The Aragorn of Rome
In the Lord of the Rings trilogy my favourite character was Aragorn, the ranger from the north descended from the kings of former times, a man who is brave, noble, and loyal. In the recent movies, he was wonderfully portrayed by Viggo Mortensen, who brought Aragorn to life in full.
I have been watching season one of ROME this week, and feel about Lucius Vorenus much as I do about Aragorn. Kevin McKidd ably plays Vorenus as a man who is out of his time in many ways. His bravery is not in doubt, a heroic soldier in the 13th Legion. His also loyal, to his leader, to Rome, and mostly to his old friend Titus Pullo. Deeply moral, he is often conflicted about things in the deeply immoral world he lives in. Vorenus' character often gets him into trouble, as his behaviour is often at odds with the culture.
Both Aragorn and Vorenus remind me of the things I aspired to as a young man and try to live up to today. A passion for justice, and compassion for others. A sense of duty, and doing one's duty. Beliefs that are worth fighting for, and the courage to do so. Both characters seem to me to be striving to do as Paul exhorted the Philippians (chapter 4, verse 8): "Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things."
(By the way, I highly recommend the Rings movies and ROME, the latter despite its coarse language and nudity. It feels like a very realistic re-creation, and its strong story, interesting characters, and layers of plot draw you in to this complex, sophisticated, and depraved Roman society.)
I have been watching season one of ROME this week, and feel about Lucius Vorenus much as I do about Aragorn. Kevin McKidd ably plays Vorenus as a man who is out of his time in many ways. His bravery is not in doubt, a heroic soldier in the 13th Legion. His also loyal, to his leader, to Rome, and mostly to his old friend Titus Pullo. Deeply moral, he is often conflicted about things in the deeply immoral world he lives in. Vorenus' character often gets him into trouble, as his behaviour is often at odds with the culture.
Both Aragorn and Vorenus remind me of the things I aspired to as a young man and try to live up to today. A passion for justice, and compassion for others. A sense of duty, and doing one's duty. Beliefs that are worth fighting for, and the courage to do so. Both characters seem to me to be striving to do as Paul exhorted the Philippians (chapter 4, verse 8): "Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things."
(By the way, I highly recommend the Rings movies and ROME, the latter despite its coarse language and nudity. It feels like a very realistic re-creation, and its strong story, interesting characters, and layers of plot draw you in to this complex, sophisticated, and depraved Roman society.)
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