Spartacus in the Television Arena: Essays on the Starz Series

Spartacus, the Thracian gladiator turned rebel leader, endures as a near-mythic hero who fought for the oppressed against a Roman oligarchy built on the backs of slave labor. The image of Spartacus as a noble if doomed avenger is familiar and his story has been retold through history as a cautionary tale about social injustice.

The television series Spartacus takes a different view, with a violent depiction of the man and his times and a focus on the archetype of the gladiator--powerful, c...