Gladiator vs truth
In comparing the movie Gladiator with the history of ancient Rome there are many ways in which the movie and the truth align and many ways that the movie veers from the realities of history. ... The portrayal of this character is one of the ways in which the movie falls short of the truth. ... In truth Publius, when suspected of treason, is sent to Britain to quell the revolt in the Roman legions. He never becomes a gladiator. Proximo, being a gladiator owner, would never have trained his gladiators as he did in the movie. ... Gladiator does show that seats in the coliseum were distributed in a strictly enforced manner. ... It shows the gladiator Maximus defeating Commodus in a battle to the death. Even though it is recorded that Commodus often went in the ring he did not die at the hands of Maximus or Publius Helvius Pertinax or any gladiator.