ situation. This is heroic music. We are tricked into believing that Maximus will rescue his family but as he gets closer to the farm house all of a sudden, the non-diegetic sounds are rather eerie. No matter how much the audience believed in Maximus, our hope is futile. The music is near inaudible until Maximus sees what become of his loved ones. The harmonizing voices enter the scene and leave audiences with a feeling of emptiness. These techniques enhance the catharsis that we experience during the scene of suffering and they work in cohesion. When our senses are exposed to the visual element of seeing Maximus’ devastated face whilst at the same time being stimulated by the somber non-diegetic sounds than catharsis is supremely enhanced. Combining these two elements exposes our senses to so much more, as seeing someone devastated plays with audiences’ emotions so much more when there’s music to reflect that. Once the non-diegetic sounds go quiet and we see Maximus’ that’s when the scene is truly the most sad. The scene sounds as empty as the audience feels. The close-up shots shows Maximus wailing in grief but the through Scott’s careful use of non-diegetic sounds we hear nothing. This merge of techniques shows us how little Maximus can do in this situation, that even if he howled in pain, that it cannot undo his loss. Maximus is powerless.

Tragedy is often a reflection of human nature. During discussions of human nature there’s this idea that we are unable to look away from tragedy and Gladiator is no exception of this. The introduction scene and the family loss scene work in union to fulfill the requirements of the tragedy genre. A fundamental part of a tragic story is peripetia and nemesis and the harmony created by the two scenes working together alongside their cinema techniques result in a manipulation of the traditional tropes of tragedy. In both scenes we see close-up shots of Maximus however his facial expressions are completely contrasted. In the introduction we see a bold, stern and powerful man leading one of the world’s most powerful armys. We see many of his positive characteristics such as his leadership skills and interactions where we see how well respected he is. This makes the family death scene so impactful because it’s difficult to see someone such as Maximus be so vulnerable. This contrast helps manipulate the audience into better understanding how far Maximus has fallen during his reversal of fortune. Non-diegetic sounds are also carefully implemented into the film to further play with the conventions of a tragedy. The opening shot of Maximus in the wheat field has nearly identical music to what we hear during the death of Maximus’ family. These two scene work together to help us better understand the journey of our tragic hero, when we first hear these non-diegetic sounds it acts as foreshadowing. The music has a meloncoly feel to it so as an audience we can expect that Maximus might have something grim coming his way. The combination of techniques come together masterfully to enhance the tropes of tragedy. The camera displays a close-up of Maximus’ hand which focuses on his wedding ring but when we later hear this music, it’s a close-up of his face again but the irony it’s during the death of the woman he is married to. Audiences will subconsciously recognize this pattern and it will make for a more compelling cathartic experience.

Tragedy is a compelling genre to present “an imitation of an action” such as human nature. Gladiator cleverly implements it’s visual and audio features to employ tragedy conventions in which these themes become apparent. Upon analysis of the introduction scene and the family death scene we can understand Maximus’ tragic hero traits which are enhanced through close-up camera shots and careful composure of non-diegetic sounds. These techniques consistently compliment each other in order for us to understand how Maximus experiences peripetia and hamartia which are essential to his tragic hero character archetype. These techniques were all intentionally chosen by Scott in order to enhance and manipulate the conventions of tragedy that so many of us are familiar with. Film is a platform where there is so much intentional crafting that goes into every single frame of viewing that something as simple as music may only be something we subconsciously think about however the catharsis and reflection of themes we have is more amplified than if these techniques were not present. Empathy. It’s in our nature as humans and the approach that Scott takes to Gladiator exploits this and as a result of this our emotions are purged. Even a story that’s set as long ago as Gladiator is, still reflects strong themes through its tragic conventions.

Influences are all around us, we are influenced by the people we love, hate and everything in between. Art is an imitation of life and with that, ‘influences’ change the way we create and interpret it. Shakespeare is possibly the most famous writer in our history and his writings still have impacts on the way we tell stories, make characters and even speak on a daily basis. Influence. No one is without it and it applies so someone as significant as Shakespeare himself. Aristotle was a philosopher who “fathered Western Philosophy” and created an outline for how a ‘tragic hero’ character behaves. Aristotle’s Poetics had a strong influence on the work of Shakespeare and he wrote his own ‘tragic hero’ characters. His play ‘King Lear,’ exemplifies this and helps an audience better understand Shakespeare intentions as a writer. The tragic hero archetype of character, helps us reflect on the world around us and lets the audience realize underlying themes such as human nature, blindness to reality and injustice within society. -again- art is an imitation of life.

As humans, we are all flawed to a degree, some more flawed than others. No one is perfect. This is part of human nature and no matter how good or bad someone’s intentions may be, there is no escaping imperfections. Aristotle’s tragic hero is a effective character model to highlight this part of human nature. Shakespeare’s King Lear uses the title character to have what Aristotle refers to as hamartia or as referred to before as a ‘fatal flaw.’ Lear’s hamartia is his excessive pride and wrath, pride is a reoccurring weakness with Aristotle’s tragic hero outline and Shakespeare carefully uses this outline to reflect on how everyone from a begger to a ruler is flawed. Lear’s hubris (Latin for excessive pride) is first seen in the play when he is dividing his kingdom and giving certain areas to his three daughters. In order to decide who would get the “third more opulent” piece of land in the country. Strong demonstrations of Lear’s pride is shown in this scene as it takes a truly proud person to force their daughters to lie about their love in order for you to allow them a prosperous future. This doesn’t make Lear an inherently bad character, he actually is dividing his kingdom because he believes his daughter to be effective leaders, “Since now we will divest us both of rule, Interest of territory, cares of state.” Lear’s pride makes him a more authentic character and display’s Shakespeare’s ideas of human nature. Shakespeare carefully uses animal imagery to show how a character is behaving. Lear is described as a dragon by himself, “come not between the dragon and his wrath,” here we can understand his hamartia being his pride and his wrath. Perfection. The inability to be ‘perfect’ is what comes across as the most prominent theme with Shakespeare’s use of the tragic hero. Lear is not perfect because he is too wrathful and too prideful. An Elizabethan audience would be particularly challenged by this as a King is a divine ruler that was viewed as if God himself has selected them to rule. Lear’s hamartia reflects this and even a modern day audience can appreciate this theme when reading between the lines of the play. 

Every story must come to an end. Just like life itself, a tale must begin and end. Tragic heroes such as Lear must experience whats known as peripeteia or a ‘reversal of fortune.’ Aristotle himself believes that “tragedy is the an imitation of an action,” this action can be of life itself and that’s why we reflect on the art that is theatre. In the world that surrounds us, we are constantly exposed to injustice, society itself is as flawed as the tragic hero characters that we follow. Shakespeare intends to highlight how cruel this world can be because of the injustice imposed on Lear. Shakespeare uses the influence of Aristotle to make his protagonist experience peripeteia or a reversal of fortune. For Lear, his peripeteia begins when his daughter ‘Goneril,’ decides that she will have Lear remove half of his knights, “men must endure, their going hence, even as their coming hither.” This is the first instance of Lear losing his authority to someone who is of lesser power than him. This decision may seem relatively minor however this is just the tip of the iceberg because as the story arc progresses, actions occur against Lear become more severe which ultimately leads into his demise. Lear’s luck diminishes from here. Kicked out of his own kingdom. Losing his authority. Loss of his daughter. Loss of his own life. This is an important part of the ‘tragic hero’ arc because it exposes the reality of life to it’s imperfections, even the highest form of power is susceptible to the flaws of the world. Reversal of fortune is also highlighted through the way Lear articulates himself. When he is in his best mental state, he talks in what’s known as ‘verse,’ this is because of his nobility, this form of speech is very well crafted and well spoken. This is how a king should speak in the universe of Shakespeare, however as the play digresses we begin to see a subtle shift in Lear’s diction. Prose. Lear begins to speak in everyday language that has no rhythm or structure, it reflects how he is beginning to think like a common man, he is less than a king, he has fallen down the great chain of being. This makes his reversal of fortune more harsh to the audience because not only in his actions is he deteriorating, but in his speech. His downfall is so obvious through Shakespeare’s diction shifts. But does Lear deserve this fall? Injustice is a commonly discussed theme across all forms of literature because it will never, not be relevant. A flawless reality is far from us, especially in Elizabethan times, a time where we had inferior genders, sexuality, races and classes. We still discuss this text today because in many ways, we haven’t surpasses these faults in society, however with Lear’s peripeteia we can ponder on this faults. Lear’s fate isn’t deserved, yes, he is flawed and his actions are often a product of his flaws however the loss of lives doesn’t match these short comings, “Howl, howl, howl, howl! O, you are men of stones: Had I your tongues and eyes, I’ld use them so, that heaven’s vault should crack. She’s gone for ever!” The loss of Cordelia is the most suffering that Lear is capable of receiving, it completely outweighs any of the ill-doings that Lear is responsible for which truly makes his character tragic. This causes us to think about how if Lear is susceptible to such injustice, than what does this mean for the common man? Does injustice plague all of society? These are the kind of reflections that Shakespeare want to provoke in us. It is his intention to make the audience question if we are satisfied with the balance of good and evil in the world.

Through our failures, only then can we discover ourselves. If we constantly achieved what we desired, than we would have no reason to improve ourselves. Why would we aspire to do anything if we had no risk of failure? This is why anagnorisis or recognition is an essential part of the tragic hero’s journey, it helps to teach an audience a crucial lesson, the idea of ‘blindness.’ Shakespeare repetitively uses ‘eye’ imagery to make the audience reflect on how easy it is to be unaware of a painfully honest truth. Shakespeare carefully creates a parallel plot to Lear using Gloucester, he is a man who has also had his children lie and manipulate him in order to exploit his power. During the climax of the play, Gloucester gets his eyes gouged out which reflects how he is unable to see any truth in this world. Ironically once he is literally blind, he is finally able to see the world for how it is, the deception placed upon him is clear. This use of eye imagery and parallel plot is a convention used by Shakespeare to help the audience understand the tragic hero better. Just like Gloucester, Lear is only able to view the truth once he has had all these horrific events happen to him. With his dead, beloved daughter in his arms Lear is finally able to recognize himself. His actions. His ill doings. They all become obvious to him. Lear has been blind to which daughter truly loves him, “No, do thy worst, blind Cupid! I’ll not love. Read thou this challenge; mark but the penning of it.” It’s when he loses what truly matters, he can understand himself. Audiences can see themselves in this aspect of the tragic hero, humans need to understand their where they have gone wrong in order to reverse them, “A most poor man, made tame to fortune’s blows who, by the art of known and feeling sorrows” Shakespeare intends to show to audiences that reality isn’t always obvious, we should see ourselves in Lear, we should reflect on if we can truly recognize ourselves, possibly, we may not want to recognize ourselves, in fear of the truth being too real.

Flawed. We as humans are destined to make mistakes and have short comings. In Shakespeare’s King Lear we are able to see how vulnerable someone as mighty as a King may be, this further leads us as the audience to see how tragedy is an imitation of life and how a tragic hero is an imitation of your everyday man. Aristotle’s poetics and extracts create the foundation of some of literature’s most famous stories and through that, William Shakespeare can get his intentions across. Aristotle’s infrastructure for a tragic character highlights important themes such as human nature, injustice and blindness to show how something as simple as a flaw can lead to all of your luck and fortune taking a steep turn leading into the demise and it’s only then, when you realize your true self and how flawed you are. This is what Shakespeare wants us to reflect on. There is so much theme and intention hidden between the lines of this script. Through writing techniques, symbolism and imagery, this all comes across to the audience. Shakespeare created this play over 300 years ago and somehow these ideas are more relevant than ever, we are exposed to fake news, injustice and human error every single day. These themes are forever with us, we will never escape injustice much in the same way we will never escape flaw. Audiences after experiencing this text will be left contemplating if society has really changed that much? Are we our own worst enemy?