... security of the crowd facilitated this, and the impression of direct communication was perhaps of more importance than the actual communication. The arena was a place of justice, where people saw criminals executed and social order established, and Romans had an interactive part to play; "The spectators demand that the slayer shall face the man who is to slay him in his turn; and they always reserve the latest conqueror for another butchering. The outcome of every fight is death," Seneca (Epistle VII). To the people, it was an actual and symbolic restitution of a society in peril, civilization triumphed over barbarians, and wild beasts. Spectators could virtually decide on the fate of gladiators in the arena, and it was a foolhardy Emperor who ignored the wishes of the people; "As patron of the games and the most conspicuous member there, it was the emperor who made the final decision, although it often ...

See this essay or coursework document in full right now