The 'Gladiator' Synopsis
Posted by Chuck
I always tell people that if they're confused as to how a novel synopsis
should look, simply go to Wikipedia. Search any movie made in the last five years and the first thing on the page is the long "Plot" section, which is essentially a front-to-back synopsis. A lot of them are too long; a lot of them are poorly written; but some are good, and you will get a sense of how they work. Or—you could just let find good ones for you and edit them a bit.
This time it's Gladiator. A story like this is big and bold, so you have to keep it moving. You can't spend too much time detailing historical locations or anything like that. Garden variety example: Before Maximus meets Commodus in the Colosseum, he is reenacting a specific battle from the past. Does this detail matter? No—at least not when you're worried about word count. Also notice how the synopsis starts with a short paragraph telling about the hook—this is acceptable.
With this synopsis, I've posted examples of a young adult story (Bill & Ted), a middle-grade adventure (Flight of the Navigator), a thriller (Proof of Life), women's fiction (Peggy Sue Got Married), science fiction (Starman), fantasy (Dragonslayer), mainstream fiction (Witness), and historical/epic (Gladiator). You can see all posted synopsis examples by clicking on the "Synopsis Writing" category on the left-hand side of this page.
Gladiator is the story of Maximus, a general who became a slave, a slave who became a gladiator, a gladiator who defied an emperor.
MAXIMUS, a general in the Roman Army, leads his soldiers to victory against Germanic barbarians in the year 180 AD, thus ending a prolonged war, and earning the esteem of elderly emperor MARCUS AURELIUS. Because Maximus is a respected man of simple morals, the dying Aurelius decides to appoint him as the new leader of Rome, and transition the empire into a true Republic. Maximus first declines the offer ("With all my heart, no") but agrees to consider it.
The decision to appoint Maximus is not taken lightly by the Emporer's ambitious son, COMMODUS, who feels passed over and unappreciated. Commodus smothers his father in a bout of jealousy. Recognizing foulplay in his emporer's death, Maximus refuses to pledge loyalty to Commodus, who has declared himself "the new ruler of Rome." As punishment for disloyalty, Maximus is set for execution, and told his wife and son back in Hispania (modern day Spain) will be killed, as well. In the woods, Maximus escapes his captors then races across Europe on horse, only to discover his wife and son crucified in the smoldering ruins of his home. After burying them, he succumbs to exhaustion and collapses. Upon awakening days later, he finds himself in the custody of slave traders en route to North Africa.
Far from his military brethren, Maximus is mistaken as a common deserter, and is purchased by PROXIMO, the head of a gladiator school. Though he initially refuses to fight, Maximus—known only as "The Spaniard"—finally defends himself in the arena, and does so quite well. His formidable combat skills lead to popularity with audiences and fighters alike. He soon finds himself on the road back to Rome, as the new emporer Commodus has reopened the gladiatorial games to pay tribute to his dead father.
During the games, Maximus leads the gladiators to a decisive victory. Impressed, Commodus meets with "The Spaniard" on the floor of the Colosseum, and, to his horror, discovers not only is Maximus still alive, but is all-consumed by revenge. The Emperor, unable to kill Maximus because of the crowd's approval for him, pits him in several weighted battles, but Maximus continues to win—and defy Rome's new leader. Maximus seeks help from the emporer's sister, LUCILLA, with whom he had a romance years ago. A bold escape plan is formed, with the plan for Maximus to reunite with his troops then return to Rome and overthrow Commodus. The escape goes awry, however, as Proximo and other gladiators are killed, while Maximus is arrested at the city walls by a legion of Praetorian guards.
To unconditionally show his power and strength, Commodus challenges Maximus to a duel in front of a full audience in the Colosseum. Acknowledging that Maximus's skill exceeds his own, Commodus stabs him with a stiletto before the battle and has the wound concealed. In the arena, the two exchange blows before Commodus is finally slain. The dying Maximus's last words are instructions to free his fellow gladiators and restore Rome to a Senate-based government ("This was the last wish of a dying man"). Maximus dies, and a coalition of gladiators, soldiers and senators carry his body out of the Colosseum. Maximus arrives in the afterlife, seeing his home in Hispania, with his wife and son alive and excited at his safe return.
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Saturday, November 28, 2009 5:13:19 PM (Eastern Standard Time, UTC-05:00) 
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