When Spartacus wisely captured Tiberius and ordered the Romans to gladiatorially fight to tribute to Chris, the roles of the slaves and Romans were switched. The slaves became spectators in the simple improvised gladiatorial arena, invigorated by the blood of their enemies, while the Romans became gladiators and were slain by the slaves. This is however an exhilarating silhouette, but not the end of the story.
It was a tragic story of slaves who fought in the face of their fated end, knowing that they could not do it. The Spartacus Revolt, which took place at the end of the Roman Republic, was the largest of the three slave wars in ancient Rome. More importantly, unlike the first two slave wars, which took place in Sicily, this time the revolt hit Rome itself hard. The entire war lasted three years, and the insurgent army may have exceeded 300,000 men at its peak. However, the insurgents had limited fighting power and cohesion, and many of them were old, weak, women and children.
Amidst the violence and sexual spectacle, what sustained the entire story was the strong spiritual power of the slaves. These slaves dared to rebel against their masters and against Rome. The skills they developed to survive became their most powerful weapon. They fought in blood, and they were the first to defeat the Roman legions, making Rome tremble. Even at the last moment, they never retreated in the face of the fully-equipped Roman elite like dark clouds. For them, it was better to fall by the sword than to die by the whip of the master.
The gladiatorial arena of ancient Rome was lofty, but it was built on the blood of slaves. The life of the nobles was rotten, and their playfulness and competition for fame and fortune were all at the expense of the slaves. The gladiators were flesh and blood, and their lives unfolded in blood and sand, licking blood from the tips of swords, but their lives were like grass. When the dignity of gladiators and slaves was trampled, love was deprived, and survival was not guaranteed, Spartacus, the former prayer for rain, started a wave of rebellion, for love, freedom, revenge, and liquidation to the Romans.
Sadly, it was ultimately a haphazard and rabble-rousing group. As the leaders of the revolt, Spartacus and the others did not share the same motive. Gannicus was the only free gladiator, after the death of Oenomaus, he replaced his best friend on the path of the Avengers. However, although he was courageous, he was more of a wanderer in the queue, unable to bring more cohesion. Chris was the second in command in the team. After Nivea was sold away and he was poisoned, Chris chose to rush out of the training school with Spartacus. After finding Nivea, he trained her as a warrior and spent the rest of his life taking revenge on the Romans, the difference in philosophy led to Chris's departure. Revenge was Chris's mission, but in the face of the absolute strength gap, death was the inevitable end.
Spartacus experienced stages of mental state. After being forced to kill Vali, Spartacus was aware of the lie of glory. He found that every fight he had in the gladiatorial arena was only a futile increase in the wealth and interests of the slave owner. When he found out that his wife Sura died at the hands of Batiatus, he chose to pay in blood. In the process of leading the uprising, Spartacus treated the people as Sura with compassion. He did not want to take revenge on the Romans. Instead, he wished to spread the idea of equality and freedom, and fight for the ultimate freedom of the former slaves. Living far from the war to graze horses and sing was he and Sura's unfulfilled wish, and he hoped that others would realize it.
The slave-owning class was almost entirely villainous, and their profiles were rich and three-dimensional, their desires and struggles portrayed in detail. If it were not for the never-ending greed of the slave owners, the slaves would not have met their end and would not have embarked on the path of revenge. The day of reckoning finally came, the world ushered in the baptism of blood, Spartacus, at the cost of their lives, ushered in freedom for some of the slaves, so that the slave owners were forced to improve the living conditions of the slaves. More importantly, Spartacus brought the belief in the pursuit of freedom to the people. They no longer fought for the slave owners, nor for the gods, but for themselves. They chose to live their own way.
Finally, I want to discuss about the love in the play. Whether in the gladiatorial arena or the real battlefield, love was the most tender comfort in the battle where life was repeatedly threatened. Tough guy Chris's consistent love for Nivea was enviable. He kept his promise to Nivea, rescuing her from the mines and accompanying her to repair herself by taking revenge on her enemies. Though important than life, Spartacus' Sura was more of a symbol to him in the viewer's eyes. In the second season, Mira's support for Spartacus was more heartwarming. Mira's role in the insurgent army was indispensable, she was a female warrior, always cloak and dagger. Saxa was also a beautiful and tough character like Mira, but Saxa's emotional attitude was more dashing than Mira. Even if Gannicus found someone else, she was still a beautiful and strong female general, and also found her own happiness.
