In Spartacus, director Stanley Kubrick and music director Alex North use sound, including music, sound effects and dialogue, in the historical drama Spartacus to emphasize the types of romance the characters offer. Gladiator and slave revolt leader Spartacus (Kirk Douglas) and house slave Varinia (Jean Simmons) live and love each other outside of their confinements to produce a rich relationship that is synonymous with the strength of the legacy of Spartacus. The jealous and lonely Crassus (Laurence Olivier) attempts to quell Spartacus's influence as leader of the Third Servile War and exemplary lover by killing the gladiator and purchasing Varinia to make her his wife. Roman general successfully ends Third Servile War of 1st century BC Rome; nevertheless, he has a lackluster love life and the legend of Spartacus will continually haunt him. Through two sequences which begin respectively with "Spartacus Love Theme" and "Oysters and Snails", North uses irony to contrast the love of a Thracian slave with that of a rich Roman; the film's sharp music reveals that those who are financially wealthy and influential may lack some of life's basic pleasures. Say no to plagiarism. Get a custom essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”?Get the original essayNorth's arrangements mock a wealthy slave owner's quest for something a slave owns, and they highlight the irony of the dominant relationship between Varinia and Spartacus. Varinia and Spartacus share a bond that North makes audible through “Spartacus Love Theme”. The melody presents the audience with a warm feeling of home and provides a sense of peace that is synonymous with romantic relationship, especially during their bondage. “Spartacus Love Theme,” allowing the audience to intimately see the relationship between Varinia and Spartacus, suggests a defiance of any obstacle that attempts to come between their relationship. Unlike the specific aura of Varinia and Spartacus's interactions propelled by "Spartacus Love Theme", North composes a melody that expresses Crassus' sexual intentions with Varinia "Oysters and Snails". The melody itself has a provocative vibe that frequently uses the sound you would imagine to accompany someone waving a magic wand to perform a magical act. The offbeat chords, mixed with the gentle melody of the song, give the song a spooky effect. The final song in the Varinia and Crassus sequence, "Varinia in Crassus's House", exposes Crassus' desperate attempt to replace Spartacus and mocks his court. The soothing melody of “Spartacus Love Theme” highlights an emotional vulnerability exclusively available to viewers. The "Spartacus Love Theme" starts playing just seconds before he sees Varinia in the kitchen while he waits for breakfast. The diegetic sound offers the audience a subconscious insight that the characters cannot see or hear, but suggests to the audience Spartacus' sense of anticipation. It's obvious that the audience is thinking of her, because we hear their song. But in the eyes of the guards, Spartacus must appear nonchalant to hide his true feelings. As was later repeated, the barriers that might affect their singing (their relationship), like Crassus, become tiny. Spartacus and Varinia know that the guards would not allow such intimate communication, if any for that matter. Nevertheless, the lovers subtly look at each other and end up talking to each other. In this sense, the love song also carries an aura of defiance. Rather than stopping abruptly instead of the additional sound, theThe song seamlessly surrounds the few words shared between Varinia and Spartacus as if they were lyrics. Spartacus rebelliously whispers to Varinia in concern, ignoring the posted guards equipped with whips and ready to attack anyone who disobeys them. The fluidity of the melody surrounding this instance suggests encouragement of rebellion. The song foreshadows the beginning of a lasting partnership and expresses the unbreakable boomerang effect of Varinia and Spartacus's love. After the breakfast scene, clips of "Training, Part II" during Spartacus' training abruptly interrupt the love song. The rushed, harsh sound of "Training, Part II" compared to the comforting sound of "Spartacus Love Theme" suggests that the lovers serve as stagnant symbols of peace for each other. Immediately after the training scene, the gladiators return to the kitchen for dinner and the love song begins again. Although memories of their unhappy slavery constantly permeate their lives, Varinia and Spartacus find happiness in each other. The familiarity of the "Spartacus Love Theme" that North consciously constructs foreshadows feelings for the audience that may not be as obvious for Spartacus and Varinia. The sound of gladiator trainer Marcellus (Charles McGraw) kicking a slave, accompanied by the addition of darker chords to the love theme, gradually interrupts the rising melody. North brought the high melody back into a somber mood, but only for a few seconds before the familiar melody sounded twice as loud, almost countering the guard's entry into the scene and empowering the lovers. Thus, Marcellus, who repeatedly attempts to prevent Spartacus and Varinia from acquiring a romantic relationship, is merely an acute distraction. The gradual transition from the love song to lower notes during Marcellus' cameo entry suggests an underlying text. It seems like the darker melody was always there, but harder to hear beneath the flowery tone of the “Spartacus Love Theme.” The song presents Spartacus and Varinia's love as more than just an escape. The lovers are aware of their enslavement, but their love is an additional aspect that enhances their admittedly enslaved life. The disruption reminds the audience of Varinia and Spartacus's slavery while letting us know that Marcellus, or a greater barrier like slavery, cannot stop Varinia and Spartacus' love. Even though a few darker notes found their way into the arrangement, the song's uplifting tone prevails – their love will thrive despite whatever exploits may arise. This feeling reappears in later scenes when Crassus presents himself as a barrier between Spartacus and Varinia, a sequence introduced by the lingering melody "Oysters and Snails". The first time the audience hears the song is during Crassus's meeting with Antoninus, a scene which implicitly states Crassus' sexual desires for women and men. This theme of intense sexual desire continues during the scene where Crassus attempts to seduce Varinia with Roman life, the only other scene where North performs "Oysters and Snails". “Oysters and Snails” begins to crawl almost silently under the stage as Crassus watches Varinia from the entrance to the room. Along with the volume of the song, Crassus lowers his true intentions in order to appear more authentic to Varinia. However, Crassus' look indicates lust, as confirmed by the previous use of the melody. The first dialogue of the scene is Crassus' polite request that Varinia remove the shawl covering the upper half of her body; he wants to see more of her skin. He continues to talk about the material goods he hasprovided to Varinia and the fact that she “more than anyone should respect the labor of the slaves” who worked at the expense of these goods. In this moment, the sound of the magic wand emphasizes how Crassus sees himself as a fairy godfather who has brought Varinia out of the depths of slavery and into a “rich” Roman household as queen. He expects to be repaid by Varinia's love and desire. This disguise that Crassus paints does not deceive Varinia. The organically heartfelt “Spartacus Love Theme” illustrates the minimalist relationship between Varinia and Spartacus. While “Oysters and Snails,” an eerie melody complete with magical rustling sounds, addresses the extra layers of fortune Crassus wears to please Varinia. While on the breakfast scene during Varinia's enslavement, she was limited to minimal speech from the guards. Nonetheless, she and her lover quickly communicated via various methods: eye contact, hand-holding, and whispers. During the scene in Crassus' house, she can talk as much as she wants. However, this does not promote a less hostile environment. Crassus' chatter about material objects provokes no more than two words from Varinia. Varinia's engagement with Spartacus did not require luxury items and in fact flourished in some of the most dehumanizing circumstances. On the other hand, Varinia's engagement with Crassus goes nowhere even with all the wealth Spartacus didn't have as a slave. The second arrangement that North introduces in the sequence has the melody of a love song, a notable contrast to the content of the dialogue. The sympathetic tune satirizes Crassus' attempt to seduce Varinia with threats and wealth. The high violin of "Varinia in Crassus's House" mocks Crassus as he forcefully offers Varinia food but asserts that he is not demanding. Crassus is under the impression that Varinia has developed feelings for him and his money or he pretends that they are a couple in the hopes that she will follow his example. Varinia finally bursts her bubble of entitlement: “Why am I here? The song ridicules Crassus' attempt to bring a family together when he does not refer to Varinia's child as a being, but rather as "him". He assumes that Varinia will, like him, want a servant to breastfeed the baby, to which Varinia protests. The explicitly sarcastic and sympathetic tone of "Varinia at Crassus" is particularly applicable when Crassus threatens the life of Varinia's child for his love. This twisted and desperate call for affection crowns the song's major theme: loneliness. The song emphasizes that pitiful Crassus can't even have the girl after wooing her with jewelry and pretty clothes, feeding her, or taking away everything she loves. The song virtuously expresses the feeling of nostalgia that Crassus and Varinia possess; Crassus longs for love and affection, and Varinia longs for Spartacus. The motif of “Varinia in Crassus's House”, following the short arrangement which mocks Crassus, slips in a few notes of “Spartacus Love Theme” and is surrounded by darker notes which strangle its fluid and familiar atmosphere. Crassus desperately tries to ruin the mood. legend of Spartacus both in the Italian nation as a symbol of revolution for the slaves as well as in the heart of Varinia as his one true love. The piercing notes reminiscent of "Spartacus Love Theme" seem to be the most notable, as Crassus asserts that "one should not mourn forever." This juxtaposition brings Varinia's thoughts to the forefront, as well as Crassus' misunderstanding. Crassus assumes that Varinia would not be in :.