![gladiator begins tvtropes gladiator begins tvtropes](http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51GW5btX1yL._SX310_CR0,30,310,220_.jpg)
These voluntary gladiators will very rarely appear in fiction, whereas in Real Life they were often the most skilled fighters in the arenas and by the time of the Roman Empire actually outnumbered the enslaved gladiators.
note For non-citizens and impoverished Romans, this provided food and shelter, and if they were skilled enough to survive even the opportunity to earn significant wealth.
Gladiator begins tvtropes professional#
And while gladiators were originally all slaves, over time a class of professional gladiators also emerged. Criminals condemned to die by the sword were not considered gladiators, and for them death was predetermined. In Real Life, most gladiators who got killed in the end of the fight were either Dirty Coward types, or so badly wounded they were not expected to survive. Hollywood gladiators almost always fight to the death. In fact, battles to the death were widely advertised specifically because they were so rare. In Real Life, only around a tenth of fights between professional gladiators actually resulted in death, as gladiators were expensive to train and difficult to replace. Hollywood History comes into play for some of the elements. Very popular in Ancient Rome settings, oddly enough, and in Sword & Sandal settings based on it. Contrast The Tourney, which doesn't carry this stigma because the nobles risk themselves rather than compel others to do so. On the other hand, this situation was involved in the Trope Namer for Androcles' Lion.įrequently features in the nastier sort of Bread and Circuses, but it may just be an upperclass entertainment because Aristocrats Are Evil. This trope is distinguished from other forms of recreational combat - such as The Tourney - by one or both sides having no choice but to fight. Sometimes, after a particularly grand victory, the gladiator is freed, but generally ends with either Gladiator Revolt, or gladiators loosing the monsters they fight on the crowd, to great consternation.