Livia

Both films feature a slave-girl who is despised by the other slaves, and who is depicted as a minor villain, a pro-Roman woman by the name of Livia. As already mentioned, in the earlier film Livia’s wickedness is shown by portraying her as a racist. This Livia is a Roman snob despite her slave status, and she makes sneering comments about her ‘provincial opponents’, but her greatest scorn is reserved for the coloured Mamawi. While the Livia in the later film is also a Roman citizen and snobbish, in place of a racist attitude she is filled with a conviction of Roman supremacy. She believes that a Roman is superior to all others and so naturally she herself must be superior to the other slaves. Thus she tells the other slaves to hurry in preparing the food for the men, since they are Roman citizens. Both women are fiercely proud of their Roman heritage, and are saved from the gladiatorial arena by this heritage, but with the difference noted above, that the earlier Livia is reprieved by the outrage of the mob at the prospect of one of ‘their children’ being killed before their eyes, while the later Livia is spared by Timarchus as a result of his nostalgic memory of her hometown, Messenia. This naturally makes the later Timarchus more of a threatening and powerful figure, but also serves to identify Livia with the Roman governor, as they share a common memory for a loved Roman city.

Another change occurs in the ultimate fate of the two Livias. In the first film, Livia is lounging, wine glass in hand, in Timarchus’ box, when the audience riots towards the end of the film, and is gang-raped by a group of spectators. ¹In this portrayal of events, there is a clear feeling of a villain getting her come-uppance for her arrogant superiority. The Livia of Durostorum however meets a different end, deciding unexpectedly (and somewhat unconvincingly) to help the other women escape, by unbolting the doors in the night so that they can escape. When they are caught by a group of soldiers, after Septimus attempts to assassinate Timarchus, she is butchered brutally as they attack her with swords. In this bloodthirsty death, there is no feeling of glee at evil meeting its just rewards, especially in light of Livia’s recent and sudden change of heart in helping the other girls. Instead, there is a sense of unnecessary and disturbing violence, yet again on the part of Rome, represented in this case by her soldiers.

¹This is a somewhat ironic point bearing in mind that it was these spectators who had objected to her being made to fight in the arena.