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| Presented to the Harem |
An atmospheric image of a new arrival, anxiously appraising his new home and master. His new 'family' seem to be enjoying a candle-lit bath, unaware of the beautiful young man about to join them. Maybe it's not such a bad life after all.
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| United by Fate |
It makes a nice picture, but I'm not quite sure what the logic is in chaining slaves up together like this, unless it's a frustration torment. But even in 'no hands' mode, they ought to be able to work something out eventually!
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| Musketeers |
The three musketeers seems to be PG's current focus, and this image is a lift straight out of the 19th Century literature that inspired modern movies on the subject. The slightly sentimental staging, taking time out for a reunion, instead of focussing on getting the poor devil out, is very much of that era.
An all male version of 'La Bohème' might finish like this, with the distraught comrades in arms standing at a respectful distance while the fated lovers bid a final farewell.
In mitchmen land, the interpretation would be completely different, with the captive being told in no uncertain terms that he's there for the duration and that the guards have come to start his punishment. More Tosca than Bohème, in fact. Scarpia cutting out the middle woman and propositioning Cavardossi instead.
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| Games of Thrones |
This variant on the slavery theme of the first image has a more edgy feel. The captive looks a lot more mature and his chain is held personally by the King, not a guard, implying a very personal interest.
The ostentatious wearing of a crown, coupled with the title, suggests politics is at the back of this situation, not domestic service. This prisoner is not a casual pick-up, a handsome man snatched from his usual job and pressed into the king's personal service. No, he is a defeated rival. A dangerous man to have in your bed, even if it is a very satisfying vengeance.
The dark, gothic decorating scheme here is a far cry from the splendour of picture 1 and bodes ill for conditions below stairs.
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| The Gladiators |
The same theme is unexpectedly adapted to the Roman Arena here. Usually, beaten men meet their death here. End of. Still, you can't blame this victor for wanting to hang onto his hunky conquest. In the cruel way of this genre, he might well be one of his training buddies.
Unfortunately, the lack of wounds might arouse the suspicion that there's a conspiracy going on. Notice the queer look another Gladiator is giving them. He won't be happy at them getting off scot-free. No fear, if Caesar suspects there hasn't been enough foul play, it'll be thumbs down for both of them.
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| Love against the wind |
The old beefcake books often included public statues of muscular men in their pages to underline their claim of artistic intent and legitimacy, back in the bad old days. They also drew on the ideas of classical Greece which furnished the idea of men being turned into stone as a punishment, sometimes with the possibility of being returned to fleshiness under the right conditions.
Planet Gay gives us not just a statue, but two men turned into a statue, preserving their love for all time against the headwinds of fate. Planet Gay's blogging often has a 'Pride' angle and you can see it in this imagery. But it's a double-edged sword. I'm not sure if this is symbolic of enduring strength - or defiant defeat, with the lovers neutralised and relegated to being an interesting 'feature' in a corner of a garden. I suppose it's better than ending up sitting alone on a horse in the middle of a roundabout.
Other statue references at mitchmen -
Rent-a-Dude, also Platter and Priapus of Milet,
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There are several other posts of Planet Gay on mitchmen,
simply search for PlanetGayComic for the latest additions
Planet Gay's current work is video oriented and web locations include PlanetGayComic on X and PlanetGay onYouTube, but I prefer his non-video, Deviant Art Gallery
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