Death of Trajan
Emperor Trajan lies dying in a Roman villa in Selinus, surrounded by his inner circle including his successor Hadrian. The room is tense as physicians attempt to prolong his life while military office
Setting
A marble-floored chamber in a Roman villa in Selinus, overlooking the Mediterranean Sea. The room is spacious with high ceilings, adorned with frescoes depicting Roman victories. A large bed dominates the center, surrounded by military officers and physicians.
Characters
Trajan
primary
A once-powerful man now visibly weakened by illness, his muscular frame diminished but still retaining an imperial bearing. His face is lined with age and fatigue, with deep-set eyes that still burn with intelligence. Short-cropped grey hair and a neatly trimmed beard frame a face accustomed to command.
Hadrian
primary
A man in his early 40s with a lean, athletic build from years of military campaigns. His face is angular with sharp, intelligent eyes that miss nothing, framed by short, well-kept brown hair and a neatly trimmed beard. His complexion is tanned from prolonged exposure to the sun during his travels across the empire.
Chief Physician
secondary
A middle-aged Greek man of slender build, with deep-set, intelligent eyes and a neatly trimmed beard streaked with gray. His olive skin is weathered from years of travel across the empire, and his hands are delicate yet strong—clearly accustomed to precise medical work.
Military Tribune
secondary
A tall, broad-shouldered man in his late 30s with a weathered face marked by years of campaigning. His short-cropped dark hair shows traces of grey at the temples, and his square jaw is set tightly. His piercing grey eyes scan the room with military precision.
Slave Attendant
background
A young woman in her early twenties, slight of build with olive-toned skin and dark, tightly curled hair pulled back into a simple knot. Her hands show signs of frequent labor, with short, practical nails and faint scars from household tasks.
Dialog
Trajan
Hadrian... approach. The Senate must hear of this from your lips, not the whispers of courtiers.
Hadrian
Your will commands, Caesar. Yet I would hear your wisdom one last time on the Parthian frontier.
Chief Physician
Dominus, the humors... they refuse balance. The phlegm rises like the Tiber in flood.
Trajan
Enough... of your Greek humors. Hadrian—fortify the Danube first. Let the East wait.
Hadrian
As you decreed at Sirmium. The legions stand ready.
Chief Physician
The fever burns like Vulcan's forge. We must attempt the Egyptian draught.
Trajan
Save your herbs... for livelier patients. Jupiter calls me home.