Opening of the Paris Peace Conference
The Paris Peace Conference officially begins in the Hall of Mirrors at the Palace of Versailles, where Allied leaders gather to negotiate the terms of peace after World War I. The moment is marked by
Setting
The Hall of Mirrors at the Palace of Versailles, a grand and opulent gallery featuring 17 mirrored arches facing 17 windows overlooking the palace gardens. The room is lined with chandeliers and gilded statues, with parquet flooring underfoot.
Characters
Woodrow Wilson
primary
A tall, lean man in his early 60s with a gaunt, angular face, high forehead, and piercing gray-blue eyes. His posture is erect but slightly stiff, with a scholar's bearing. He wears wire-rimmed spectacles that catch the light from the chandeliers. His hair is thinning and gray, combed neatly to the side. His hands are long-fingered and often clasped in front of him, a gesture of deliberation.
Georges Clemenceau
primary
A wiry, sharp-featured man in his late 70s with a prominent mustache and piercing dark eyes that convey both intelligence and relentless determination. His posture remains upright despite his age, exuding an air of unyielding authority. His hands are often clenched, revealing the tension beneath his composed exterior.
David Lloyd George
secondary
A middle-aged Welshman with a wiry frame and sharp, expressive features. His hair is thinning and combed back, with a distinctive white streak at the front. His piercing blue eyes are framed by bushy eyebrows, and he sports a neatly trimmed mustache.
Vittorio Orlando
secondary
A middle-aged man of average height with a stout build, dark receding hair greying at the temples, and a thick mustache. His weary eyes bear the weight of wartime leadership, with deep crow's feet and faint shadows beneath them.
French Diplomatic Aide
background
A young, slender man in his late 20s, with neatly combed dark brown hair and a clean-shaven face. His sharp features and alert, intelligent eyes suggest a keen observer, though his posture remains deferential. His hands are slightly ink-stained from frequent note-taking.
Dialog
Woodrow Wilson
The conscience of the world demands not vengeance, but a peace built upon justice and the self-determination of peoples. The League of Nations must be our covenant.
Georges Clemenceau
Justice? Justice would see Germany repay what she has stolen—in blood and gold. Your League is a pretty dream, Monsieur le Président, but dreams do not rebuild villages.
David Lloyd George
Gentlemen, we are not quarrymen splitting rocks, but architects laying foundations. Too heavy a hand, and the whole structure crumbles.
Georges Clemenceau
Architects? I see masons—and Germany still holds the trowel. Let her feel the weight of the bricks she laid upon France.
Woodrow Wilson
It is incumbent upon us to rise above the passions of the hour. The moral law does not recognize victors and vanquished—only nations bound equally to its principles.
David Lloyd George
The tide cannot be held back by angry hands, but it may yet be channeled. Must we drown the future to punish the past?