Diet of Worms
Martin Luther stands before Emperor Charles V and the Diet of Worms, refusing to recant his writings that challenge the Catholic Church's doctrines, despite the threat of excommunication and imperial
Setting
The grand hall of the Bishop's Palace in Worms, adorned with Gothic arches and stained glass windows. The hall is filled with ecclesiastical and imperial dignitaries seated in orderly rows, facing a central dais where Martin Luther stands before Emperor Charles V.
Characters
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SELECTED
Martin Luther
primary
A middle-aged German monk with a sturdy, square frame, standing approximately 5'8" tall. His face is framed by a short, dark brown beard streaked with early gray, and his deep-set eyes burn with conviction beneath thick brows. His hands, rough from years of manual labor and writing, are clasped firmly before him.
Charles V
primary
A young but imposing man in his early twenties, with a pale complexion and a pronounced Habsburg jaw. His dark hair is neatly trimmed, and he sports a short beard. His piercing blue eyes convey both intelligence and authority.
Cardinal Archbishop
secondary
A gaunt man in his late 50s with a sharply defined face, deep-set piercing eyes, and thin lips pressed in perpetual disapproval. His bearing is erect with the stiffness of a lifelong cleric, and his hands—adorned with a bishop's ring—are clasped before him like a shield.
Imperial Guard
background
A tall, broad-shouldered man in his late 30s with a stern, weathered face marked by a faint scar running from his left temple to his jawline. His dark brown hair is cropped short beneath his helmet, and his piercing blue eyes remain fixed forward with military discipline. His muscular frame is clad in polished armor that gleams faintly in the hall's torchlight.
Court Scribe
secondary
A middle-aged man with a slight build, wearing spectacles perched on his nose. His hands are ink-stained from years of meticulous writing, and his posture suggests long hours spent hunched over documents. His thinning brown hair is neatly trimmed, and his clean-shaven face bears the lines of concentration.
Dialog
Charles V
Brother Martin, you stand before the assembled princes and prelates of Christendom. Will you now recant your writings, which spread division in our holy Church?
Martin Luther
Unless I am convicted by Scripture and plain reason - for I trust neither popes nor councils alone, since they have often erred - my conscience is captive to the Word of God. I cannot and will not recant.
Cardinal Archbishop
By what authority does this Saxon miner's son set his private judgment above the sacred traditions of Holy Mother Church?
Martin Luther
The Scripture says 'The just shall live by faith' - not by indulgences, not by papal bulls, not by traditions invented by men!
Charles V
Enough. A single friar who opposes all Christendom must surely be wrong. This Diet has heard enough.
Martin Luther
Here I stand. I can do no other. God help me.
Cardinal Archbishop
Then by the authority of His Holiness Leo X, we declare this man excommunicate and a heretic.
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