Drawing on a minimum of six different sources/specific examples, draft a thesis that addresses the following:
In what respect did spectacles in Rome affect public morality and reflect and reinforce Roman values and the social structure of the state? Support your argument using your sources/examples, denoting them within the paper specifically as Example 1, 2, etc.
As you craft your answer, in addition to your own analysis, consider what the Roman themselves said of public spectacles in their own moralizing and philosophical discourses.
Consider such questions, as you write:
• What affect might watching violent spectacles have had on the character of the spectator? Are these affects all negative, or might such values as bravery, strategy, agency, altruism, and obedience be on display, as well?
• To what extent did spectacles reinforce the Roman social hierarchy and social order: consider seating, the social position of gladiators and condemned criminals, the treatment of the enemy, and the power of those financing the games, etc.
• Finally, consider the affect that spectacles might have had on social cohesion, especially in terms of the re-enacting of important episodes from the mythological tradition or Roman history; consider, too, the fan aspect of chariot racing and its connection to gambling.
Sample Solution