American Rhetoric: Movie Speech

"Gladiator" (2000)

Proximo Addresses his Gladiators before First Battle

Audio mp3 delivered by Oliver Reed

 

Some of you are thinking you won't fight; some, that you can't fight.

They all say that until they're out there.

Listen. [crowd - now chanting, now cheering]

Thrust this [sword] into another man's flesh, and they will  applaud and love you for that.

You? You may begin to love them -- for that.

Ultimately, we're all dead men. Sadly, we can not choose how.

But, we can decide how we meet that end in order that we are remembered as men.