Traditional Masculinity - A look at Rome.

There are different stereotypes that are used in TV dramas and also films to represent traditional masculinity, these include:

The guy that jokes around a lot and is popular with his friends because of it.

The jock type of guy who is strong and leads the team. He's liked by his friends and also the girls.

The strong silent type who is quieter and not as lairy as the two previous guys but who still gets a fair amount of attention, usually for being strong and clever.

There are others such as the stupid guy, who nobody really takes seriously or thinks of much, but is there as part of the group.

In this clip from Rome, I think it is evident which characters fall into which of the stereotyped groups.

This character is obviously the leader and fits into the action hero/jock type of group. He's a man who asserts his authority and gets results, and we can see this as he leads the soldiers into war and takes command over them.

 

In this clip above, even though the man is in an awful situation, you can still tell he is probably the joker of the pack/the strong silent type. Throughout his torture he doesn't make a sound (this shows he doesn't want to be seen as weak, particularly in front of the other men - a classic sign of stereotyped 'alpha' males) until they are finished, to which he says "Is that it? I was just beginning to enjoy myself" which still shows his personality, even through the trauma.