Social Dynamics and Liminal Spaces

Abstract

This chapter focuses on those liminal spaces that highlight the power struggles of the series' main characters. Spartacus, the titular character of the series and the face of the struggle to escape Roman servitude, exists in a liminal space for the duration of the series, since he is always shown to be in-between worlds. Hence, this chapter examines the obvious liminality of concrete physical thresholds, such as cliffs and balconies, and then moves on to spaces that function as gateways to change while being physically more self-enclosed. These spaces in-between and at the margins, as this chapter shows, reveal and facilitate acts of transgression, transformation, and resistance. Such liminal spaces ultimately reflect Spartacus' own journey, as he finds himself in spaces of transition and transformation, with each place presenting special challenges.