Showing posts with label Spartacus. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Spartacus. Show all posts

Saturday, January 2, 2016

How would you say "I'm Spartacus" in Latin?

In the 1960 movie Spartacus, when the slave rebellion has been conquered, Crassus offers to spare the lives of the lot of them, so long as the real Spartacus steps forward and surrenders so that, presumably, Crassus can parade him as beaten and humiliated in Rome. 

Spartacus, played by Kirk Douglas, certainly wanting the best for the people he has so ably led, stands to give himself up, but, one by one, others proclaim, "I'm Spartacus." If you've never seen the movie, at least watch this short clip of the scene I just described.





Since the movie is set in ancient Rome, this raises the question of how, in Latin, would this scene have really played out? How would you most authentically say "I'm Spartacus!" in Latin?

The answer is clear, but it means we need to explore briefly how Latin conveys the particular emphasis that the scene requires.


________________________________________________________________


https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0984343202/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0984343202&linkCode=as2&tag=keitmassintea-20&linkId=e2482f1d9c605f501d250199e68bc01dIf you are moved by stories of heroes fighting against oppressive tyranny, check out the novel A Place of Brightness, the first installment of the Andrew Valquist Saga

It's a bargain at 0.99 cents on Kindle (or affordably priced at $10.10 on paperback). 

You'll share the triumphs and trials of a family of freedom fighters all the way from Cold War Romania down to the present day.

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In Latin, like Spanish, you don't actually need to use the pronoun with verbs. So, hablo means "I speak," and yo hablo also means "I speak." In Latin, Sum all on its own means "I am," and ego sum also means "I am."

But in Latin, the pronouns are generally not used, unless one really means to emphasize who exactly is the subject of the verb. So for instance, the Roman playwright Terence has a famous line in which a slave declares:

Davus sum, non Oedipus (Terence, Andria 194)
"I'm Davus, not Oedipus." (i.e., I'm Davus, not someone who can solve riddles.)

Terence doesn't use ego in that line because the contrast is between Davus and Oedipus, not "I" and someone else.

In the scene from Spartacus, however, the whole point is that each person standing up to stand beside Spartacus is declaring, not so much that "I'm Spartacus," but rather that "I am Spartacus."

As a result, Latin would indeed require the use of the pronoun ego here to convey the needed emphasis. 

And so, with great linguistic confidence, we can declare, the way you would say "I'm Spartacus" in Latin is:

Ego sum Spartacus.

And I am also willing to say, "Ego Sum Spartacus - I'm Spartacus." I stand beside you, dear man, because I know I live in a world where liberty reigns more than in your age precisely because you dared to stand up against tyranny and oppression. Requiescas in pace, Spartace...




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If you'd like to continue experiencing action adventures set in ancient Rome, please check out my novel In Saecula Saeculorum. I can promise you sword fights, horse races, heartbreaks, and triumphs. Click on the cover to learn more and purchase my novel. Thank you for your consideration.



 

Thursday, August 8, 2013

Ancient History More Relevant Than Ever...

I am flabbergasted how a blog post I wrote about Spartacus brings a dozen people to my site every single day. There is obviously a hunger out there for a deeper knowledge of some outstanding people from the ancient world.

And that's because, I believe, people today are eager for answers about how to live our lives and find success. And some deep instinct tells us that lessons from the past remain ever relevant today.

And the History of Ancient Rome is chocked full of intriguing personalities worth learning from. Men such as Julius Caesar, Crassus, Cincinnatus, Fabius Maximus, not to mention enemies of Rome such as Zenobia and Hannibal. 

My undergraduate studies were in Classics (Latin and Greek), and I teach Latin today in a public high school. And I find myself constantly citing the stories of the past as examples for how to face the trials of today.

That's why I made an online Udemy course titled "Fortune Favors the Brave: Ancient Wisdom for Modern Success." I'm offering the course for free,  if you'd like to take it for free.

The course is available on a "Pay What You Will" scale, from free to full price ($29.00).  You can view an intro video about the course by clicking on the price link of your choice. (If you decide on a different pay scale, just click out and make a new selection.)

Full Price - $29.00
Discounted - $19.00
Discounted - $9.00
Discounted - Free

If you take the course at the free or discounted rates and decide you want to thank me/support me, you can always purchase one of my books. And the perfect add-on to a course about ancient history is my espionage/adventure/time-travel novel set in Ancient Rome.

In Saecula Saeculorum tells the story of four young people who are unwittingly trained for a mission back in time to save the world. 

In Saecula Saeculorum is the perfect novel for anyone who has ever studied Latin because the heroes who go back in time have to speak it. Don't worry, if you've never taken Latin you'll follow the action just fine, because I always make it obvious what they're saying. But you'll also come away knowing some Latin, which is never bad, right? And if you've studied Latin, this is obviously the perfect novel for you.

Four high school Latin students are on a mission back in time to save the world. If they pull this off, they're making some demands. Mr. President, we want a Prom!

They've got all the typical worries of teenagers. Grades and romance top the list of their dramas. But their last four years have been a lie. They thought they were in high school, but they were actually being trained in a joint NSA/MI-6 mission to go back in time to save the world!

Thursday, July 18, 2013

Brothers by Different Mothers: the Keith Massey / Todd Lasance Comparison Fully Analyzed

A former colleague of mine from the National Security Agency (NSA), who still works there as an Arabic linguist, wrote me with the most extraordinary of compliments over a recent post I made regarding a possible Julius Caesar spinoff from Spartacus on Starz.

My post had a pic of Australian actor Todd Lasance, who played Julius Caesar. And visible on the screen was also my own pic. She wrote:

"Wait a second, that guy looks just like you!"

And I realized, how right she is!

Let's compare Mr. Lasance and myself, further analyzing our other shocking similarities.




1) We're both devastatingly handsome.

2) We both part our hair to the right.

3) We're both obviously ripped.

4) I teach Latin; Mr. Lasance played the role of Julius Caesar, who spoke Latin.

So, I press forward, trying to break out as a writer of "espionage/adventure/action/romance" themed novels. And I wish you great success, Mr. Lasance, in your career. Our paths will certainly cross at some point. I think you would be perfect for the role of Andrew Valquist, the chief protagonist in my spy novels.

If you've stumbled on this post because you searched for "keith massey latin" or "keith massey devastatingly handsome" or "todd lasance", make sure you explore all of my products--novels and Udemy courses--before you leave (after bookmarking my blog, of course).

But while I have you here, can someone please tell me why I didn't make a million dollars on my "Iguanodon Likes This" product line?

Wait, one more thing, then you can go. Why the hell didn't this video of me filming black bears in my backyard go viral. Seriously?




Wednesday, July 17, 2013

Julius Caesar Spinoff from Spartacus?



We're still waiting for definitive word on whether the Starz Network will be spinning off a show about Julius Caesar from Spartacus. 

The casting of Todd Lasance was brilliant. He could certainly pull off a whole series. And the story of Julius Caesar is packed full of adventurous episodes that could easily make three or four seasons of programming.

 

I include a discussion of Julius Caesar in my
 online Udemy course Fortune Favors the Brave. Visit my website for more details.


Julius Caesar is the epitome of Fortuna (Fortune) because he knew that a certain element of luck always exists in life. But Caesar also knew that taking a proactive approach to life would help you increase your chances at success, even though randomness may play an part.


A knowledge of the importance of Fortune/Luck is why, as he was about to cross the Rubicon River, he said the famous words Alea Iacta Est (The Die is Cast). He used a gambling term because, even though life is a game where others may plan unfairly, you can't win if you don't play.




________________________________________________________________


https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0984343202/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0984343202&linkCode=as2&tag=keitmassintea-20&linkId=e2482f1d9c605f501d250199e68bc01dIf you are moved by stories of heroes fighting against oppressive tyranny, check out the novel A Place of Brightness, the first installment of the Andrew Valquist Saga


You'll share the triumphs and trials of a family of freedom fighters all the way from Cold War Romania down to the present day.

________________________________________________________________



Wednesday, December 19, 2012

How Did Spartacus Really Die?


Here is a video version of the following article on the question of the Death of Spartacus. I suggest that there is the very real possibility that he somehow escaped death that day...









I loved the last season of the Starz series Spartacus. They did an excellent job of staying true to the historical story.  There's a bit of a mystery historically on what finally did happen to this great man.


In the end of the 1960 movie Spartacus, starring Kirk Douglas, Spartacus dies crucified on the Appian Way, along with the remnants of his rebellion (albeit seeing his son, who will now live in freedom). 

But I wanted to explore the primary texts for the end of Spartacus.

The account of the demise of Spartacus comes from Appian, The Civil Wars 1.120. We learn some interesting information.


In the final battle with Crassus:


Spartacus was wounded in the thigh with a spear.
( τιτρώσκεται ἐς τὸν μηρὸν ὁ Σπάρτακος δορατίῳ)

The account goes on to say that Spartacus sunk to one knee and continued fighting until he and those with him were killed.

But then the account adds:

The dead body of Spartacus was not found.
(καὶ τὸν Σπαρτάκου νέκυν οὐχ εὑρεθῆναι.)




In the end, we'll never know what happened. All we know is that his dead body was never found. While it may seem likely he died in battle, I am happy his body was at least spared the indignity of some public humiliation by the Romans. And absent a dead body, there is always the possibility that the man somehow did survive and escape. 

But why did the Romans, who controlled this battlefield of the dead, not just pick some random body and parade it around Rome, telling the people that it was Spartacus? The answer is that too many people had actually seen the real Spartacus as a gladiator. And so the inability to locate his body when it was all over is very intriguing. 



UPDATE (AND SPOILER ALERT ON THE FINAL EPISODE IN CASE YOU HAVEN'T YET SEEN IT):
Victory was a terrific final episode to both this season and a fitting conclusion to a terrific series. They did write into the series the fact that the dead body of Spartacus was never found. Spartacus did defeat Crassus and Crassus will always
know it. Caesar will always know he couldn't beat Gannicus in open combat. And Spartacus did achieve his victory, to die a free man. Thank you, Starz for a wonderful and thoughtful series.

LET'S HOPE STARZ DOES SPINOFF TO A JULIUS CAESAR SERIES!







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