Roman history of the Catilinarian conspiracy and the film’s inspiration are explained

Warning: Contains spoilers for Megalopolis!

Francis Ford Coppola megalopolis Partly inspired by the Catilinarian Conspiracy, a real historical event in ancient Rome. The 2024 sci-fi epic is a passion project of the legendary director, who finally self-financed the movie after decades of turmoil. megalopolis Explores the desire of Caesar Catiline (Adam Driver) to create a utopia known as Megalopolis in what he sees as the crumbling civilization of New Rome. Whether from New Rome Mayor Franklin Cicero (Giancarlo Esposito) or Caesar’s cousin Claudio Pulcher (Shia LaBeouf), his dream faces plenty of opposition.

Roman influence on megalopolis This is clear from the very beginning of Francis Ford Coppola’s film, and it doesn’t disappear as it goes on. The movie is heavily tied to Rome, whether its characters are named after notable figures in Roman history, the costumes are similarly made, or the futuristic America takes on the name New Rome. A comparison that isn’t directly made in the movie is between megalopolis‘ Completion and the Catilinarian Conspiracy. The true story of this incident greatly inspired Coppola’s narrative.

The True Story of Rome’s Catilinarian Conspiracy

A Roman revolt from 63 BC

The Catilinarian Conspiracy is the name given to an event in ancient Rome in 63 BC in which a politician attempted to overthrow the then current leaders. The man who started the movement was Lucius Sergius CatilineAlso known as Cataline. He had spent the previous years trying to secure a place in the consulate but was repeatedly rejected despite his close alignment with several figureheads. This led Catalin to form a plot to overthrow the consulship, specifically targeting Marcus Tullius Cicero and Gaius Antonius Hybrida. Cataline recruited several former politicians early on in his cause.

Catalina’s plans for a coup that would end her in power gained steam early on, and it was not until late 63 BC that Cicero and his allies learned of her plans from a letter from Marcus Licinius Crassus. this Attempted assassination of Cicero in November 63 BCAnd Catalina was forced to flee the city. Cicero’s power increased during this time, executing without trial citizens who were believed to be affiliated with Catalin. He was able to do so to declare the Senate Senate advice is final.

Cicero’s execution marked the end of the Catalinarian conspiracy. They led to a decline in support for Catalin’s cause in early 62 BC and a final battle between the opposing powers. Catalina dies in battleAs Cicero’s co-consul Antonius led the Roman army to victory. The end result initially brought Cicero great praise for protecting the state, but not everyone was pleased with the extent to which he went to do so. It even led Publius Claudius Pulcher to enact a law that forced Cicero to flee for a short time after the Catalinarian Conspiracy ended.

Did Julius Caesar have a role in the Catilinarian Conspiracy?

Julius Caesar is a partial inspiration for Adam Driver’s Caesar Catiline

As Adam Driver megalopolis An obvious stand-in for Catalin thanks to his last name, but changing his name to Caesar is also notable considering the history of the Roman emperor Julius Caesar. Although The most significant event in Caesar’s life occurred after the end of the Catalinarian ConspiracyThe incident still played a role in his continued rise to power. At one point, Cicero and his consul asked members of the Senate to consider what should happen to some of the prisoners. They all voted for the death penalty, except the then praetor-elect Julius Caesar.

Caesar proposed that criminals should be sentenced to life in prisonwhich was illegal without first being tried. Nevertheless, many other politicians initially preferred the suggestion of non-lethal punishment, which was seen as more lenient than the death penalty. It was only after he shared his thoughts that Cato the Younger returned to the Senate in favor of an alternative to the death penalty. Cato even had a suggestion that Caesar was working with Catalin. Although some scholars support the idea of ​​Caesar supporting Catalin in various ways, they do not believe this extended to aiding the conspiracy.

How Megalopolis copied the events of the Catilinarian conspiracy

Several key events are similar

Francis Ford Coppola did not cite the actual Catilinarian conspiracy as inspiration megalopolisBut the similarities are many and obvious. The movie is ultimately about the power struggle in New Rome and the various factions competing for leadership positions. Cicero is once again the protagonist of the story who is seen as someone who should be overthrown, just as he was in the Catalinarian Conspiracy. Meanwhile, It is Caesar Catiline who initially opposes Cicero and seeks to assert its views for the world on the entire population.

The battle of ideas between Caesar and Cicero is much less combative megalopolis was more in the conspiracy than Cicero and Catiline. Still, the film retains a part of their history, as Caesar was accused of multiple crimes and Cicero played a key role in the final verdict. The main coup de grace in Coppola’s movie comes from Waugh Platinum and Claudio Pulcher. Hamilton tries to become Crassus III’s fortune and leader of the bank. It helps to keep a rather original element of the true story of the conspiracy as part of the narrative.

Major difference of Megalopolis from Catilinarian conspiracy

Francis Ford Coppola’s movie does not follow history accurately

from megalopolis Inspired only by the events of the Catilinarian conspiracy, rather than a direct adaptation of historical events, there are also several key differences. These extend beyond the movie’s obvious futuristic setting differences. One of the biggest changes came down to the fortunes of Caesar Catiline. When the real Catalina dies because of Cicero’s opposition, Caesar lived to the end megalopolis. Not only does he win, but he effectively wins the “war” with Cicero as Megalopolis is opened to the public and strife is set aside so that their families can live together in harmony.

Another notable change is the role of assassination attempts. megalopolis Makes Caesar the one who is almost killed by assassination instead of Cicero. In the third act Caesar is shot by a young child and he only survives thanks to Megalon’s rare powers. Cicero’s life is not attempted in the movie. Furthermore, it is Claudio’s faction that is behind the assassination attempt on Caesar.

from megalopolis‘ As the ending diverges from the actual Catilinarian intrigue of who wins and who loses, it is not surprising that many of the characters’ fates and roles differ from their real-life counterparts outside of Caesar. Plodio’s supporters eventually turned against him and hanged him upside down while he was still alive, potentially leading to his death despite Plodias surviving the plot. Hamilton’s turn to help Caesar fund Megalopolis is also significantly different from Crassus III’s Rather than being one to help expose the coup attempt. In addition, Julia plays a major role megalopolis Despite no significant involvement of Catalina’s wife or Cicero’s daughter.