This study aims to determine the characterization of Maximus in the film The Gladiator and the characteristics of masculinity in the film The Gladiator. This study focuses on the main character Maximus who has masculinity characteristics in the film The Gladiator. It explains and analyzes the characterization of Maximus using Edward Jones's theory of characterization and the characteristics that Maximus describes which represent the concept of masculinity using Janet Saltzman Chafetz's concept.
This study used a descriptive qualitative method. Some steps were used to collect the data were reading a novel, identifying the data, classifying the data, and reducing the data.
This study finds the masculinity and characteristics of the main character Maximus. Based on the references used in this study, Maximus' characterization can be found in five ways, namely characterization through appearance, characterization through dialogue, characterization through external action, characterization through internal action, and characterization through reactions of other characters. Maximus also has six of the seven characteristics of masculinity, namely physical, male function, sexually aggressive, emotional, interpersonal, and other personal.
Keywords: Characterization, Masculinity, The Gladiator