Warning: This article contains spoilers for Gladiator II.Gladiator IIfocuses on Paul Mescal’sHanno, also known as Lucius, returning to Rome as a gladiator while hiding his true identity. The movie sees Lucius demonstrate his strength after having been taken prisoner by the legions of the Roman general Acacius (Pedro Pascal). Like Russell Crowe’s Maximus before him, Lucius becomes a beloved gladiator. However, his secret identity also begins to draw attention when several people around him begin to realize thatLucius is the son of Maximus and Lucilla(Connie Nielsen), in part because of one crucial scene.
Gladiator II’s castand their performances have been met with praise, while the story serves as a nice addition to the 2000 Ridley Scott original film. In particular, Mescal’s Lucius and Denzel Washington’s Macrinus steal every scene they are in and create a contrast with theEmperors Geta and Caracalla(Joseph Quinn and Fred Hechinger). In one scene with these characters,Lucius' use of a quote from Virgil’sAeneidstarts to give away his secret and leads to an even bigger reconciliation.
Virgil Was Very Famous In The Roman Empire, But Most People Wouldn’t Be Able To Quote Him
Though Virgil’s Works Were Widely Distributed, Not Everyone Could Read
AlthoughGladiator IIdoes contain multiple historical inaccuracies, the characters' familiarity with the poet Virgil does fit with the standards of the time. Virgil was the most important Roman poet, so his works would have been the basis for what children were taught in schools, particularly theAeneidas it tells the legendary story of Rome’s founding (viaOxford Classical Dictionary). For individuals in Rome’s upper classes, it would have been fairly normal to be familiar with Virgil,especially theAeneid, which Lucius quotes.
Gladiator 2’s Surprise Villain Has a Better Revenge Story Than Paul Mescal’s Lucius
While Lucius is the lead in Ridley Scott’s Gladiator II, Denzel Washington’s Marcinus has a much more compelling revenge story in the sequel.
However, while it makes sense for Lucius and his mother to be able to quote Virgil’s works, many other people in the Roman Empire would not be able to quote the Aeneid. Roman elites would have been highly educated, butit is estimated that only 15-20% of the population of the Roman Empire were actually literate(viaBerkshire Archaeological Society). This means that Lucius' ability to quote these writings immediately outs him as having an educated, and likely elite, background.
Lucilla Realizes Who Lucius Is Because He Is Familiar With Virgil
The Quote Lucius Recites Reminds Lucilla Of His Childhood
When Lucius is introduced in the Colosseum, Geta somewhat conveniently remarks, with Lucilla in earshot, that Lucius was the gladiator who quoted poetry after fighting at the emperors' party at an earlier point in the movie. When Geta fortuitously repeats the precise lines,Lucilla immediately begins to suspect that the mysterious gladiator Hanno is actually her long-lost son Luciusbecause of that verse’s special meaning. After the fight, Lucilla longingly looks over an inscription of theAeneid, suggesting that this poem may even have been a shared favorite between her and her son.
While it is possible that other people in Rome would also be able to quote Virgil, hearing those particular lines combined with seeing Hanno for the first time in so long convinces Lucilla he is Lucius, allowingGladiator IIto create a charged reunion for the mother and son.
Since Lucius potentially would have been very familiar with these specific lines, it makes sense that he would be able to remember them long into his adulthood and so would his mother. While it is possible that other people in Rome would also be able to quote Virgil, hearing those particular lines combined with seeing Hanno for the first time in so long convinces Lucilla he is Lucius, allowingGladiator IIto create a charged reunion for the mother and son.
Gladiator II
Cast
Gladiator 2 is the follow-up to Ridley Scott’s award-winning film Gladiator from 2000. Scott returns to direct the sequel, with Paul Mescal staring as Lucius, alongside Denzel Washington and Joseph Quinn as the villain Emperor Geta. Gladiator 2 had been stuck in development hell for years before a script written by David Scarpa finally moved forward.
