Upward Mobility in the House of Batiatus
Upward Mobility in the House of Batiatus
This chapter considers the depiction of the ambitious, ruthless couple Batiatus and Lucretia and their scheming aspirations to turn their ludus into the foremost gladiator spectacle business in Capua. Although their plans for upward mobility utilize violence, sexual manipulation, and multiple murders, the chapter claims that this does not diminish the characters' appeal to viewers, due to a pair of robust and sympathetic performances by the actors who play them. This chapter argues that the series successfully uses visual and narrative strategies to do something innovative within both the epic cinematic tradition and the Spartacus reception tradition: STARZ Spartacus invites the audience to transfer their allegiance away from the Roman elite and the rebel slaves, and identify with the cunning bourgeois boot-strappers at the head of the House of Batiatus.
Keywords: House of Batiatus, Batiatus, Lucretia, gladiator spectacle business, upward mobility, visual and narrative strategies
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