Sex, Lies and Denarii: Wealth and Exploitation in Starz’s Spartacus

This paper analyzes the overt display of wealth and power on the part of the Romans in the Starz series Spartacus (Blood and Sand; Gods of the Arena; Vengeance; War of the Damned) and how this wealth facilitates political, social and sexual inequality. At its core, Spartacus is a tale of the immoral and wicked relationship between money and control, especially control over other people. The series consistently emphasizes that the Roman political and social structure is dependent upon and perpetuated by the ruthless subjugation of others—including other Romans, but especially their slaves. This subjugation is shockingly demonstrated through the various means of Roman exploitation, both physical (in the form of simple ownership of slaves and forced gladiatorial combat) but more importantly, sexual (which ranges from nudity and

“simple” voyeurism to rape and torture).

Spartacus makes an explicit connection between Roman wealth and (sexual) immorality in that as the former increases, so too does the latter. For example, the higher the lanista,

Batiatus, and his wife, Lucretia, move up the social and economic ladder, the more extravagant their sexual desires become. Indeed at one point both husband and wife are each being sexually pleasured by their own nude female slave. Even more exploitative, and still done in the service of politics and money, is the incident where, despite her misgivings, Lucretia allows two powerful

Romans, Vettius and his companion Cossutius, to choose a virgin slave of their choice to be brutally raped. This connection between wealth and immorality is made even more evident by the lack of such a relationship among the poor and powerless slaves, whose relationships are portrayed as purer, more genuine and nothing like the exploitative sadism of the rich Romans.

With few exceptions, the relationships between the slaves, from Spartacus and his (deceased) wife, Sura to Barca and Pietros, are depicted as ones of equality, love and genuine caring. Starz’s Spartacus is not necessarily unique in this portrayal and use of Roman sexuality.

Similar portrayals can be found in numerous productions about Rome on both the big and small screen, from Stanley Kubrick’s Spartacus to Ridley Scott’s Gladiator, to HBO’s Rome.

Typically, the visually easiest and most effective way these productions vilify the Romans is through the display of “deviant” sexuality. Classic examples include the then-scandalous “Snails and Oysters” scene from Kubric’s Spartacus or the chaotic orgies of the 1979 Caligula. As

Stacie Raucci has observed, audiences have come to expect decadent, sexualized Romans

(Raucci: 2013). Likewise, Anise Strong has argued that Romans typically are not just portrayed as overly sexual, but as deviant in their desires, which typically take on incestuous overtones and highlight Roman decadence (Strong: 2008). This current paper attempts to elaborate on these points by arguing that the Spartacus series confirms these notions of sexualized deviance and that it explicitly links these negative desires to the exploitative nature of Roman wealth and political power, while conveniently contrasting them with the “wholesome” monogamy of poor slaves.

Works Cited

Raucci, Stacie (2013). “The Order of Orgies: Sex and the Cinematic Roman.” In Monica S.

Cyrino (ed.), Screening Love and Sex in the Ancient World. New York: Palgrave

Macmillan, 143-155.

Strong, Anise K. (2008). “Vice is Nice: Rome and Deviant Sexuality.” In Monica S. Cyrino (ed.),

Rome, Season One: History Makes Television. Malden, MA: Blackwell Publishing, 219-

231.