Rome on Screen: How Film and TV Shape Our Understanding of Ancient Women

For most, our image of figures from ancient Rome isn’t built on scholarly texts, but on fictional portrayals in literature, cinema, and television. These depictions, while entertaining, often rely on established tropes and can significantly shape public perception. From Elizabeth Taylor’s Cleopatra to more recent series like Domina, the way Roman women are presented on screen is rarely innocent, and often reflects contemporary values and anxieties.

The Enduring Power of Archetypes

Cinema has been drawn to Roman stories since the early 20th century, with a 1910 film about the abduction of the Sabine women marking an early example. Historically, these adaptations often uncritically borrowed from ancient sources, using them as a backdrop for contemporary moral lessons about “great” and “evil” women. This tendency has created powerful archetypes that persist even today.

The Demonization of Powerful Women

Characters like Messalina have frequently suffered from negative portrayals. The depiction of Livia Drusilla, the wife of Augustus, as a manipulative and murderous figure, popularized by Tacitus and later by Robert Graves’s I, Claudius and its 1976 BBC adaptation starring Sian Phillips, is a prime example. These portrayals often present powerful women as threats to the established order, nymphomaniacs, or both. The 1922, 1951 (with Maria Felix), and 1960 (with Belinda Lee) film versions of Messalina’s story, along with numerous paintings of her death, reinforced the narrative of a woman deserving of punishment for transgressing societal norms.

Rome as a “Pornotopia”

The classical world, and Rome in particular, has also functioned as a space for exploring modern sexual fantasies. Films like Tinto Brass’s Caligula (1979) and Caligula and Messalina (1981), as well as lighter comedies, utilized Rome as a “pornotopia,” a setting where modern desires could be freely expressed. Conversely, the peplum genre often presented Roman women as needing rescue by strong, male heroes, reinforcing traditional gender roles.

A Recent Reboot and Shifting Representations

Interest in Roman cinema experienced a resurgence with Gladiator (2000), followed by series like Rome (2005) and Spartacus (2010). While these productions brought more “anonymous” women to the screen – no longer solely slaves or Christian ladies in distress – they also introduced matrons with greater agency, though often still within sensationalized contexts.

The Rise of Female Protagonists

More recently, series like Domina (2021-2023), which focuses on the life of Livia Drusilla, have attempted to challenge traditional narratives. Similarly, the series Romulus (2020-2022) gave a prominent role to Romulus’s wife, Ilia, expanding beyond classical sources. However, opportunities for nuanced portrayals of powerful women remain, as evidenced by the missed potential for a more complex depiction of Artemisia of Caria in a 300 sequel or the absence of Fulvia in the series Rome.

The Enduring Masculine Gaze

Despite these shifts, the representation of Rome on screen remains largely shaped by a masculine perspective. Even in films like Gladiator, the wives of the protagonists often lack even names, and their stories are secondary to those of the male leads. The recent social media trend “How often do you think about the Roman Empire?” further exemplifies this, with its representations continuing to be predominantly masculine.

As we look to future productions, such as Nolan’s upcoming Odyssey, it remains to be seen whether Greek and Roman women will finally accept center stage, moving beyond the roles of tropes, villains, or simply being objects of desire.