1
00:00:09,426 --> 00:00:12,346
♪♪

2
00:00:14,598 --> 00:00:17,726
[applauding]

3
00:00:20,620 --> 00:00:23,857
[crowd cheering]

4
00:00:43,100 --> 00:00:48,900
[crowd] Narcissus! Narcissus!
Narcissus! Narcissus!

5
00:00:48,173 --> 00:00:50,759
Narcissus! Narcissus! Narcissus! 

6
00:01:05,107 --> 00:01:06,316
[Commodus]
People of Rome!

7
00:01:10,654 --> 00:01:14,575
For any gladiator 
who steps onto the battleground,

8
00:01:16,159 --> 00:01:19,955
there is no greater achievement
 than the Rodarus.

9
00:01:22,124 --> 00:01:23,667
This wooden sword...

10
00:01:24,751 --> 00:01:29,214
is given only to gladiators whose
abilities transcend the battleground.

11
00:01:30,799 --> 00:01:33,385
Whose victories defy description.

12
00:01:35,304 --> 00:01:38,599
Those who have proven themselves
 superior to all others...

13
00:01:40,559 --> 00:01:45,814
 in the eyes of the people,
their Emperor, and the Gods.

14
00:01:49,568 --> 00:01:52,654
Narcissus is such a gladiator.

15
00:01:53,989 --> 00:01:56,408
Undefeated on the battleground.

16
00:01:58,243 --> 00:02:02,748
Both feared and revered 
by his opponents.

17
00:02:06,418 --> 00:02:08,212
He has more than earned this sword.

18
00:02:17,471 --> 00:02:18,555
And with it,

19
00:02:20,570 --> 00:02:21,580
his freedom.

20
00:02:37,866 --> 00:02:40,410
[cheering] 

21
00:02:55,175 --> 00:02:58,178
[narrator] Commodus has honored
the man who trained him in the arena,

22
00:02:59,763 --> 00:03:03,392
marking the opening
of the greatest celebration of games

23
00:03:03,475 --> 00:03:06,562
since the dedication
of the Coliseum.

24
00:03:06,645 --> 00:03:08,630
[crowd]
Commodus! Commodus!

25
00:03:08,146 --> 00:03:09,940
[yells]

26
00:03:12,234 --> 00:03:15,988
[theme music playing]

27
00:04:30,354 --> 00:04:32,356
[applauding]

28
00:04:37,903 --> 00:04:39,905
♪♪

29
00:04:47,871 --> 00:04:50,290
[narrator]
12 years after claiming the throne,

30
00:04:54,753 --> 00:04:58,549
Commodus is prepared
to put his life on the line,

31
00:04:58,632 --> 00:05:00,425
to restore glory to his city,

32
00:05:01,426 --> 00:05:03,679
and win the respect of his people.

33
00:05:09,852 --> 00:05:11,728
[Jerry Toner]
I think if we'd attended the games,

34
00:05:11,812 --> 00:05:15,232
we would be amazed
at the glamour of the event.

35
00:05:16,240 --> 00:05:20,279
We would be overwhelmed
 by the noise of the crowd.

36
00:05:22,322 --> 00:05:27,786
We'd have been stunned
by the gladiators and their shiny armor.

37
00:05:28,328 --> 00:05:33,792
And we'd have been horrorstruck
at the ferocity of the fighting itself

38
00:05:33,876 --> 00:05:35,878
that goes on in the arena.

39
00:05:39,298 --> 00:05:40,883
[narrator] Spanning 14 days,

40
00:05:41,842 --> 00:05:46,180
the Emperor's games feature hundreds
of exotic animals for live hunting,

41
00:05:48,560 --> 00:05:50,475
prisoners and slaves for executions,

42
00:05:51,852 --> 00:05:55,630
with lavish gifts and prizes 
for those in attendance.

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00:05:59,943 --> 00:06:04,990
With a full coliseum,
the games will be unlike any celebration

44
00:06:05,730 --> 00:06:06,783
in the history of Rome.

45
00:06:12,122 --> 00:06:14,333
[guard]
Emperor Commodus!

46
00:06:14,416 --> 00:06:16,840
[cheering]

47
00:06:31,990 --> 00:06:32,309
Senators...

48
00:06:32,976 --> 00:06:34,520
welcome to the games.

49
00:06:41,527 --> 00:06:43,612
Please, honor your host.

50
00:06:50,369 --> 00:06:53,163
[narrator] For a crowd of
more than 50,000 people...

51
00:06:53,247 --> 00:06:54,915
[senator]
May the Gods be with you.

52
00:06:56,124 --> 00:06:59,211
[narrator] ...Commodus has announced
that for the first time...

53
00:06:59,878 --> 00:07:01,338
[senator]
May the Gods be with you.

54
00:07:02,130 --> 00:07:05,717
[narrator]
...the Emperor will fight as a gladiator.

55
00:07:08,303 --> 00:07:09,680
[senator]
May the Gods be with you.

56
00:07:11,473 --> 00:07:12,516
Senator.

57
00:07:17,855 --> 00:07:19,356
[senator]
May the Gods be with you.

58
00:07:20,566 --> 00:07:23,777
Precious jewels and fine robes
won't save him now.

59
00:07:27,155 --> 00:07:28,448
[senator]
May the Gods be with you.

60
00:07:35,622 --> 00:07:36,915
[senator]
May the Gods be with you.

61
00:07:41,962 --> 00:07:43,880
[Commodus]
Senator Dio.

62
00:07:43,922 --> 00:07:46,175
May the Gods protect you, Commodus.

63
00:08:05,944 --> 00:08:07,196
People of Rome!

64
00:08:09,907 --> 00:08:12,868
Let the games begin!

65
00:08:12,951 --> 00:08:14,578
[cheering]

66
00:08:15,913 --> 00:08:17,372
♪♪

67
00:08:22,503 --> 00:08:25,339
[narrator] But while the Roman people
hail their ruler,

68
00:08:26,340 --> 00:08:30,177
members of the Senate
fear the Emperor's bold move

69
00:08:30,260 --> 00:08:31,929
would be his last.

70
00:08:46,944 --> 00:08:52,991
For Commodus, fighting as a gladiator 
will solidify his popularity

71
00:08:53,742 --> 00:08:56,203
and secure his legacy as Emperor.

72
00:09:01,250 --> 00:09:06,922
But becoming a gladiator is just
the first step in a much bigger plan,

73
00:09:07,500 --> 00:09:10,425
one that will make him a legend.

74
00:09:13,303 --> 00:09:15,222
In Roman society,

75
00:09:15,305 --> 00:09:19,393
Hercules is celebrated
for slaying a mythical lion

76
00:09:19,476 --> 00:09:22,354
and wearing the animal's hide
for protection.

77
00:09:25,230 --> 00:09:26,608
For his games,

78
00:09:26,692 --> 00:09:30,696
Commodus is certain if he can
embody the Roman god,

79
00:09:30,779 --> 00:09:32,906
he too will be invincible...

80
00:09:32,990 --> 00:09:36,326
and be forever honored
by the Roman people.

81
00:09:39,580 --> 00:09:43,542
[Jerry Toner] The Emperor Commodus
portrays himself as the god Hercules,

82
00:09:43,625 --> 00:09:46,860
a great fighter and a great hunter.

83
00:09:46,170 --> 00:09:47,296
What he's trying to do

84
00:09:47,379 --> 00:09:50,757
when he appears in the games
 dressed as Hercules,

85
00:09:50,841 --> 00:09:55,179
is underline to people 
that when he fights as a gladiator,

86
00:09:55,262 --> 00:09:59,433
he is as skilled a fighter
 as the god Hercules was.

87
00:10:01,685 --> 00:10:04,104
♪♪

88
00:10:20,621 --> 00:10:24,249
[crowd cheering]

89
00:10:37,137 --> 00:10:43,310
[announcer] All hail Commodus, 
Emperor of Rome!

90
00:11:01,620 --> 00:11:02,496
[yells]

91
00:11:02,579 --> 00:11:05,374
[grunting]

92
00:11:11,713 --> 00:11:12,798
[cheering]

93
00:11:15,759 --> 00:11:17,594
[grunting]

94
00:11:23,892 --> 00:11:24,977
[cheers]

95
00:11:30,232 --> 00:11:31,191
[yells]

96
00:11:33,569 --> 00:11:34,987
[yells]

97
00:11:43,287 --> 00:11:44,538
[yells]

98
00:11:57,801 --> 00:11:58,844
[swords clanging]

99
00:11:58,927 --> 00:12:00,262
[screaming]

100
00:12:03,390 --> 00:12:05,767
[applauding]

101
00:12:27,331 --> 00:12:28,916
[screams]

102
00:12:34,870 --> 00:12:35,672
[anguished screaming]

103
00:12:38,910 --> 00:12:39,134
[yelling]

104
00:13:03,325 --> 00:13:05,285
[narrator]
For the first time,

105
00:13:05,369 --> 00:13:11,166
an emperor has claimed victory
as a gladiator in the Roman Coliseum.

106
00:13:23,110 --> 00:13:24,805
And in front of thousands,

107
00:13:26,306 --> 00:13:28,725
Commodus wins the recognition

108
00:13:28,809 --> 00:13:32,200
and validation he's always wanted.

109
00:13:39,987 --> 00:13:43,615
[crowd] Commodus! Commodus! 
Commodus! Commodus! 

110
00:13:43,699 --> 00:13:46,201
[narrator] After his triumph in the arena,

111
00:13:46,785 --> 00:13:52,958
Commodus believes he's proven himself
the supreme ruler of the Roman people.

112
00:13:53,410 --> 00:13:58,213
And with a new vision for the Empire,
he orders a meeting of the Senate.

113
00:13:58,797 --> 00:13:59,882
Senators...

114
00:14:05,262 --> 00:14:08,849
I called you here tonight
to share some important news with you.

115
00:14:11,810 --> 00:14:13,187
That I am...

116
00:14:14,210 --> 00:14:15,272
in fact...

117
00:14:16,640 --> 00:14:17,107
alive.

118
00:14:18,525 --> 00:14:22,321
When I first declared my intention
 to step on to the battleground

119
00:14:22,404 --> 00:14:24,281
and prove my worth 
as a gladiator,

120
00:14:25,908 --> 00:14:27,534
many of you thought,
"He must be mad."

121
00:14:28,744 --> 00:14:30,370
While most of you assumed...

122
00:14:31,663 --> 00:14:33,810
"He'll surely be killed."

123
00:14:35,250 --> 00:14:37,127
But as all of you witnessed today,

124
00:14:39,796 --> 00:14:42,257
and the blood
on my sword confirms,

125
00:14:44,218 --> 00:14:48,764
it is my opponent 
who no longer walks among us.

126
00:14:49,765 --> 00:14:50,849
And now,

127
00:14:52,809 --> 00:14:54,269
I stand here before you,

128
00:14:55,812 --> 00:14:57,314
not only victor in the Coliseum,

129
00:14:57,397 --> 00:15:01,276
but right here in this building.

130
00:15:02,986 --> 00:15:06,490
Because when 50,000 voices unite as one,

131
00:15:08,116 --> 00:15:09,910
everyone can hear it.

132
00:15:11,453 --> 00:15:15,874
Even a body as old, 
and outdated, as the Senate.

133
00:15:18,961 --> 00:15:22,339
The people's voice is strong.

134
00:15:23,966 --> 00:15:25,634
Oh, and it is true.

135
00:15:28,110 --> 00:15:31,431
Theirs is the voice that guides me,

136
00:15:32,683 --> 00:15:36,478
not those of bickering,
backstabbing,

137
00:15:37,271 --> 00:15:40,148
self-serving parasites.

138
00:15:40,232 --> 00:15:43,861
Men whose day was done 
when Caesar took the throne.

139
00:15:45,863 --> 00:15:50,242
Clinging to power that died
with the Republic,

140
00:15:52,494 --> 00:15:54,121
and praying for...

141
00:15:55,122 --> 00:15:56,707
or plotting...

142
00:15:58,709 --> 00:16:00,127
my death.

143
00:16:03,213 --> 00:16:09,136
But the only thing that's dead
is the lie that Rome needs you.

144
00:16:10,804 --> 00:16:12,931
So on the first day 
of the new year,

145
00:16:16,180 --> 00:16:18,228
I proclaim there will be a new Rome.

146
00:16:20,147 --> 00:16:22,399
A Rome cast in my image.

147
00:16:22,482 --> 00:16:25,485
-[senator] This is outrageous!
-I am the Emperor!

148
00:16:28,238 --> 00:16:29,239
If you doubt me,

149
00:16:29,323 --> 00:16:31,740
then you weren't listening.

150
00:16:32,201 --> 00:16:34,453
The people's voice was clear.

151
00:16:35,329 --> 00:16:37,247
They have made their choice...

152
00:16:40,459 --> 00:16:41,460
and it is...

153
00:16:46,215 --> 00:16:47,216
Commodus.

154
00:16:49,885 --> 00:16:50,844
Commodus.

155
00:16:52,429 --> 00:16:53,680
Commodus.

156
00:16:53,764 --> 00:16:54,598
[all shouting]

157
00:16:54,681 --> 00:16:57,809
Commodus! Commodus!

158
00:16:57,893 --> 00:16:59,686
[all shouting]

159
00:17:00,437 --> 00:17:01,688
Commodus!

160
00:17:02,189 --> 00:17:06,985
Commodus! Commodus! Commodus!

161
00:17:17,287 --> 00:17:20,332
Great day to be alive, Senator.

162
00:17:21,416 --> 00:17:23,126
♪♪

163
00:17:28,799 --> 00:17:31,510
[murmuring]

164
00:17:32,970 --> 00:17:36,765
[Jerry Toner] Commodus seems to
have acted increasingly dictatorially.

165
00:17:36,849 --> 00:17:39,590
He seems to ignore those around him,

166
00:17:39,142 --> 00:17:42,646
and he himself becomes more and more
 a megalomaniac.

167
00:17:45,816 --> 00:17:49,736
Was he alone in this?
 Had no other Emperors done that?

168
00:17:49,820 --> 00:17:51,710
Well, sadly, no.

169
00:17:51,154 --> 00:17:54,241
Other Emperors, 
whether it was Caligula or Nero,

170
00:17:54,324 --> 00:17:56,326
had similar character traits.

171
00:17:56,952 --> 00:17:58,871
[shouting]

172
00:18:18,265 --> 00:18:20,893
[narrator]
By rejecting the authority of the Senate,

173
00:18:23,645 --> 00:18:27,149
Commodus has established
total control of the Empire,

174
00:18:28,901 --> 00:18:32,700
and begins to transform the city
in his image.

175
00:18:38,493 --> 00:18:40,162
With imperial orders,

176
00:18:41,246 --> 00:18:44,416
the Emperor commissions
massive golden statues

177
00:18:45,542 --> 00:18:50,130
and renames
the months of the year after himself.

178
00:18:53,800 --> 00:18:55,594
And in a show of ultimate authority,

179
00:18:56,720 --> 00:18:59,890
nearly 1,000 years 
after the founding of Rome,

180
00:19:01,580 --> 00:19:03,727
Commodus gives the city a new name:

181
00:19:03,810 --> 00:19:06,730
Colonia Commodiana.

182
00:19:12,778 --> 00:19:15,948
[Prof. Aaron Irvin]
Being Emperor wasn't just simply about

183
00:19:16,310 --> 00:19:19,743
fulfilling duties, it wasn't just simply
about going to work on a day-to-day basis.

184
00:19:19,826 --> 00:19:22,246
An emperor was who you were

185
00:19:22,329 --> 00:19:24,665
at the absolute root of your person.

186
00:19:26,333 --> 00:19:29,336
And everyone and everything
 in Roman society

187
00:19:29,419 --> 00:19:32,297
is aimed at expressing 
how great the Emperor is.

188
00:19:32,381 --> 00:19:34,490
Of course, that's going to affect you.

189
00:19:34,132 --> 00:19:36,593
It'd be impossible that
that wouldn't, in some way,

190
00:19:36,677 --> 00:19:38,971
begin to affect the way
that you saw yourself.

191
00:19:41,390 --> 00:19:43,642
[cheering]

192
00:20:01,118 --> 00:20:02,953
[narrator] As the games continue,

193
00:20:03,360 --> 00:20:04,955
the Emperor's show of strength

194
00:20:05,380 --> 00:20:07,820
begins to escalate.

195
00:20:08,584 --> 00:20:10,127
[yelling]

196
00:20:10,210 --> 00:20:12,546
[cheering]

197
00:20:17,926 --> 00:20:19,428
[yelling]

198
00:20:24,141 --> 00:20:27,603
[Prof. Clifford Ando] Commodus wanted
to appear as a gladiator. He was...

199
00:20:27,686 --> 00:20:30,397
taken by the notion
 of his own strength and power.

200
00:20:30,981 --> 00:20:35,402
And he may actually have believed
 that he was displaying...

201
00:20:35,485 --> 00:20:38,822
superhuman,
extra-human power and skill.

202
00:20:46,380 --> 00:20:47,372
[screaming]

203
00:20:56,340 --> 00:20:57,925
[cheering]

204
00:20:59,218 --> 00:21:01,720
[crowd]
Commodus! Commodus! Commodus!

205
00:21:01,803 --> 00:21:03,130
Hard to watch.

206
00:21:18,904 --> 00:21:22,491
[narrator] But while the Roman people
cheer for their Emperor,

207
00:21:22,574 --> 00:21:27,790
what they don't realize,
is that before stepping into the arena,

208
00:21:27,496 --> 00:21:33,168
Commodus has made certain
that his victories are guaranteed.

209
00:21:35,629 --> 00:21:37,506
[blood spilling]

210
00:21:43,512 --> 00:21:45,722
[Toner]
When Commodus appears as a gladiator,

211
00:21:45,806 --> 00:21:48,892
he makes sure
that he's not going to come to any harm.

212
00:21:48,976 --> 00:21:52,229
He made sure that his opponents
fought with dulled blades.

213
00:22:00,320 --> 00:22:03,240
And after a few exchanges of blows,

214
00:22:04,449 --> 00:22:07,703
the other gladiator
quickly fell to the floor

215
00:22:07,786 --> 00:22:10,289
understanding what was best for him.

216
00:22:15,377 --> 00:22:17,171
[yelling]

217
00:22:17,254 --> 00:22:20,174
♪♪

218
00:23:13,602 --> 00:23:15,646
I will endure to be burned,

219
00:23:16,230 --> 00:23:18,398
to be bound, to be beaten,

220
00:23:19,942 --> 00:23:21,610
to be killed by the sword.

221
00:23:53,350 --> 00:23:55,853
♪♪

222
00:24:01,358 --> 00:24:03,318
[crowd chanting outside]
[door opening]

223
00:24:21,420 --> 00:24:23,500
No more worry in your eyes.

224
00:24:23,839 --> 00:24:25,257
Now that this is done.

225
00:24:26,383 --> 00:24:30,387
[crowd outside]
Commodus! Commodus!

226
00:24:34,683 --> 00:24:35,976
Listen to them.

227
00:24:37,190 --> 00:24:38,520
[man]
They're still calling your name.

228
00:24:41,982 --> 00:24:44,610
If I could give them
14 more days, I would.

229
00:24:47,404 --> 00:24:51,617
And you wouldn't have to worry,
because I cannot be defeated.

230
00:24:52,659 --> 00:24:53,994
[Narcissus]
So it would seem.

231
00:24:56,413 --> 00:24:57,414
Narcissus.

232
00:24:57,497 --> 00:24:59,416
Sorry, Emperor,
I didn't mean to startle you.

233
00:25:01,251 --> 00:25:04,460
You of all people should know better
than to sneak up on a gladiator,

234
00:25:05,631 --> 00:25:09,900
especially one with the blood 
of his vanquished opponent

235
00:25:09,920 --> 00:25:10,636
still fresh on his blade.

236
00:25:12,304 --> 00:25:13,514
It was a good battle.

237
00:25:15,570 --> 00:25:16,475
Attilius fought valiantly.

238
00:25:18,435 --> 00:25:19,478
Indeed he did.

239
00:25:20,979 --> 00:25:22,640
They all did.

240
00:25:23,565 --> 00:25:25,526
It seems you trained me
too well, my friend.

241
00:25:30,781 --> 00:25:32,658
[Narcissus]
Did I train you to do this?

242
00:25:38,205 --> 00:25:40,290
You have something to say, Narcissus,

243
00:25:41,792 --> 00:25:42,876
you should say it.

244
00:25:46,380 --> 00:25:48,900
I just watched you kill...

245
00:25:49,341 --> 00:25:50,634
my brothers.

246
00:25:51,552 --> 00:25:55,550
Men who stepped onto the battlefield
 and fought with honor.

247
00:25:56,140 --> 00:25:57,570
And they died with it.

248
00:25:57,140 --> 00:25:59,685
Holding dulled blades.

249
00:26:04,640 --> 00:26:06,191
Is that not a good enough reason
 to spare their lives?

250
00:26:07,250 --> 00:26:08,527
[Commodus]
I gave the people what they want.

251
00:26:08,610 --> 00:26:10,404
They want to see
 defenseless men slaughtered--

252
00:26:10,487 --> 00:26:11,822
Slaves!

253
00:26:14,449 --> 00:26:15,701
They were slaves.

254
00:26:17,619 --> 00:26:20,414
Slaves I gave the honor 
of dying by my sword.

255
00:26:22,499 --> 00:26:26,587
The honor to sacrifice themselves
for the glory of my Empire.

256
00:26:26,670 --> 00:26:29,173
The honor to achieve immortality.

257
00:26:33,302 --> 00:26:37,598
So it's only because
I stand before you a freedman

258
00:26:39,160 --> 00:26:40,851
that you are not bringing your sword
down upon me?

259
00:26:44,271 --> 00:26:47,441
With only my dulled blade
to protect myself?

260
00:26:56,200 --> 00:26:57,618
My friend?

261
00:27:08,860 --> 00:27:09,171
[Commodus]
Pick it up.

262
00:27:11,423 --> 00:27:13,509
-I said pick it up.
-I'm sorry. I'm sorry, Emperor.

263
00:27:13,592 --> 00:27:15,260
-Get it out of my sight.
-I'm sorry.

264
00:27:18,680 --> 00:27:19,681
Commodus...

265
00:27:20,140 --> 00:27:21,683
Silence!

266
00:27:21,767 --> 00:27:23,685
[crying]

267
00:27:27,189 --> 00:27:28,857
Don't you look at me that way.

268
00:27:28,941 --> 00:27:30,359
Get out.

269
00:27:31,401 --> 00:27:32,402
Now!

270
00:27:33,529 --> 00:27:37,320
All of you! Out, now!

271
00:27:37,991 --> 00:27:38,951
Out!

272
00:27:41,620 --> 00:27:44,665
♪♪

273
00:28:24,830 --> 00:28:27,875
[narrator] Commodus knows
that if his deceit is revealed,

274
00:28:28,542 --> 00:28:30,544
he'll lose the trust of the people

275
00:28:31,211 --> 00:28:34,470
and the recognition
 he believes he's earned.

276
00:28:45,309 --> 00:28:48,478
♪♪

277
00:28:56,737 --> 00:28:59,615
So he marks anyone 
who knows of his plan

278
00:28:59,698 --> 00:29:02,159
for banishment or execution

279
00:29:03,118 --> 00:29:08,810
in an official royal document
known as a proscription list.

280
00:29:12,836 --> 00:29:17,883
Paranoia was not entirely uncharacteristic
 of the Roman Emperors,

281
00:29:17,966 --> 00:29:22,120
and Commodus lived in
his own little world of paranoia.

282
00:29:22,950 --> 00:29:26,183
He supposed everybody was
plotting against him and they were.

283
00:29:41,698 --> 00:29:42,991
[Dio]
All of them.

284
00:29:43,909 --> 00:29:46,245
I did as the Emperor ordered.

285
00:29:48,800 --> 00:29:52,125
And now that it has been revealed,
 he cannot risk that the people find out.

286
00:29:55,712 --> 00:29:57,130
What can we do?

287
00:30:04,304 --> 00:30:06,181
You were wise to come here first.

288
00:30:09,101 --> 00:30:10,519
But you cannot stay here.

289
00:30:13,939 --> 00:30:15,774
You must return to the palace.

290
00:30:15,858 --> 00:30:16,692
No.

291
00:30:16,775 --> 00:30:18,861
You must return to the palace.

292
00:30:21,280 --> 00:30:25,409
Tell him that you don't care 
what he did,

293
00:30:25,492 --> 00:30:27,744
that you love him no matter what,

294
00:30:27,828 --> 00:30:30,455
and that's why you've come back.

295
00:30:31,373 --> 00:30:33,542
To prove your love.

296
00:30:47,681 --> 00:30:49,641
-Poison?
-[Dio] For his wine.

297
00:30:50,517 --> 00:30:56,190
-There has to be another way.
-This is your only hope.

298
00:30:59,526 --> 00:31:02,196
Or would you rather wait here
 for the Praetorian Guards?

299
00:31:09,119 --> 00:31:10,787
[Marcia sobbing]

300
00:31:10,871 --> 00:31:16,335
[Everitt] The people closest to him that
ran his life lost confidence

301
00:31:16,418 --> 00:31:18,420
in their own physical security,

302
00:31:18,921 --> 00:31:23,425
and thought the only solution
is going to be to get rid of Commodus.

303
00:31:25,802 --> 00:31:28,639
Because what else could they do
in order to avoid

304
00:31:28,722 --> 00:31:31,391
being put to death themselves?

305
00:31:41,680 --> 00:31:42,402
[narrator] For centuries,

306
00:31:42,486 --> 00:31:46,949
poison has been used
as a lethal weapon in the ancient world.

307
00:31:47,866 --> 00:31:51,161
As toxic elements found in common plants

308
00:31:51,245 --> 00:31:56,708
and venom from insects and snakes
can be easily disguised,

309
00:31:58,126 --> 00:32:02,256
effectively killing the victim
without a trace.

310
00:32:04,550 --> 00:32:05,717
[Jeffrey Stevens]
Throughout Roman history,

311
00:32:05,801 --> 00:32:11,139
poison does seem to be a more insidious
form of assassination plot.

312
00:32:11,223 --> 00:32:13,580
You know, it's not that you're being,
you know,

313
00:32:13,141 --> 00:32:15,727
killed in this martial way, 
or threatened in this martial way...

314
00:32:17,604 --> 00:32:21,483
...it's that perhaps the people that are
most intimately involved in your life,

315
00:32:21,567 --> 00:32:23,402
can you really trust them?

316
00:32:57,269 --> 00:32:58,562
[Marcia]
Commodus.

317
00:33:00,606 --> 00:33:01,940
[Commodus]
What are you doing here?

318
00:33:05,611 --> 00:33:06,612
Get out.

319
00:33:09,615 --> 00:33:10,949
You get out!

320
00:33:42,147 --> 00:33:45,317
[heavy breathing]

321
00:33:45,400 --> 00:33:49,696
[Commodus groaning]

322
00:33:52,199 --> 00:33:56,954
[Commodus groaning]

323
00:34:03,836 --> 00:34:05,879
[weak groaning]

324
00:34:07,631 --> 00:34:08,632
Commodus.

325
00:34:10,342 --> 00:34:11,593
I need some water.

326
00:34:17,150 --> 00:34:20,644
[Commodus groaning]

327
00:34:36,577 --> 00:34:40,122
[grunting]
[groaning]

328
00:34:51,425 --> 00:34:54,720
[groaning]

329
00:35:09,860 --> 00:35:10,777
Marcia.

330
00:35:16,116 --> 00:35:17,242
What happened?

331
00:35:18,869 --> 00:35:21,163
-What happened?
-He's throwing it up.

332
00:35:25,125 --> 00:35:26,460
I found this.

333
00:35:34,551 --> 00:35:37,304
Well, then...
We must go to Dio.

334
00:35:39,139 --> 00:35:40,140
You go.

335
00:36:16,900 --> 00:36:19,120
Of course.
 A proscription list.

336
00:36:19,721 --> 00:36:23,160
It includes her name, mine, Narcissus...

337
00:36:25,853 --> 00:36:27,620
And me.

338
00:36:28,630 --> 00:36:29,481
It's almost the entire Senate.

339
00:36:32,860 --> 00:36:35,445
As madness gives way to vengeance.

340
00:36:42,870 --> 00:36:44,790
Come with me.

341
00:36:56,884 --> 00:37:00,804
-Senator, what am I--
-Listen to me very closely.

342
00:37:01,763 --> 00:37:04,224
You must take this sword to Narcissus.

343
00:37:04,808 --> 00:37:06,185
We have no time to lose.

344
00:38:15,629 --> 00:38:16,713
[Commodus]
Marcia...

345
00:38:25,222 --> 00:38:26,890
I spare your life...

346
00:38:29,101 --> 00:38:31,436
and you sentence me to death.

347
00:38:38,277 --> 00:38:39,695
The only way out...

348
00:38:40,988 --> 00:38:42,239
is through me.

349
00:38:44,324 --> 00:38:47,202
The only way you live...

350
00:38:49,371 --> 00:38:52,374
is to kill me...

351
00:38:53,584 --> 00:38:54,459
[sword thudding]

352
00:38:56,753 --> 00:38:59,506
with your dulled blade.

353
00:39:08,560 --> 00:39:10,184
♪♪

354
00:39:34,410 --> 00:39:35,830
[yells]

355
00:39:35,167 --> 00:39:37,586
[grunting]

356
00:39:51,266 --> 00:39:52,518
I...

357
00:39:54,190 --> 00:39:55,270
I gave you your freedom.

358
00:39:55,354 --> 00:39:56,980
I earned my freedom!

359
00:39:57,640 --> 00:39:57,898
You...

360
00:39:59,483 --> 00:40:02,819
-You had everything just handed to you.
-I have--

361
00:40:03,403 --> 00:40:06,114
You have nothing! Nothing!

362
00:40:06,198 --> 00:40:10,786
You have no compassion, 
you have no courage.

363
00:40:11,328 --> 00:40:15,749
And you have no honor.

364
00:40:26,802 --> 00:40:29,346
[groaning]
[coughing]

365
00:40:32,474 --> 00:40:33,350
[grunts]

366
00:40:37,604 --> 00:40:39,189
♪♪

367
00:40:52,828 --> 00:40:57,541
[narrator] The assassination of Commodus
marks the end of an era,

368
00:40:59,209 --> 00:41:04,890
and the dawn of widespread turmoil
throughout the Empire.

369
00:41:07,968 --> 00:41:12,431
For the next year,
Rome is consumed by civil war

370
00:41:12,514 --> 00:41:16,768
and those who plotted against the Emperor
are soon punished.

371
00:41:18,562 --> 00:41:24,943
Responsible for the Emperor's death,
Narcissus, a celebrated gladiator

372
00:41:25,270 --> 00:41:28,780
and the man who trained Commodus 
to fight in the arena

373
00:41:28,864 --> 00:41:30,115
is executed.

374
00:41:34,745 --> 00:41:37,831
And within a year, Marcia,

375
00:41:37,915 --> 00:41:40,709
one of the most powerful
women in the Empire,

376
00:41:40,792 --> 00:41:43,712
and the one person
 Commodus truly trusted,

377
00:41:46,600 --> 00:41:50,469
is sentenced to death
by the new reigning Emperor.

378
00:42:03,524 --> 00:42:06,680
But Cassius Dio survives.

379
00:42:06,735 --> 00:42:10,739
The ambitious Senator,
who once fought to protect Commodus,

380
00:42:12,658 --> 00:42:15,953
will go on to write
one of the only surviving accounts

381
00:42:16,360 --> 00:42:18,580
of this time in the Roman Empire.

382
00:42:20,400 --> 00:42:22,709
♪♪

383
00:42:40,310 --> 00:42:42,646
In the 13 years of his reign,

384
00:42:45,148 --> 00:42:47,234
Commodus brought peace to Rome.

385
00:42:55,750 --> 00:42:57,119
But he will come to be known...

386
00:42:58,620 --> 00:43:03,709
as the man responsible
for an unprecedented age of chaos,

387
00:43:04,960 --> 00:43:06,420
betrayal,

388
00:43:06,503 --> 00:43:13,260
and the beginning of the fall
of the greatest empire ever known.

389
00:43:19,683 --> 00:43:21,685
[theme music playing]