Commodus was a Roman emperor, and just along his bust (“The Bust of Commodus”), it was designed to be sculpted to give off the appearance of masculinity and dominance, as he wanted to be seen as Hercules. The sculpture has Commodus holding fruits with his left hand, while a club in his right hand, resting on his shoulder (Which the club representing gladiator matches he would partake in, or the other killings he has done. While the fruits could mean the “giving” he thought he had done as being a Roman emperor). Along with wearing a headpiece that resembles a lion (which also represents power and/or strength). I viewed it as Commodus abusing the power he had and getting the respect he thought he deserved and becoming egoistic. However, with the brutal pain he brought when he was an emperor, as based on the Lampridius’s biography “Historia Augusta”, Commodus was sinister and conceited and in the biography stated that for his amusement he would have cut open someone who was obese, down the middle of his belly; This is so that his intestines would fall out and Commodus put a starling on the head of a man who had a few white hairs which resembled worms and it caused his head to fester through the continual pecking of the bird’s beak. Commodus would slaughter thousands just for his own entertainment. Killing thousands of innocent civilian lives to show that he was superior and almighty to his empire. In the final analysis, the view of the bust is different than I first thought of it to be, Commodus led his life to be violent and destructive to the whoever went against him or questioned his authority.
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Jeron Ryan: How Evil was Commodus
Commodus as expressed in the Historia of Augusta was a highly offensive, morally debased individual. In the biography he is depicted as an emperor who abused his power. In the bust of Commodus, he is shown with what appears to be a club in his right hand, along with fruits (probably apples) in his left hand. Commodus was a very violent person and thoroughly enjoyed observing and take part in gladiator matches. This might be why he has the weapon in his right hand. Also, in the bust, Commodus has the remains of a lion on top of his head with the lion’s paws wrapped around his shoulders. I believe that this was done to portray a level of fierceness, power, and respect. Besides being an extremely vile individual, Commodus seemed to be very narcissistic and absorbed with himself. He really wanted to be seen as Hercules and also had the names of months changed in order to honor himself. I also gather the sense that Commodus was an extremely sadistic person. In the biography is says that he placed a starling on top of the head of a man that he noticed had a few white hairs amongst the black which resembled worms. This in turn caused the bird to continually peck at the man’s head, causing much pain and discomfort. Commodus’ bust also has a defined, muscular build, demonstrating strength and authority. This bust commemorates one of the many emperors whom abused their position of power.
Codey Lorenzana HW1: Commodus
Commodus is an interesting figure to say the least. Not because of anything great he did but because of the constant insanities he took part in. From the biography it is made apparent that he is nothing short of a sociopath who delights in the humiliation of others and takes pride in himself. Such can be seen as he binds men who can hardly walk and has them slither as it makes him feel tall to which he would kill them. His torturing of others wouldn’t end there as he would kill and maim people for fun; either playing surgeon or because he didn’t like them. Curiously part of the evils he did involved defiling other religious practices or killing followers of other gods. Additionally he had people see him as great and above everyone. Relating the text to the statue of him it would seem that his ego was on full display as he would make a habit of putting his name amongst great figures while switching it with heroes like Hercules. From what can be inferred by his past habits, he believed himself divine wanting to be the only one worshipped as such and resorted to making a mockery of other followings. Commodus was a truly evil man and I am lead to believe that the statues he had built of himself were to have you think him grand and heroic otherwise.
How Evil Was Commodus?
Who is Commodus Antoninus? Commodus was the youngest Roman emperor that took his father Marcus Aurelius’s place. Commodus was born on August 31, 161 AD and assassinated on December 31,192 AD. Due to his power and personality, he was given a title as God. Also, Commodus change the name of Rome to Komoti Anna, the Universal colony of the earth. Commodus had no fear in him. However, for someone to have a power or becoming a leader doesn’t mean that they could be a positive person. If I described Commodus, I would say that he is evil, disgusting, selfish, and corruption. He was so evil that many people were waiting for his death.
One of the examples heinous act that was created by Commodus is. He shot hundreds of animals with his arrows because they considered being useless to him. The second example, according to the passage The Life of Commodus on page 291 “He put a starling on the head of one man who, as he noticed, had a few white hairs, resembling worms, among the black, and caused his head to fester through the continual pecking of the bird’s beak – the bird, of course, imagining that it was pursuing worms.” The third example, handsome men would be put to death. Also, according to the same passage, “He often mixed human excrement with the most expensive foods, and he did not refrain from tasting them, mocking the rest of the company, as he thought.” Tell me if all the examples above aren’t crazy. He has killed thousands of people for no reason and sacrificing people’s lives. Even the statue built for him provides some details that show people that he has power. For example, his left hand is full of fruits, and his right hand, he is holding a weapon. As we know, a lion or tiger is recognized as power, and for that, the statue has a lion on top of his head used to represent as a crowned. All he cared about to show people his power but didn’t have any sympathy for the innocent people that he has killed.
How Evil Was Commodus?
Commodus was obsessed with Hercules for, “He allowed statues of himself to be erected with the accouterments of Hercules;” . This obsession led him to act out of cruelty for he wanted power. His efforts to gain power consisted of disgracing and slaughtering others as well as torturing others for his own amusement. For example, “he put a starling on the head of one man who, as he noticed, had a few white hairs, resembling worms, among the black, and caused his head to fester through the continual pecking of the bird’s beak”. Commodus was an evil man that believed through his obsession of Hercules, that he was like a god. He had sacrifices done in his name and he sought out to execute a number of men to show his status. This obsession also led to questionable sexual acts, as he had in his company men that were named after both female and male sexual parts and he would give them kisses. He also forced people to complete embarrassing and demoralizing acts while naked. Such as when he made Julianus dance naked in front of others while “clashing cymbals”. These numerous acts of cruelty show just how evil Commodus was.
Taylor B:How Evil was Commodus?
Commodus’ obsession with Hercules, reveals his thirst for power and obsession with authority. In many pieces of art the lion is shown as regal, powerful and a creature that demands respect and the fact that Commodus’ bust has the skin of a lion draped over it shows that he has conquered power and respect. The club he wields in his hand demonstrates the brutality with which he will wield his power as told in the Life of Commodus, “In his passion for cruelty he actually ordered the votaries of Bellona to cut off one of their arms, and as for the devotees of Isis, he forced them to beat their breasts with pine-cones even to the point of death.”(289). His thirst for blood was also fueled by his brutality by participating in some 700 gladiatorial bouts. Apart from his brutality, Commodus also believed himself to be the reincarnation of Hercules, as shown by the golden apples in his hand. Commodus renamed months after himself, Hercules and those that “flattered” him. In respect to the awful and barbaric things Commodus has done under his reign, it’s surprising that any works with his face still exist, the stories told about his reign would surely have made people want to erase his mark from history.
Kate Chand: How Evil Was Commodus?
After reading section 9-11 of the Historia Augusta:The Life of Commodus, I strongly believe that Commodus was a vile human being. According to these sections, he participated in gladiatorial combats 735 times where months were renamed, sacrifices were made, and statues would go up in his honour. But, he had committed such treacherous and evil doings to people and as well as to himself. He would kill someone in the most brutal way whether it was a beating or poison, gave people food mixed with excrement, and disrespected his own Greek Gods by committing adulteries in the temple and entered it with human blood, and etc. This shows me that this man should not even be honored at all and especially to be compared or depicted as the great Hercules himself. In the Bust of Commodus, he wears a Lion headdress where the paws are wrapped around him and seemed to be carrying a weapon of some sort with some miscellaneous items with a sort of solemn expression on his face. I think that this statue does not express the true essence of Commodus since he lived such a iniquitous life. Even though he was admired because of his gladiatorial battles, I think that people should’ve seen past his accomplishments and into his true and immoral self where he committed many sins no one will forget nor forgive.
Anjie S: How Evil was Commodus?
The Bust of Commodus as Hercules portrait portrays Commodus as a very powerful and authoritative figure. His head and chest are encompassed with the skin of a lion perhaps as a symbol of protection by such a fierce animal. He has a club in his hand that was most likely used to scold or reprimand those who did not abide by his rule. In his left hand he has some golden apples which symbolize immortality. This is especially significant because Commodus thought he was the reincarnated Hercules, a divine Roman hero who was also the son of Zeus. Upon reading Lampridus's biography, I learned that Commodus wasn't at all what he was portrayed to be. He was a very vile man that abused his power and went on senseless killing sprees. He was a complete lunatic who even went as far as renaming certain months such as September to Hercules and insisting that his flatterers refer to them as their new names. The biography even stated "Even as a  child he was gluttonous and lewd. While a youth, he disgraced every class of men in his company and was disgraced in turn by them. Whosoever ridiculed him he cast to the wild beasts." It is clear that violence and anger took over Commodus's life and spoke to his soul.He thrived on being destructive.
HW#1
    The Bust of Commodus as Hercules is showing how Commodus wanted power. On the sculpture, Commodus is covered by lion skin. There is a mace on his right hand and some fruits on his left. And the sculpture was finely sculpted muscle texture. Symbols of power are everywhere. According to “the Life of Commodus in Lampridius’s biography Historia Augusta”, shows how Commodus did every sort of evil thing. He got the fund for gaming but lying to people. In Section 10, “For example, he put a starling on the head of one man who, as he noticed, had a few white hairs, resembling worms, among the black, and caused his head to fester through the continual pecking of the bird’s beak — the bird, of course, imagining that it was pursuing worms. One corpulent person, he cut open down the middle of his belly, so that his intestines gushed forth.” He arbitrarily killed people. He was vicious and didn’t care about people’s life. Therefore, Commodus grew weary of the emperor’s work and suspected the upper classes of plotting against him. He asked the prefect of the guards to take care of his affairs. But He indulged in hunting and recreation and was quite keen on gladiatorial activities. I think that the twilight of Commodus’s reign was the prelude to the fall of the Roman empire.
Doma G: How Evil was Commodus?
The sculpture below is known as The Bust of Commodus as Hercules. Commodus was a Roman Emperor who was known for his passion for gladiatorial games. When I look at this sculpture, I see power and authority. Commodus is holding an item that looks like a baton in one hand and some apples in the other. He also has a headpiece that resembles a lion and his upper body looks muscular. After reading sections 9-11 of the Life of Commodus in Lampridius’s biography Historia Augusta, I realized Commodus wasn’t who I thought he was. Based off the readings, I would describe him as a greedy, selfish, crazy person. Section 9 starts off with, “He pretended once that he was going to Africa, so that he could get funds for the journey, then got them and spent them on banquets and gaming instead.” Doing something like this is pathetic and awful. He lied about traveling so he can use the money on gaming and banquets instead. But it gets worse. In section 10 it states, “Whosoever ridiculed him he cast to the wild beasts.”. He was the type of person that only thought of violence as the only solution. He has killed many people for the littlest reasons. Commodus was very destructive and someone who I would never want to be around. His behavior is unacceptable and it is shown that he was like this ever since he was young. After reading the sections and seeing the sculpture, I can tell that the item in his hand is a club that he used to strike people while he was wearing woman’s garment or lion’s skin. Now I view the sculpture differently. All in all, Commodus was a nasty emperor and a super evil person.
