There are many similarities between the gladiators of ancient Rome and the tributes of The Hunger Games. First, the whole idea of tributes and gladiators are similar. The gladiators were fighting for the entertainment of the Roman Empire and the tributes fought for the entertainment of the Capitol. There were also two types of gladiators. The first is a slave gladiator, who is forcibly taken from his home by the Romans and made to fight in the arena. The second is a career gladiator who chooses to fight in order to earn fame and wealth. Similar to the two types of tributes, those who volunteer and those who do not. In The Hunger Games, the citizens of the districts have the opportunity to volunteer to enter the arena, however they often do not. Typically, those who volunteer have been bred and trained by their district to be killing machines and stand much better chances in the arena, like the career gladiators who train their whole lives to be fighters in the arena.

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The idea of “panem et circenses” in The Hunger Games is taken directly from ancient Roman culture. “Panem et circenses” is Latin for “bread and circuses.” The Roman government would use this ideology to appease the citizens of the empire. The idea was to give gifts and entertainment to the people in order to keep them happy. This idea is also present in The Hunger Games. The Capitol televises The Hunger Games every year for the entire nation to see. The citizens of the Capitol are entertained by the games and love to watch the fights. However, the games have the opposite effect on the districts. The government uses the games to subdue the districts and discourage them from attempting another uprising.

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