Caracalla gay
Warning: this article contains mild spoilers.
When Gladiator I was released in 2000, I was a tall school Classics trainee and the motion picture brought Classical literature to life for me. Dramatic depictions of ancient warfare seemed more genuine, the machinations of imperial politics all the more earnest.
So it was with some trepidation, then, that I went to spot Gladiator II. Could it live up to Gladiator I’s high standards? Would it be sufficiently plausible for me to enjoy?
I’m not here to fact-check the film – something already admirably done. Rather, I wanted to demonstrate on its “truthiness” and historical ambience, and specifically on its portrayal of two Roman emperors, the brothers Caracalla and Geta.
Caracalla and Geta perform and say some very odd things in the movie that may perceive far-fetched to some. In fact, these brothers – and other Roman emperors – really did do some unhinged things.
An intense rivalry
Caracalla was a little boy when Commodus, the cruel and creepy emperor portrayed by Joaquin Phoenix in Gladiator I, died. The tumultous “year of the five emperors” followed, culminating in Caracalla’s father, Septimius Severus, becoming emperor.
In 198CE, Septimius appo
Geta and Caracalla – evil brothers
Geta and Caracalla were sons of emperor Septimius Severus. Both, according to the will of the dying father, were to share might in the Empire, without a evident division of powers and territory. This fact alone hindered cooperation between them. However, the deeper cause of the conflict that was about to split out between the brothers was the sincere hatred they had had since early childhood. They were not even prevented by the consent forced by their father’s dignified, to which their mother Julia Domna urged her co-emperors.
Certainly the brothers were the antonym of “brotherly love”. Aggression and hostility took on very serious proportions. Caracalla finally agreed to reconcile with his brother in 212 CE. at my mother’s house. There, the older of them, Karakalla and his centurions pierced his brother. Geta died trying to take refuge in the arms of her mother, who was injured herself, trying to keep her son.
Caracalla immediately announced that he had been attacked by his brother and only thanks to the assist of loyal friends he was saved. Geta was sentenced to the worst kind of punishment, used against hated
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I’ve heard some feedback that people want me to talk about ancient Rome because it was like “super gay”. That’s not quite right though — prefer, yeah, a lot of guys were having gay sex but the place was so patriarchal and sexist that there were laws restricting who could be in the “feminine role” (y’know, bottoms) — slaves, prostitutes, and entertainers; people who did not get the benefit of “citizenship”. That is, that was the situation for male-on-male loving until after today’s subject wasn’t emperor anymore. Things went downhill after that.
Now Heliogabalus (also frequently called Egabalus) was probably born with the designate Sextus Varius Atinus Bassianus but it’s hard to know for sure. He was born in Syria around the year 203 CE; his parents were Julia Soaemias and Sextus Varius Marcellus. In his younger years, he was a priest to a god called Elagabalus — a Syrian/Roman sun god that you’ve probably never heard of. And, you’ll note, he shares an alias with his god — there’s a reason for that and the confusion about his names. We’ll receive there.
Geta & Caracalla Explained: Authentic Life History, Parents & How They Became Emperors
The following contains spoilers for Gladiator 2, now playing in theatersEmperors Caracalla and Geta are important characters in Gladiator 2and are directly inspired by two real life Roman Emperors. Gladiator 2 is a massive-scale film, with several plotlines and character machinations playing out against one another. For Gladiator 2's cast of characters, this means several individual storylines and motivations that scamper afoul of one another. For most of the film, the overt villains are the Emperors Caracalla and Geta, whose warmongering has given Macrinus an opening and set about a festering revolution.
In authentic life, Caracalla and Geta were indeed brothers who ruled Rome together for a short time before one of them turned on the other. However, beyond the names and some similar details, the real life version of the two was a far cry from the more vain and sheltered versions seen in the film. Here is how Caracalla and Geta from Gladiator 2 compare to their real life counterparts.