As I mentioned before in my review of The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins, The Hunger Games is really one huge allusion to the Roman Empire.  For those of you who don’t know what an allusion is, Dictionary.com defines allusion as “a passing or casual reference; an incidental mention of something, either directly or by implication.”  There are a lot of allusions in The Hunger Games, but I have always been fascinated by Roman history, so now I will attempt to go into more detail about all of the allusions to the Roman Empire I found in the trilogy.

1.  The Games themselves.

The Roman Colosseum as we know it was started by the emperor Vespasian and finished by his son Titus Flavius in 80 A.D.  It soon became popular for its spectacular gladiatorial games, animal fights and even its mock sea battles when they would actually flood the arena and bring in ships.  All these things were meant for the public’s viewing pleasure and they served to raise the popularity of the emperors.  The Games that the Capitol holds every year serve as entertainment as well, but also publicly demonstrate its power over the districts.  The Hunger Games are every bit as brutal and inventive as the gladiatorial games. Continue reading →