The Use of Sword and Shield in The Game of Thrones and The Gladiator

Since the introduction of films, the filmmakers have been using the aspect of violence to portray the theme and the ideology of the film. Films under different genres have incorporated the element of violence as the primary theme of their stories. In particular, films have featured swords and shield fighting scenes presenting super-heroes fighting against injustices and dictatorship (Stuart and Marshall 14). Mainly, violence forms the ground of many movies whereby it drives the storyline by providing the pretext for the subsequent actions. Correspondingly, the aspect of hostility plays a pivotal role in depicting the world of good and bad whereby in most cases, the morally upright individual is peaceful and only turn to violence as a last resort in their fight against the immoral individuals. With this in mind, the analysis will delve into giving a comparison of how the discipline of violence and specifically the use of sword and shield have been represented in The Gladiator and The Game of Thrones films.

            The Gladiator film in the totality is an astoundingly exciting film yet insane by the way it depicts the detrimental effects and the inglorious attributes of the war. Notably, the Gladiator is a heroic historical drama movie directed by Ridley Scott involving the struggle that Maximus Demicus Meridius endured in his mission of taking vengeance against the murder of his monarch and family (Stuart and Marshall 10). Throughout, the film, Scott integrated enormous violence scenes whereby the characters engage in a fight with each other using swords and shield as the primary weapons. For instance, at the beginning of the film, there is the theme of violence whereby General Maximus leads the Roman army in the fight against Germany tribes living near Vindobona in Limes Germanicus (Stuart and Marshall 12). Under the thematic justification, the scenes are justified since the director has used the war as a way of restoring peace and control in the emperors. However, even though violence and absurd scenes characterizes most scenes, Ridley Scott has been successful in using the episodes to reveal the dark side of human doings as evident in the movie when Commodus kills his family and seizes the kingdom. Therefore, given these reasons, it is justifiable to argue that, Ridley Scott incorporated war scenes in the Gladiator to show the positive outcome that war can bring in not only reinstating peace but also as an essential component of patriotism.

            The Games of Thrones is an intense fantasy drama directed by David Benioff and D. B. Weiss involving the fight of nine dignified families over the control of a mythical land in Westeros (Clapton and Shepherd 8). Mainly, the aspects of brutality, hostility, and messiness characterize the movie with the battle scenes being the most intense parts. Throughout the film, the director’s presents scenes that portray pain infliction which is exceptionally gory with the opponents wounding each other with swords. The most notable part is the injuries and fatalities that resulted when each noble family attempted to fight the ancient opponent that returned in the mythical land following thousands of years of being dormant (Clapton and Shepherd 11). However, despite the criticism that film has received regarding the use of excessive violence, the directors have been successful in using the violence to reflect the real world. That is, the viewers get the capacity of comprehending the evil and moral doings in the society.

            Filmmakers have used the element of physical violence in furthering the plot and the storyline. Without incorporating this element, most films will not have a storyline. That is to say; in most instances, violence tends to form the very pretext for the ensuing actions. For example, in the Gladiator cinema, the plot begins with brutality when Commodus murders his family to seize the throne, and for this reason, the impending conflict between him and his brother General Maximus continued to drive the story (Stuart and Marshall 13). In the same way, the political and sexual intrigue that unfolds in the better part of the first episodes forms the base upon which Benioff and Weiss developed the Game of throne fantasy film (Clapton and Shepherd 16). Therefore, in light of this, it is apparent that most filmmakers have used violence as the foundation of their movies.

            To conclude, violence and particularly the use of swords and shields have been a common theme used by the filmmakers in depicting their ideologies. In most cases, the directors have justified the use of violence by presenting heroes and morally upright individuals in the society fighting against injustices and oppression in the community. A case in point is in the Gladiator film whereby Scott depicted the positive impact of the war in re-establishing peace and order within the emperor. Besides, in the Game of Thrones, Benioff and Weiss used the element in reflecting the real world on the subject of evil and morals in the society. Finally, in most films, directors have used the aspect of hostility as the springboard for their stories which means that the element forms the fundamental ground upon which most movies are developed.

                                                            Works Cited

Bender, Stuart Marshall. “Introduction.” Legacies of the Degraded Image in Violent Digital        Media. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham, 2017. 1-14.

Clapton, William, and Laura J. Shepherd. ”Lessons from Westeros: Gender and power in Game of Thrones.” Politics37.1 (2017): 5-18.