You were right, Varinia.
Vengeance alone is not enough.
To become like your enemy is to lose to him.
But what's important isn't our living or our dying,
but this new thing we've created, however briefly.
A world without slaves.
And if you die, who will tell that story?
Live so that I will live.
So that we will live on.
So that it won't be wasted or forgotten.
Did you see the look he gave you, Varinia?
I didn't.
And even if l had, I wouldn't care.
What sort of look?
What look, you? What look?
Ow! [Laughter]
What look?! Varinia!
[Horses Whinny]
[Dog Barks]
Hyah!
[Yelling]
[Screaming]
[Screaming] No!
No! No! No!
[Screaming]
[Yelling]
- [Groaning] - [Screams]
[Screams, Groans]
[Varinia] I made a promise once to tell our story.
It began here in a small village in Gaul where I was born a free woman.
Then the Romans came and destroyed my world and made me a slave.
Nothing and no one could stand against the Romans.
But Rome herself was torn by conflict.
Bloody civil wars raged for years...
between the plebeians and their rivals, the patricians,
led by senators like Marcus Crassus, the richest man in the world.
As a child, he had seen his father murdered in the Forum.
Crassus had risen from the ashes of his family's defeat...
to unlimited wealth and unlimited ambition.
Ambition kept in check only by his rivals, like Antonius Agrippa.
The civil wars were over. Men smiled at one another in public.
But the fighting never stopped.
Agrippa. Fishing for votes?
No, just enjoying our democratic way of life.
A new wine. From Spain.
Delicious. But I like your cupbearer better.
Any news from Spain along with the wine?
A great victory by Pompey. Another?
The man is positively boring in his triumphs.
I shall console myself with the way Crassus must feel. [Chuckles]
[Man] Pompey's no great warrior.
I heard he's got so fat on the riches of his triumphs he can barely ride his horse.
Disparage Pompey all you like but the man gets the job done.
Victory over vermin-ridden Gaulish peasants is hardly the mark of military distinction.
They say he will be consul.
This grape... [Sniffs]
..is not to my satisfaction-- More wine.
I think I'm going to borrow your wife, Cornelius.
[Varinia] The wealth of a man like Crassus could be seen in gold or silver...
but its true measure was in flesh.
Thousands of slaves.
They lived out their short lives in a world of suffering...
at the whim of their masters.
No Roman citizen gave them a second thought.
[Baby Crying]
Look there.
Greetings, citizens.
Today we offer a group of barbarians from Gaul,
courtesy of the great Pompey.
Aye, Batiatus. What brings you up from Capua?
The same thing as you, I would imagine.
My stock needs freshening.
Although how a modest man from the country can bid against a senator--
I might as well go home. A modest man from the country?
Yours is widely known as the finest gladiatorial school in all Italy.
You flatter me. No, not in the least.
Look at this beauty. And a virgin.
A virgin. Given the appetite of our frontier troops, I rather doubt that.
Being a virgin is overrated.
It's just an excuse to inflate the price.
Good teeth.
Wide hips. And an excellent breeder.
Magnificent.
She's easy on the eye, I'll grant you,
but these Gauls have thin blood.
They rarely last the winter. It would be throwing money away.
Why, Batiatus, are you in love?
Don't worry, my friend. I won't bid against you.
Oh, you're too kind, Senator.
Though I may need a favor someday. Oh... Of course. Of course.
- 500 sesterces! - Done!
How can the Senate choose Pompey over you as the next consul?
It would be a close vote.
I bought you a gift.
It's beautiful.
You are too generous. Am I?
Well, I suppose I might be.
[Varinia] In the arms of the richest man in Rome...
- and her husband's best friend... - Show me.
...Helena might be forgiven her ignorance of the origin of that bracelet, its true cost.
What is hell?
Hell is that place where the simplest action becomes painful.
Where it hurts to walk... Move it!
...to breathe, even to think.
The gold mines of Egypt were such a hell.
Among the Thracian slaves condemned to an early death...
there was one who would shake the Roman world.
His name - Spartacus.
[Groaning, Panting]
Pick it up!
[Groaning]
No!
[Roars]
[Laughter Echoing]
Stop!
[Batiatus] So he's a Thracian, yes?
Worse. He's an animal.
Good. That's even better.
This is your lucky day, Thracian.
[Excited Chatter, Laughter]
[Men Grunting]
What kind of a place is this?
[Shouting In Unison]
Move!
[Laughs] Fresh meat!
Shut your hole! Get back to work.
You stink, animals. Clean yourselves.
This way.
[Horse Whinnies]
[Woman Sighs]
I want all these chopped into thin slices. I would not serve this to a dog!
I could get used to this.
I am Gannicus. This is Spartacus.
David the Jew. He never talks. Some say he can't.
You're Thracians?
- The crowd likes Thracians. - Be quiet, Nordo. Eat.
Didn't get your name, friend.
You are not my friend. I don't want to know your name or your story.
Why not?
Because I might meet you in the arena, and then I will kill you.
Why wait?
You'll get plenty of chances to fight.
Save it for when you have no choice. Eat.
You must be the new Thracians, hmm?
I can always tell Thracians. You stink like pigs.
- You must be Crixus. - You've heard of me.
Who hasn't? "Crixus of the big nose." I'm not surprised you could smell us.
[Roars]
[Shouting, Indistinct]
Enough!
To your cells! Now!
Well, move, slaves!
You, Spartacus.
Where did you learn to fight?
When a Roman asks you a question, you answer, slave.
Fighting Romans.
Good day to you, Crassus.
Crassus. What a pleasant surprise.
I had no idea you still partook of such common pleasures as our public baths.
I do not disdain the public.
Ah. You love mankind. It's only people you can't stand.
Now, why is it that those who are most in favor of mob rule...
stand most to benefit from the public's greed and stupidity?
Why is it that the rich are always so keen on reform...
after they've made their fortune and not before?
The republic was a fine form of government when Rome was a backwater city state.
Times have changed. Rome rules the world now.
And one man with a strong vision must rule Rome.
So power... should be wielded by whom?
The educated? The wealthy? The aristocrat? By Crassus?
Or by Pompey?
Well, Plato did say that leadership must be left to the educated.
That leaves Pompey out. Julius Caesar, you mean.
You've heard what they say about him?
"Every woman's man and every man's woman."
[Laughter]
But you're right, Pompey overreaches.
If he's not careful, his head will be found hanging in the Forum...
just like that of your father and your brother.
Was it something I said?
This is the Roman short sword,
the gladius, from which you get your names.
22 inches long. Three pounds in weight.
A stabbing weapon for close work.
You kill a man with this and you can smell his sweat,
taste his breath.
But you sons of whores are not worthy of fighting with the gladius yet.
So you will use these wooden swords...
while I teach you.
You, slave.
Pick it up.
Come at me.
[Groans]
Again.
[Chuckles]
Too slow, slave. Pick it up.
Too slow.
[Groans]
Cinna!
So what do you think of our Thracian slaves? Good, huh?
They have spirit but no real talent.
[Laughs] I see. So you think they're just lucky?
And Cinna,
this boy was very expensive.
Don't damage my property.
Enough! Go! Bring her.
Come.
[Chuckles] Come here.
Very good.
Better.
Come.
Let me smell your hair.
[Sniffs] Oh.
You know, [Whimpers]
I can be a very good master.
Oh, yes. Now, now, now.
Now, kiss me. No!
Kiss me! No!
No! No!
Hold her!
[Varinia] No! No! [Beating Continues, Ripping Fabric]
[Crixus] Hey, Spartacus.
- How's your nose? - You got lucky.
- Do I have to break it again? - [Laughs]
- So where did you fight Romans? - Thrace.
- You? - Gaul, where I was caught.
Then later in Sicily where slaves rebelled.
- You rebelled? - Two times.
The Romans, they were terrified of us. They still are.
[Chuckles] Now they kill a man just for talking about it.
- Why did it fail? - Fighting Romans is like fighting a grist mill.
The stone keeps on turning.
No matter how many times you attack it, in the end it grinds you down to dust.
Faster!
Put your backs into it, you sons of whores!
Why do Africans use the spear and net?
It amuses the Romans to turn us into fishermen.
I was a farmer. I never saw a net until I came here.
Nordo, this man is trouble. Leave him be.
Draba, they ever pit the knife against the spear?
The spear always wins.
Enough talking! Back to work.
Well, move, you scum!
Put your body behind the blow!
Good, Draba! Push him back.
Faster!
Harder! Are you men or are you women?
Tomorrow some of you have the honor...
of fighting in the arena in Capua.
Nothing matters but that you fight well and with courage.
Do this and even the defeated may receive mercy.
However, if that is not your fate...
then the crowd will expect you to meet your death honorably,
in the Roman manner, like this.
Spartacus... kneel.
A defeated gladiator may beg for mercy...
by raising his hand thus.
The death blow is delivered in a single thrust to the neck...
here.
That is how a gladiator...
from the house of Batiatus dies.
[Laughing]
What's the matter, Thracian? Lost your appetite? Eat! Drink!
Tomorrow we die. I'm not dying tomorrow.
The gods decide when we die.
- I don't believe in the gods. - You don't believe in the gods?
When I look at the heavens I see only stars.
Blasphemer! You could be struck down for that.
No bolt of lightning.
- So what do you believe in? - Us.
Our will. We decide when we die and how.
Eat anyway. You'll need your strength for tonight.
- What happens tonight? -War, little Thracian.
Sweet war! [Laughter]
Quiet! Sit down!
A little wisdom.
A man is no good in the arena if his parts shrivel up.
[Laughter] A gladiator is not a litter slave.
He is a man. [All] Yeah!
And a man needs a woman.
[Cheering]
[Hooting, Whistling]
Quiet, quiet.
For those of you who fight tomorrow,
I graciously lend you these lovelies.
Use them well.
And in the morning, show me what men you are!
Cinna!
[Chatter, Laughter]
This is yours.
Idiot! David doesn't fight tomorrow.
Crixus.
You like to play rough, Thracian. Here.
Batiatus asks that she be made more pliant.
See to it.
[Guard] Come here, woman!
[Door Closes]
I'm Spartacus.
What are you called?
[Laughter, Chatter]
You look cold. Here.
The stones are cold at night.
You sleep there. I won't bother you.
[Laughter, Chatter]
[Rooster Crowing, Birds Singing]
[Banging] [Cinna] Wake up, you sons of whores!
Line up by the door!
Move on down there!
My name is Varinia.
Varinia.
[Guard] Come on. Out!
Today you are expected to bring honor...
to the house of Batiatus.
Fail to do so and you will curse the day you were born.
Where are they going? Capua.
They fight today.
The Thracian, the one they call Spartacus. Is he any good?
Couldn't say. He's different, though.
How?
All the gladiators here are strong men. Brave.
But they are still slaves. They accept it. Not him.
He will not last long.
You were with him last night?
Yes and no.
You, girl! Come here!
You will attend me at the games...
but if you give me any trouble,
I promise that our previous encounter will feel like a mother's caress.
Now, go and get yourself cleaned up.
[Cinna] Line up!
¶¶ [Flutes, Percussion]
I appreciate your contribution to my games, Batiatus.
Few people understand the financial burden I'm expected to shoulder...
while on duty in these dreary provinces.
Thank you. And I appreciate the loan of your troops.
Security at an establishment like mine does not come cheaply either.
One hand washes the other.
Of course. More wine!
A perfectly ripened pear.
- Although somewhat bruised. - A problem with discipline.
But we're working on it. Aren't we?
Yes, my Lord.
[Crowd Jeering]
¶¶ [Processional]
- On the cross-- who are they? - Arsonists.
They wear the tunica molesta, soaked in pitch.
Change your mind about the gods?
If there are gods in this world, they're not here.
[Crowd Chanting] Burn! Burn! Burn! Burn!
Burn! Burn! Burn! Burn! Burn! Burn!
[Loud Cheering]
Crixus... [Crowd Cheering]
versus Gaius. [Cheering]
Gannicus... [Cheering]
versus Antonius. [Cheering]
Spartacus... [Cheering]
versus Commodus.
[Cheering]
This new gladiator, Spartacus. Is he really a Thracian...
or are you still passing off Greeks?
He's the real thing, through and through.
- Any good? - Cinna thinks the world of him.
Don't you, Cinna? Very well. A thousand on Spartacus.
[Man] Let's see some killing!
[Groans]
[Roars]
[Groaning]
[Cheering] [Man] Ah, yes!
[Crowd Chanting] Kill! Kill! Kill! Kill!
[Chanting Continues] [Inaudible]
- [Cutting Flesh] - [Crowd Cheering]
Are you hurt?
I thought in the mines I'd seen man at his worst.
I was wrong.
A slave has no choice. Not me.
The ones who watched, took their pleasure in blood and death.
[Cinna] Well, move, slaves! Harder! Faster!
Put your back to it!
Can't you lay with me, Spartacus?
- Is it because Cinna ordered it? - Because Cinna ordered it.
And because Thracian men and women are to remain chaste until married.
- Slaves don't marry. - I would marry you.
Marriage requires a holy man. I thought you didn't believe in the gods.
I believe in what I can see, hear and touch.
My tribe believes man was created by the gods.
That they live in us. We're flesh and blood, that's all.
That is what an animal is. The Romans say that we are animals.
That we are without souls.
- But you are afraid to say that you agree with the Romans. - [Laughs]
I believe that I never met anyone like you, Varinia of Gaul...
and that I love you.
Will you marry me?
On what, then, would you make a vow?
On the blood that flows through my veins and the breath I take,
I will be yours until the day I die,
and in my life there'll be no other but you, I swear.
On the blood that flows in my veins and the breath I take,
I will be yours... Until the day--
until the day I die.
And in the life beyond.
How do you know there is a life after this one? I have faith.
There will be no other man but you.
I swear.
[Crowd Roaring]
- [Grunting] - [Yells]
[Crowd Chanting] Kill! Kill! Kill! Kill!
[Groans]
[Gasping]
[Crowd Chanting] Spartacus! Spartacus! Spartacus!
Master. We have visitors, Master, from Rome.
Cornelius Lucius and his wife, Helena. And Marcus Crassus.
Marcus Crassus is here, and you left him waiting outside?
Oh! Noble Crassus. You do me a great honor, sir.
I am Lentulus Batiatus. Please, sit.
I and my establishment are here to serve you.
Some... Some wine to wash away the dust,
and some honeyed ice, perhaps?
Yes?
How may I serve you? My friends and I would appreciate...
a private showing of a pair of Thracians.
Excellent choice. Your Honor is obviously a connoisseur.
To the death. To the death?
That's an unusual request for a private showing.
I see that's you're joking. That's very good. That's very amusing.
I am not laughing.
Of course you're not. Well, you've asked for Thracians.
That means that you must want good dagger work.
And I have the best in the world.
But if you want to the death, you won't see nuance,
and you won't see subtlety.
Certainly won't see quality. Madam.
I'm not a butcher, sir, I am an artist.
Yes. I want to give you good fighting.
Good fighting. And to the death.
I want to see courage.
I want to see passion.
And above all, I want to see finality.
But to the death will cost you.
- 25,000 denarii. - You could buy an elephant for that.
Done.
And I want no fakery.
No sucking the sand and pretending that they're dying.
If one of them is down, or if both of them are down,
I want one of your trainers to cut their throats.
And they are to understand that.
Now, I shall leave 10,000 on account,
and the rest when we have been satisfied.
Note the Africans.
Theirs is the finest combat and the most skillful but it can be a bore.
It can go on and on.
To see fighting at its best you must see Thracians.
Don't you agree, slave master? Yes, but each kind has its own virtues.
Change of plan.
Match me a Thracian against a black.
With all due respect, my Lord, that is no match.
When a Thracian's dagger is in the net, he's finished.
Yes, perhaps. But the Africans are not noted for their strategic thinking.
Hannibal, of course, being the exception.
I want to see how long a mentally superior...
but lesser armed man can last.
My Lord, that sort of experimentation...
makes for bad blood with the men.
Well, for 25,000 denarii...
I think you can afford to incur a little bad blood.
[Guard] Begin! [Whistle Blowing]
Order!
What is it? What is it?
A private fight.
- Who do you want? - Draba.
[Cinna] Draba!
And David. [Cinna] David!
Now, he's a Jew, yes?
Yes, I know you wanted a Thracian...
No, no, no. This is interesting.
Ever seen a Jew fight? Exceptional with the dagger...
and reputed to be very bright, as well.
- Who else? - Er...
Spartacus...
and Polymus.
Polymus... Spartacus.
Spartacus?
How do you like them?
All-- except that one.
I don't like him.
Forgive me, lady, but that man has been in the ring 12 times.
He's very good, very strong, very quick.
- Who will you match him with? - The African.
[Varinia Muttering Softly]
[Speaking Softly, Indistinct]
What are you doing? Praying.
[Laughs Softly]
How do you pray?
I can show you.
Will you do something for me?
Something that we do in our tribe?
Put your mouth on mine and breathe your soul into me,
and I'll breathe mine into you.
And then for all time our souls will be one.
One soul in two bodies.
[Both Exhaling]
I will come back to you.
If you don't, I will kill you myself.
You have to save your strength for tomorrow.
I am full of strength.
[Breathing Heavily]
[Chatter]
[Chatter Subsides]
Dagger against net and trident. What kind of match is that?
Time.
Time!
¶¶ [Flutes, Percussion]
What are they thinking, I wonder?
Gladiators are animals, pure and simple.
If one thinks of them as people, one loses all perspective.
Is it true what they say about the Jews? How they mutilate their boys?
Would you like to see?
Bring me the Jew before he fights.
Bring the Jew here.
[Cinna] The rest of you, to the House of Expectation.
Unclothe.
They do that to their children?
How beastly.
Perhaps that explains their skill with the knife.
I want the Jew to fight first. Of course, sir.
[Yells]
- Strike! - Kill him! Kill him!
- Kill him. - Kill him, Jew!
Why doesn't he kill him?
Kill him!
Why didn't he finish him?
Don't expect mercy from me out there, Thracian.
Live, Draba.
That's what life is for.
If the gods love you...
you die in childhood.
That was extraordinary.
If the second pair is as good as the first, then I shall be well pleased.
[Chuckles]
Ooh! Look, look. [Laughs]
Strike!
- [Batiatus] Kill him! - [Crassus] Kill him!
Kill him! Kill him!
[Helena] Kill him! [Crassus] Strike now!
- Kill him! - Kill him!
[Helena] Stop him!
Why didn't he kill me?
If he kills me, he lives.
If he turns on the Romans, he dies.
He chooses to die.
Who chooses to die?
Maybe rather than live as a beast,
Draba chose to die as a man.
[Child's Voice Echoing] Father!
[Panting] Shh.
It was just a dream.
No.
I slept until now.
Now I wake.
[Cinna] Move, you dogs! March! I said move!
Move!
Move, you scum!
[Flies Buzzing]
Is it true that Draba didn't kill any of the Romans?
If a man must throw his life away, he could die better than that.
- Will you die any better? - He will die like a dog and so will you. So will we all.
Are you my friend, Crixus?
Was Draba your friend? Yes. And my teacher.
- Did he teach you how to die? - He taught me how to live.
I feed you the best food. I give you women.
You live here like kings in idleness on the fat of the land.
And all I expect is your loyalty and obedience.
And what do I get in return?
Treachery.
Cinna, fetch me a black man.
Kill him.
Now there will be no more trouble. The dogs won't even growl.
Move it, move it, you cows!
[Guard] Move, slaves!
Are we dogs that you snap your whips at us?
- [Cinna] Spartacus! Prepare to die! - Cinna!
[Shouting, Indistinct] What the hell is going on out there?
[Guard] There's too many!
- [Yells] - [Woman] Take this!
[Groaning]
- You taught me well, Cinna. - [Grunts]
- [Cheering] - [Roars]
Quiet!
Let him speak!
Quiet! Listen to Spartacus!
Like you, I've been alone my whole life.
We could never look into each other's eyes.
Living like animals!
Here is the lesson of Draba.
I will be a man.
My life is my brother's.
Live to fight the Romans!
[Cheering]
Smash the gates!
Master! The gladiators! They have revolted!
Don't just stand there like a drooling idiot. Help me!
[Soldier] Field formation!
Go get my litter. We have to get to Capua.
To the garrison. Go!
[Slave] To victory!
Free men and women, listen to me! We must get ready.
Nordo, can you open the armory?
- If I have to break the door with my teeth. - Spartacus, look.
David, go.
Go. Talk to them.
What do you want me to say?
Invite our brothers to join us.
- Gifts! I bring gifts! - [Cheering]
Freedom for you and your children! Come, join us!
Freedom for you! Join us!
Spartacus always said that you would speak some day.
David, Varinia.
Come. You'll tell me later.
There's one more thing I need to do.
Maecenus! Maecenus!
Oh, thank you, thank you. You've got to stop them.
Where is that slave scum headed? In the hills to the south of here.
There's a lot of valuable property. You must save something!
Too late for that. Double time! March!
Please.
[Chanting Rhythmically]
Come. Let's go. Look at them.
They're so eager and arrogant, they've lost their formation.
So?
So if attacked, they'd have to fight man to man.
And who fights better man to man than gladiators, huh?
Crixus, Nordo...
we have guests.
Should we not greet them?
[Laughing]
[Shouting]
[Soldier] Retreat!
Apparently there has been an uprising of gladiators in Capua.
The entire garrison has been slain...
and the slaves have taken to the hills, where their revolt spreads.
This is what I am talking about. This is why we need strong leadership.
I propose that we send the city cohorts to crush this rebellion immediately.
The entire garrison of Rome?
Are you out of your mind? To fight slaves?
How many of these dangerous creatures are there? Who are they led by?
It is a job for an overseer and a pack of dogs.
They massacred the entire Capua garrison.
The garrison at Capua,
forgive my bluntness, but an effete band of pretend soldiers.
A slave rebellion is never a simple affair. We all remember Sicily.
Twice the slaves attacked.
The second time, they seized the entire island for over a year!
This particular revolt is taking place...
a mere 100 miles from where we now sit and squabble.
Are you suggesting that we recall a legion from the frontier?
- Pompey, perhaps? - And wait weeks for him?
Will the slaves wait? I don't think so.
We must deal with this matter promptly before it gets out of hand.
But the entire city cohorts?
Three. Three full cohorts.
Under whose command?
I realize that it is not customary for a man to put his own name forward.
Then please do not break precedent.
I was about to suggest that the cohorts be sent...
under the able command of Titus Glabrus.
My Lord, I hardly know what to say.
Thank you for your confidence in me.
If it is the will of the Senate and the people of Rome, then I accept.
If it is indeed the will of the Senate,
then, Titus Glabrus, go with our blessings.
Fall upon this rabble with all the weight and majesty of Roman law.
We will march across the world and turn it over, stone by stone!
¶¶ [Percussion, Pipes]
Look at them.
They think the war is all won. It hasn't even started.
How are we going to feed them or clothe them,
much less train them to fight the Roman Empire?
By teaching them to share the burden.
Like free men.
¶¶ [Fanfare]
Why did you propose Glabrus? He's as thick as he is vain.
- But politically dependable. - Why didn't you put yourself forward?
Agrippa would have blocked me out of spite.
Besides, there's little honor in defeating slaves...
and terrible shame if one fails.
If Glabrus succeeds,
well, a minor rebellion is put down and he owes me a favor.
If he fails, the whole city will be panicked.
And the Senate will finally embrace a more permanent system of leadership.
Fear isn't a bad thing, Caius.
It makes for a more malleable electorate.
Crassus says he wants to be consul...
in order to restore the former glory of Rome.
But really he wants to transform the consul into a more permanent position-- Emperor.
The day that Crassus becomes consul...
is the day the Roman republic dies.
The time has come to make some decisions.
- We must leave? - And go where?
- I want to go home. - Everywhere is the same as here.
Everywhere it is master and slave.
I go where I go. No man tells Crixus what to do anymore.
Come down, Crixus.
This is Crixus the Gaul.
Maybe the strongest man among us. [Murmuring]
But still, he's only one man.
Can you bend this?
Now all of these. [All Gasping]
[Grunting]
We are like the arrows.
Separately, we're weak.
But together, we're invincible.
And that's why the Romans worked so hard to divide us tribe by tribe and country by country.
- We're one tribe, then? - [All] Yes!
Is that your will? [All] Yes!
[Woman] Who will lead us?
Stand up if you want to lead.
Spartacus.
[All] Spartacus! Spartacus! Spartacus!
If that is your wish.
But so one man doesn't become a tyrant, we need laws.
- What are they? - Whatever we take we hold together.
No man owns anything but his own weapon.
We could be rich with the gold we take. [Man] We'll make the Romans our slaves!
- Yeah! - I will not be a slave owner!
Slavery is an evil.
An evil that turns all men slaves and slave masters into animals.
There will be equality and justice between man and woman.
We're one tribe, then? [All] Yes.
- One people? - [All] Yes!
Is that your will?
It is my will.
[David] It is my will.
It is my will.
[All Murmuring] It is my will.
Then this is what we'll do.
We'll go from plantation to plantation, from house to house,
free the slaves, and fight anyone who tries to stop us.
And we'll make an end to Rome and build a new world...
where there'll be no more slaves and no more masters!
- What is going on up there? - Some plantation is burning the stubble.
There's too much smoke for that.
- Then there's a forest fire or something. - Tell them to go faster.
- Helena! - Faster!
Why are you stopping? What is the meaning of this?
Whoever you are, you are blocking the path of a citizen of Rome.
Move out of the way.
Pick up your litters!
- Pick up your litters! - [Helena Screams]
Glabrus wishes us to know that while he has not yet encountered the brigands,
evidence of their atrocities is everywhere.
"We have heard that any slave who does not join their ranks is put to the sword...
"and any Roman unfortunate enough to encounter them...
"meets a fate worse than death.
"It is with great regret that I report the murders of numerous nobles,
"including Cornelius Lucius and his wife Helena."
[Gasps]
Helena and Cornelius Lucius?
Are you sure? That is what it says.
"The rebels' leader is Spartacus, a gladiator from Thrace.
"He has led them to Mount Vesuvius.
"It is there that I intend to trap and dispose of them.
"Rest assured, I am mindful that I carry in my hands...
"the glory and majesty that is Rome.
"Titus Glabrus."
- So we're to be equals, are we? - Does that trouble you?
Well, I'll do what I can to raise myself but I make no promises.
You'd better. A child needs a father it can look up to.
What?
A child? We're going to have a child? [Varinia Squeals]
The slave army is climbing the north wall of the mountain, my Lord.
A little less liberal use of the term "army," if you don't mind.
- Sorry, my Lord. - We'll camp here for tonight.
Why don't we push on, my Lord?
Cut off the slaves before the mountains?
It's cold, I'm tired and I'm hungry. We'll camp here.
I like it. It's light but it's strong.
Spartacus, we need to talk.
This is a war council. What's a woman doing here?
She has every right.
Do women lead your armies? Is that why Jews squirm under the Roman thumb?
What's the excuse of the Gauls?
David has news for us.
Three cohorts of Roman soldiers are on the road below us.
We're trapped. They're so confident, they haven't built a stockade.
1500 men.
I knew it. I knew this would happen, Thracian, but you insisted.
"The people are tired. They need rest."
Well, the dead rest forever.
You must have known they would follow us. How do we get off this mountain?
What's your plan?
- I don't have one. - You don't have a plan?
From the moment I stood up in the training yard, I've only thought of the next move.
- You must have an idea. - Why must I?
I'm no different from any of you. Isn't that the point? That we're all equal?
- Yes, but-- - So one of you figure it out!
He'll be fine.
They chose you as their leader. I didn't ask for that.
No, but you didn't decline it either.
And why should you? You're the only possible choice.
But now the time to lead has come. When I was alone,
all I had to lose was my own life.
Now I have the lives of hundreds.
Your life.
Our child's.
I have faith that you'll find the answer. Where?
Within the soul you say I have? Yes.
You may not have chosen this moment, Spartacus.
But it seems that this moment has chosen you.
My Lord, is it true that you have given the troops permission to camp...
without building fortifications?
The men are tired and I am tired.
When a Roman army bivouacs it is customary to build a fort.
It's just a handful of rotten slaves facing the same conditions we are.
With women and children and a tenth of our equipment.
A little while ago some of you were asking me if l had a plan.
And the plan is this. We will attack first.
David, hold your men outside the camp until you hear my cry,
and then charge in like the dogs of hell.
If these don't hold, I'll kill you myself.
- If these don't hold, you won't have to kill me. We'll all be dead. - [Laughs]
Come on.
You can tell us now.
You are safe here.
I was asleep.
- I woke up to screaming. - [Screaming]
The sound of screaming.
- I was screaming. - [Groaning]
Their men were everywhere, like ravenous beasts.
And their women followed, feeding like harpies on the wounded.
The killing went on and on.
Toward the end, our men began to throw down their weapons and plead for their lives...
but there was no mercy.
How is it that you were spared?
I don't know why they chose me, my Lord.
All I know is, I was brought before their leader.'
My name is Spartacus. I have a message for your Senate.
Tell them that we, the slaves, say the Roman way is corrupt and dead.
We want nothing from you. Leave us alone.
But if you come after us again, we will destroy you all.
By all that Rome holds sacred,
I will see her honor restored.
I will not rest...
until this Spartacus...
hangs, crucified, at the gates of Rome.
Move and kill! Move and kill!
Again.
Move and kill! Move and kill! Faster!
They're looking better. Against wooden posts.
We'll see what they're like when the target fights back.
- Orsino is here. - The Sicilian pirate?
What do we have to talk to him about?
A lot.
The key would help.
Spartacus.
I could tell at once. You have such an air of command about you.
You here to do business or flatter me?
[Whistles Softly]
You've done well.
We like to think of it as back wages, long owed.
Is it enough to buy us passage out of here?
- For yourself? - For all of us.
[Exhales]
If you were to take us beyond the borders of the empire, they wouldn't follow.
It would require a great many ships and make me many enemies in Rome.
- So how many trunks of gold? - At least five more like this.
When we are ready, how do I signal you?
Get to the coast and fly this where it can be seen from the sea.
Take it.
A gift for our new alliance.
I'll take it as a down payment.
I'd better get some help.
That was a fortune you just gave away.
We can't eat gold, nor will it keep a sharp edge.
Crixus, let's keep this arrangement among ourselves for now.
- We can't trust that man. - Orsino or Crixus?
Either one.
[Yelling] [Pounding]
- Everyone out! - [Slaves Yelling]
Hyah! Hah!
Over the walls!
[Yelling]
- Follow me! - [Groaning]
[Screams]
[Varinia] As word spread of the revolt, slaves from all over the country ran away...
and flocked to join Spartacus.
We all knew there was no turning back.
It was freedom or death.
And so we marched from city to city, [Yelling]
taking what we needed for the day we might be free.
But the fight for freedom was tainted by revenge.
- No mercy was shown to those who fell into in our hands. - [Screams]
Is this wise?
If they obey the laws we made, it's better to let them have their way.
We're still a mob.
- Take everything! - Making an army will take time.
Intelligence reports the slaves are squatting on the coast at Nola.
We must attack and annihilate them. With what?
Thanks to your haste, we'll be three months rebuilding the garrison.
- Glabrus was the wrong commander. - Your choice as I recall, Senator.
- My choice by default. There were and are better options. - Pompey, for example.
Recalling him will jeopardize the Spanish campaign.
I haven't your experience in the field. Oh, wait...
- Yes, that's right. You have none. - [Laughter]
Very well. For now, let us focus on Rome's defenses.
We cannot, however, under any circumstances allow the slaves to escape.
I say we march on Rome! [Cheering]
There are 16 cohorts in Rome.
We were outnumbered at Vesuvius, and now their bones rot in the fields.
But taking a city is different than ambushing a sleeping cohort...
that's too lazy to build a proper camp.
We have no siege equipment.
We can build it. [All] Yes!
And while we do that, what will Rome do?
Recall their legions. The real soldiers.
Not these city boys who play at soldiers.
I say we march north towards Transalpine Gaul,
and over the mountains to freedom.
Rome is north.
And when we march past we'll thumb our noses at them.
[Chatter]
There are many cities between here and the Alps. Not just Rome.
And many of them would be more than happy...
- to pay us our back wages. - Then we march!
[Cheering]
Yesterday, you had your fun with me in the Senate.
Today, let's get down to business.
This Spartacus is turning a rabble into a real army.
I don't think that we can count on him...
doing anything as ill-conceived or impetuous as attacking Rome.
Still, it would probably be wise,
as someone has already suggested,
to strengthen the city walls.
Those would be large contracts.
Plenty enough to go around.
But if you really want to be confident about Rome's security--
I cannot support your bid for consulship.
General of the next army sent against Spartacus.
60/40 on the contracts.
I make no promises.
I also think we should make an example.
There are 100,000 slaves in Rome...
and they have all heard the story of Spartacus.
What do you propose that we do?
I say we make the price of rebellion painfully clear.
What is it?
[Panting] 200 Roman slaves...
picked at random...
and burned alive this morning.
Hold, Crixus.
We can't sacrifice everyone to save a few.
We're moving on.
[Groans] The stench is appalling.
Breathe deeply, Flavius.
This is the smell of Crassus' new world order.
Although it goes beyond anything I would have thought him capable of.
[Thunder Rumbling]
I'm sorry. The child is dead.
Varinia? She must rest.
[Breathing Rapidly]
Our son. No.
You're alive. That's what matters most.
I have failed you.
There will be others. I promise.
[Sobbing]
Our scouts indicate that the slave army is headed toward the Alps.
But what message does that send...
to the hundreds of thousands of slaves in the republic if we just let them go?
It pains me to say it, but Crassus is right.
We have to stop Spartacus.
But no more city cohorts.
We must bring down the sixth and the seventh legion from Transalpine Gaul.
Frontier troops.
The slaves have never encountered experienced soldiers before.
Agreed.
And we might even go one step further...
and say that such experienced troops...
require a commander of firm resolve and unshakable dedication,
which is why I nominate as general...
Publius Maximus.
[Assembly Muttering In Agreement]
I never promised you leadership of the new army.
Did it ever occur to you that I might be exactly what Rome needs right now?
If Spartacus defeats this army and turns on Rome,
where will your precious little democracy be then?
It reminds me of the Nestos Valley where I grew up.
I thought you didn't remember anything about Thrace.
I remember a few things.
Our farm. Sheep and goats.
You still have kin there? No.
I know that your mother died in childbirth but you never talk of your father.
My father's dead too.
How? He was the village headsman.
The Romans crucified him because our people were late with their taxes.
We have never talked of where you and I will go once we leave here.
We haven't left yet. And at this rate...
Did you notice on the road how quiet it was?
The slaves have stopped joining us.
They're afraid.
Rome has made its decision.
They won't let us go without a fight.
We saw two full legions encamped less than ten miles north of here.
Can we get around them? They've blocked all major passes.
[Spartacus] Their general? [Gannicus] Publius Maximus.
[Spartacus] What do we know about him?
[Gannicus] He runs his army firmly. Fierce but unimaginative.
[David] Two legions. [Spartacus] Frontier soldiers.
We'd better start fighting early or we’ll still be killing them by moonlight.
[Spartacus] We won't surprise this army at night like the last one.
This battle is on their terms.
How do we fight that?
I remember a story about Hannibal fighting a rock.
A foolish tale. Tell me.
In the Alps, Hannibal's army came to a pass blocked by a huge rock.
No way around it. For three days and nights he thought.
And then it came to him.
He ordered fires built against the rock.
The wood that they had carried for themselves was sacrificed to the rock.
Oh, how the people cried.
But when the fires burnt out,
he ordered vinegar to be poured on the hot rock.
And?
- It cracked. - [Laughs]
Nordo, you're a genius.
You cannot beat the rock...
unless you use the strength of the rock against itself.
The advantage of the Roman army is size and discipline.
But if you force their lines together,
their strength becomes their weakness. The rock will break against itself.
If the slaves don't move out soon, drive them out with the archers.
Gannicus, your cavalry will attack the Roman cavalry on the wings,
and destroy them or draw them away.
Next, we drive off their skirmishers with slings and arrows,
and then you, David, will charge the center.
On my signal, break ranks in the middle of your line...
and make them believe you're running for your life.
The Romans expect us to run and will charge after you into the center.
Crixus, wait for my signal-- not a moment before.
Enough talk. Let's fight.
Tell the skirmishers to move forward. Skirmishers!
[All Chanting, Indistinct]
[Chanting Continues]
Send in the first line. First line!
[Horn Blowing]
Hyah!
- [Chanting] - Since when do slaves fight with cavalry?
Stop the Romans!
[Grunting]
[Yells]
[Commander] Cavalry back!
[Screaming, Grunting]
Slings and arrows!
[Grunting]
- Now! - [Yelling]
[Publius] Hold your position!
[Soldier] Stand firm!
Kill him!
- They're killing them! - Stay where you are!
Signal the retreat!
- [Blows Horn] - Pull back! Pull back!
They're breaking, my Lord. Finally.
Allow them men to follow at will. And take no prisoners!
[Shouting]
[All Chanting, Indistinct]
[Chanting Continues]
[Rhythmic Rattling]
Charge! [Yells]
Come on!
I killed him! Publius Maximus is dead!
[Shouts]
[Cheering]
[Flies Buzzing]
[Horse Whinnies]
Where is the rest of the Roman cavalry?
-Those we didn't kill, we drove off. - In which direction?
South, I think.
We've left the camp unguarded! Give me your horse!
Hyah!
Whoa! Varinia!
[Spartacus] Varinia!
[Panting] We fought back as best we could.
We... We...
It's all right.
- What are you doing out here? - Thinking.
You shouldn't be off by yourself like this.
Am I in danger?
She's carrying my child.
I was trying to pray but I don't know who to pray to.
My people pray to a god who doesn't answer.
Who leaves it up to us to decide how to behave.
A good god for a free man.
Not when answers are what you need.
Maybe that's the price we pay to live in a world where we get to choose.
- What is it? - Crixus.
Why should we leave?
Rome threw their best at us and we slaughtered them.
We cannot fight the whole Roman army.
Let them come. I will hammer them to an early grave.
And when we've destroyed their armies, we will be kings!
[Cheering]
[Slave #1] We are with you! [Slave #2] Yeah!
Unless, of course, you haven't got the stomach for it.
In that case, run away.
No one here will stop you.
If we separate we will be destroyed.
No.
Crixus is right.
He is right!
How clearly my wise brother Crixus sees the future.
Why should we run? But let's not settle for a little plunder.
Let's turn south, march to the sea and cross the straits to Sicily.
The slaves there will surely join us,
and we'll be kings of the island, the breadbasket of Rome.
And they'll come crawling to us, begging for mercy.
- Who is with me? - [Cheering]
Spartacus.
Who is he?
What kind of man am I dealing with?
Everybody blames me for this mess.
Nobody has suffered like I have.
I'm ruined. I've lost everything.
My villa burned down, my slaves run away,
the school and 30 years of work destroyed.
Perhaps this will ease your suffering.
Thank you, my Lord.
Spartacus? Oh, yes, yes.
Um, you met him once,
Spartacus.
He was one of two pairs you hired a year ago...
to entertain Cornelius and Helena Lucius.
Terrible thing, their murder.
I never trusted him. My trainer, Cinna, thought the world of him...
but I always thought that he was trouble.
Too much pride.
I heard rumors that Spartacus was wed.
[Laughs] You mean Varinia?
That bitch from hell disguised as an angel.
I never get sentimental about slaves.
I mean, they're animals, nothing more.
But those two, they worked something out.
You could see it when they looked at one another.
How did he become a slave?
They say that as a young boy,
he watched his father crucified.
His father.
If we split up before we're ready for Orsino, we're doomed.
Our strength is in our numbers.
We could go.
Just you and I. Leave them to this madness if that's what they want.
We are entitled to a life.
These people put their trust in me.
How can I desert them?
You are an honorable man.
But if you are dead it will be of little comfort to your son.
What else do I have to leave him but my honor?
Two legions destroyed!
And now the slave army, glutted with blood and victory,
turns south, perhaps to sack Rome herself.
We have listened to the fainthearted for too long.
No more half measures.
I pledge upon the sacred honor of my ancestors...
to raise and equip six full legions at my own expense.
I will lead this army myself,
and I will stamp out this rebellion for once and for all.
[Senator] Yes! [Senators Shouting] Yes! Yes! Yes!
Noble Senators!
Do not rise to this honeyed bait!
What Crassus proposes is nothing less than a private army...
answerable only to himself.
Consider the consequences to the republic...
if one man were to be given such terrible power.
Consider the consequences if Spartacus gets inside these city walls.
This is no longer a mere question of pride...
or economic impact.
Our national security is at stake. Our very lives.
Only a fool or a traitor could possibly oppose such measures.
[Senator] Yes! [All] Crassus! Crassus!
Soldiers of Rome,
never before...
has the republic been more in need of your courage,
your strength, your determination.
Our lives, our families,
civilization itself,
stands at an abyss,
upon the brink of destruction.
And I say to you,
let every man here today simply do his duty,
as I have no doubt he will,
and we will defeat the evil at hand.
History has given us this role,
and we will fulfill it.
There can be no hiding place...
for those who would strike terror...
into the heart...
of the greatest nation known to man!
Three cheers for Marcus Crassus, the savior of Rome!
[All] Crassus! Crassus! Crassus!
Don't the legions traditionally cheer Rome when they depart?
Crassus thinks he is Rome.
We may win this battle with the slaves...
but lose the war over Rome's soul.
We need to enlist some allies.
Caesar will help.
He has a much more practical approach to politics.
You mean he can be bought.
Contact him, Flavius.
Tell him...
I wish to correspond with Pompey the Great.
[Crowd Chanting] Crassus! Crassus! Crassus! Crassus! Crassus!
We will meet in three months,
and then you will ferry the army across the straits to Sicily.
I suggest we meet at Calabria.
There are no Roman garrisons and I can bring the boats close to shore,
where it will be easier to load your people.
The next installment.
The rest you get when we reach Sicily.
[Men Groaning]
Orsino?
If you betray us, I'll find you wherever you go,
- and I'll kill you myself. - Unless you are killed.
Glabrus and Publius Maximus underestimated me too.
It didn't end well for them.
I have no reason to betray you, Spartacus.
You are richer than any Roman, and far more generous.
Spartacus, Rome has sent a new army against us.
I think you'd better see this one for yourself.
[David] The camp looks heavily fortified.
How many legions? I count six standards.
- Commander? - We caught one of their scouts.
Their general is Marcus Crassus.
Crassus.
You're uneasy, my Lord?
He's out there... somewhere, as we speak.
The slaves took over a fort barely ten miles from here.
- Their scouts are watching us. - No. No, no.
He is watching us.
Spartacus.
I can feel him.
[Panting]
Spartacus.
- Attack! Attack! Attack! - Is that your answer for everything?
It is the warrior's answer, not the slave's.
Have a care, Gaul, how you talk to me or I'll cut that throat.
Enough.
We dealt with Publius. We can deal with this.
Publius was nothing compared to this.
And how do you know?
We've met this man.
He paid a fortune to watch men from different tribes fight to the death.
[Grunting, Groaning]
This is a merciless, calculating man commanding the best army money can buy.
But he still bleeds red, and I say attack!
And I say no, and I'm still the commander!
For now. For now!
When it's time to fight, we'll be glad he fights with us.
Our position is good.
I say we wait and let Crassus come to us.
He's picked a good solid defensive position and he shows no signs of leaving it.
He wants us to come to him. And we will.
Is that wise? Both Glabrus and Publius played into his hands.
Exactly.
I will advance as he expects me to, with three full legions,
the arrogant Roman falling into his trap.
However, you and Mummius will take the other three legions behind him.
We will penetrate his defenses from front and behind,
and trample them like daisies.
Listen.
Do not, under any circumstances, attack without my command.
Crassus has mobilized, his men are marching against us.
They don't seem to be in any hurry to get here.
[Soldier] Halt! Have the men rest for an hour.
I don't want them tired, I want fresh limbs for the slaughter.
Mummius and Servius must be given plenty of time to get into position.
Yes, my Lord. Stand the men down!
[Chatter]
Look at them. They have no idea we're here.
[Soldier] I'll send word to Crassus.
Why share the glory that could be ours alone?
Spartacus!
We're being flanked! They're attacking from the rear!
But in order to do that he had to split his forces.
- How long before they reach our front lines? - Two, maybe three hours.
Time enough.
Grab your weapons!
You come in good time. The attack begins shortly!
My Lord, the troops under Servius and Mummius have been destroyed.
The generals have been taken prisoner.
[Chatter, Laughter]
[Crixus] We have your generals, Crassus!
[Slave #1] Where's your great Roman army now, Crassus?
[Slave #2] What's next?
[Men Shouting, Laughing]
- [Crixus] You're next, Crassus! - Tell the men to withdraw!
What shall we do with these great Roman generals?
- Kill them. - [All] Kill them! Kill them!
Kill them?
Who would throw away a fortune?
Aristocrats. Sons of important families.
What would Rome pay to have them back?
[Slave] We could live well on the ransom.
You speak of ransom like we're thieves.
These men made whores of our daughters and gladiators of our sons.
We had to fight for their entertainment. They should fight for ours!
[Cheering] Fight!
[Cheering Continues]
This isn't justice.
This is revenge.
Don't lie to yourselves.
Do this and you'll become what Rome tried to make you-- animals!
- Fight! - [Cheering]
There can be no greater shame...
for a Roman soldier...
than cowardice in the face of the enemy.
Our founding fathers understood this...
and they had an answer for it.
Decimation.
[Shouting, Cheering]
Count off!
[Crowd Chanting] Fight! Fight! Fight!
[Slave] Fight like men!
[Shouts]
[Screams, Groans]
[Chanting] Kill! Kill! Kill!
Every tenth man step forward.
Now wipe away the shame...
that stains your honor and the glory of Rome.
You executed 150 of your own men?
Roman citizens.
Discipline distinguishes the Roman army...
from every other army in the world.
Discipline or brutality?
And where is Spartacus now?
Traveling south, tracked by my troops.
His goal remains unclear.
But I believe that he means to move against Sicily.
Noble Senators, we need not dwell long on noble Crassus' failure.
Let him retire in disgrace...
and let us recall Pompey and Lucullus at once.
Recall them as you wish...
but retire me...
at your own peril.
It will take weeks for Pompey to move his troops.
Do you think that Spartacus will sit...
and wait patiently for him to arrive?
He is...
a contaminating parasite!
And he crawls from limb to limb...
and organ to organ...
until the great body of this republic...
has been brought to its knees.
Now then,
I may not meet Agrippa's exalted standards as commander in chief...
but for better or for worse I am your only miracle.
I am your only cure.
It's all a bluff on Crassus' part, don't you think? He's beaten.
For someone who's just suffered a humiliating defeat,
he seems very sure of himself.
Crassus has something up his sleeve.
The question is, what?
Orsino. May I offer you something to eat?
No. Thank you.
I had just finished my lunch when your... invitation arrived.
Sit down.
I expect that you're aware of our dilemma with the so-called slave army?
Along with the rest of the world.
I have concluded that the slave general, Spartacus,
intends to leave by sea. Why would you conclude that?
Because it's all he can do.
And because he seems to show an inordinate interest in plunder,
leading me to wonder what he is planning to buy or whom.
I'm afraid I can't help you.
Yes, you can. You will.
I can't believe you'd disturb the understanding...
between my people and yours for a group of slaves.
Consider the long-range costs.
Spartacus will leave the country or he will die.
Either way, he will be gone.
Where as Rome and I shall still be here.
And you will be made to suffer the consequences.
- [Laughs] Rome has no navy. - I'll build one!
Because either you are with me or you are against me.
The coastline of Calabria.
[Shouting]
Set up the signal. Let them know we are here.
[David] How long will it take them to get here?
By tomorrow. Time enough for us to catch our breath.
Hurry up or I'll have the lot of you whipped!
Get that in here!
[Soldier] Get it in place, you dogs!
You, move that stuff over!
[Soldier] Put your back into it!
Spartacus!
They've gone.
It's a trap.
It's a trap!
[Centurion] Archers!
I've got you now, you son of a whore.
Get back to work!
Fight, starve, or surrender. Those are our choices.
We're trapped. We'll never get past that wall.
Perhaps we can make a deal.
[Centurion] Rider approaching!
Stand down! [Centurion] Hold your weapons!
Spartacus.
I'm told I saw you fight once.
I remember. I don't particularly, but then...
I have seen so many gladiatorial contests...
and all slaves do look alike.
Except the one who cuts your throat.
Well, I wouldn't try that. There are archers on the walls behind me.
You wouldn't stand a chance.
I have a proposition for you. My people go free.
They leave the Roman Empire and I surrender to you.
[Laughs]
I can't accept those conditions.
Unconditional surrender for all of you-- man, woman and child.
Spartacus...
where did you acquire the arrogance to believe...
that you could possibly challenge the undefeated Roman Empire?
I have you to thank.
That day at Capua.
Drab-- the man who tried to spear you.
I don't understand. He inspired you?
He showed me how to fight back.
But you, Roman, you gave me a reason.
I don't need to negotiate. Your food can't last,
you've nowhere to run, nowhere to hide.
- And I have all the time in the world. - Do you?
My scouts tell me that Pompey has been recalled.
What glory will be left for you when he arrives?
I will destroy your army...
and then I will wipe away even the memory of your existence...
from the face of this earth.
- That is your fate. - And this is yours.
[Screams]
Help me!
For the love of Rome, Marcus!
[Cheering]
I will cut down every tree in this land...
and then I will erect crosses enough for you and your mongrel tribe.
Look for me in battle, Roman.
- I'll be looking for you. - I'm yours.
[Screams]
[Servius Screams Echoing]
How could you do this? How could you crucify?
The Romans need to be reminded that we are not beaten.
And our people need to be reminded of the price of defeat.
You're becoming one of them.
I'm not the oppressor. That justifies it?
- We were fighting for more than our lives. - This is about survival.
Yours, mine, our child's, everyone's.
And I will do what I must to assure that.
Speak for yourself.
For me? For our son?
It's not worth it.
They need to be light. Light but strong.
These need to be longer. 15 feet will do it.
Get it done.
Very low.
[Gasping]
[Gasps]
My Lord, they're attacking the wall!
Where? North. Near the Bay of Euphemia.
Move all of our available troops there.
Now! Yes.
Sound the alarm!
[Horn Blowing]
Weapons ready!
Wait!
Wait.
- It's not him. - [Centurion] Lower your arms!
[Mooing]
[Laughing]
[Laughing, Sobbing]
[Laughing]
And while Crassus was distracted by the flaming livestock,
the army of Spartacus climbed the walls and escaped.
I'd have paid a lot to see Crassus' face when he found that out.
Meanwhile, Pompey has landed at Minturnae.
If l may ask what it cost? Well, it was very expensive...
but it was worth it.
Pompey will defeat Spartacus and then claim all the credit, as usual.
Crassus will be denied his victory.
And if we're very lucky...
Spartacus will defeat them both.
[Gannicus] To the south, Crassus follows close.
While to the north Pompey and his legions have landed.
- We should turn and attack. - Attack Crassus? Insane.
Not Crassus or Pompey, but Rome.
It's the last thing they'd expect. With good reason.
You won't scale Rome's walls with a rope and a ladder.
No. We will march north.
Avoid Pompey, and get over the Alps,
- like we should have done before. - So it's my fault, is it?
- Who led us into the trap at Rhegium? - Orsino.
No. Spartacus.
- You chose me as your leader! - Well, no more!
In my tribe, any man can challenge to be king.
No, David, this is my fight.
Put your weapons down, this is foolish. I beg you, don't do this.
You were right, it was always going to come to this.
- [Grunts] - [Groans]
We need you, Crixus.
Crixus doesn't need you. Crixus doesn't need anyone!
Where will you go? Where my feet take me.
Have you enough food? What we don't have, the Romans will give us.
We made Rome tremble, didn't we?
Who else can say that?
No one.
We march!
[Baby Crying, Dogs Barking]
My Lord, all the Gauls under Crixus have left Spartacus' army.
- They're marching away. - Where are the Gauls headed?
They're making camp by Lake Lucania.
And with Pompey at least two days' march away, he can't know this.
[Groaning]
[Screaming]
[Screams Echoing]
[Varinia] It's not your fault.
He chose his own path.
I failed him.
I failed you all.
Lucullus and five legions have landed at Brindisium,
a day's march north and east of here.
We might have been able to slip past Pompey...
but not both Pompey and Lucullus.
We can't go forward. We can't go back.
And we can't wait for these three armies to join...
or we'll be crushed between them.
Tomorrow we'll turn and attack Crassus.
Maybe we can catch him off guard.
He who stops to loot is executed.
Nothing slows us down.
The child is well?
I think he will be a blacksmith, the way he hammers on me.
I want you to promise that whatever happens to me tomorrow,
that you will live.
That you won't take your own life.
And be a slave again? You haven't the right to ask that of me.
But I do. There is no life without you.
I am not important. Not to me?
Not to your son?
You were right, Varinia.
Vengeance alone is not enough.
To become like your enemy is to lose to him.
And what's important isn't our living or our dying...
but this new thing we've created, however briefly.
A world without slaves.
And if you die, who will tell that story?
Live so that I will live.
So that we will live on.
So that it won't be wasted or forgotten.
And I promise you,
I'll always be with you.
Look. That's where I will be.
Know that I'll always be there.
- Forgive me, I overslept. - [Laughter]
We brought you a present.
- He's beautiful. - Fit for a king.
I'm not a king.
I'm something better.
A free man.
I thank you for your generosity.
But I'll fight beside you and your fate will be mine.
If we win, we'll each have a horse of our own.
And if we lose, we won't need them.
[Laughter]
You're the finest soldiers in the world.
And it has been an honor to fight with you!
[Shouting]
Spartacus!
[All Chanting] Spartacus! Spartacus! Spartacus!
[Chanting, Indistinct]
This is Crixus' way of battle.
No fancy tactics.
Head on. One strong arm against another.
[Chanting]
Don't be greedy! Crassus is mine!
[Laughter]
For Rome!
Spartacus...time to die!
Freedom!
[Shouting]
The baby! It's started.
It's all right.
[Centurion] Release!
[Groans, Screams]
[Groaning]
[Screams]
[Inaudible]
Spartacus, you have a son.
[Screaming]
[Soldier] We found her! We found the wife of Spartacus!
Take the baby. No!
Stay!
[Gasping, Panting]
Varinia.
[Baby Crying] No!
Shh.
No!
No! [Sobs]
[Crying]
We think he was a close friend of Spartacus.
What is your name?
Speak!
[Sighs]
I won't lie to you. You're going to die.
But yours can be a painless death. I can do that.
[Beating Continues]
Crucify the prisoners.
My Lord, there are upwards of 6,000.
All of them.
Yes, my Lord.
You will watch them die...
and you will be the last.
And when you are nailed to the cross and hanging there...
I will be there.
My Lord, Pompey's troops are nearby and have captured those slaves who escaped.
Pompey is on his way to Rome to claim your victory as his own.
[All Chanting] Pompey! Pompey!
I merely did what any son of Rome would do.
You do me too much honor. They were just slaves, after all.
Senators, we must not in this overlook the noble Crassus.
Caesar makes an excellent point.
Crassus has certainly played a part, oh, a very workmanlike role.
And he certainly deserves some public recognition.
Not a triumph perhaps.
Er...maybe an ovation, our secondary honor,
such as we sometimes give to a victorious athlete.
[Pompey] Indeed. Now is the time to be generous.
An ovation for Crassus.
I have fielded and equipped...
six full legions.
I have led them in battle myself.
I've endured innumerable hardships.
And l have stamped out...
the greatest threat that Rome has known since Carthage.
And I am...to be rewarded...
with some trivial, secondary honor?
Senators, this is a day for Rome to rejoice.
For Romans to forget our differences and unite.
The position of consul remains vacant...
because, for too long, political rivalries have prevented us filling it.
And now, for candidates, could there be anymore qualified,
more deserving than these two glorious heroes?
And therefore I propose...
that Pompey and Crassus both be made consul.
Co-consulship.
I would be...honored to serve with Marcus Crassus.
If it is the Senate's wish.
This would be highly irregular.
- Never in the history of-- - New times require new measures.
- What say you, Senators? - [All] Yes!
[Hammering]
[Hammering Continues]
Why won't you speak with me, Varinia?
[Sighs]
What was he like, Spartacus? What was he like?
He was just a man.
A simple man. No.
He was a professional killer. He was an outlaw.
And he was an enemy of everything fine and decent.
If you already have the answer then why ask?
Because you waste your tears on him.
In five years we won't even remember his name, I promise you.
Then why does he still matter to you?
Spartacus was something the world has never seen before.
He was something different.
He was the way that people might be if they chose.
I can be something different. I can be s--
[Clears Throat] I can be someone else.
Yes.
Varinia...
please...love me.
Love me.
He was something that you could never be.
[Crowd Chanting] Kill! Kill! Kill!
Death...death...death!
No! Don't like the way it ends?
I...am...Spartacus!
Get out.
Get out!
[Hammering]
[David Groaning, Gasping]
Here I am.
Do you still have nothing to say?
I will be back.
And I will be millions.
[Screams]
Oh, don't look at me like that.
I've lost, Flavius.
Rome has lost.
Outflanked by that toady Caesar.
Don't you mean Crassus?
Caesar is the real beneficiary here.
Tell me some good news. There is none.
Crassus has turned the Appian Way into a graveyard.
6,000 crucifixions, I hear.
Whole forests cut down.
The tree lovers will be up in arms.
The stench of rotting flesh is unbearable.
But the corpse...
is Rome's.
Civilization hangs on the cross.
What have we done?
Now tell me some dirt. Gossip.
Well, I hear that Crassus has secretly taken Spartacus' wife Varinia...
and keeps her and Spartacus' child locked away in his house.
Treats her like gold, but she scorns him.
Mm-hmm? Even now, this Varinia?
War trophy, I imagine.
Can I have a drink? Help yourself.
I would pay a lot...to steal her.
Are you out of your mind?
- It would be suicide. - Two million sesterces.
¶¶ [Martial Drumming] We bestow upon Gnaeus Pompey and Marcus Crassus...
the honorable and noble title of co-consul of the Roman Empire.
From this moment on...
you are all...
free.
Here on the table is a scroll for each of you...
declaring you legally...
free.
Oh. [Sobs]
[Crowd Cheering]
[Man] Gnaeus Pompey!
Do not imagine for one uneducated moment...
that I am unaware of how you and Caesar...
denied me my rightful triumph.
You know why I am so much more popular than you, Crassus?
Because it is only natural to prefer the rising sun...
to the one that sets.
Leave us.
- We haven't much time, Agrippa. - Wait outside.
Why have you done this?
At first, it was just a thumb in Crassus' eye.
But the more I thought about it, well...
A foolish old man's last gesture of...redemption, maybe?
After I sobered up yesterday,
I started to meditate as to how a handful of slaves...
could almost defeat the greatest military power in the world.
Do you know what I think?
I think that you fought for your freedom,
for your children's lives,
the honor of your women...
and all that is good in the world.
And Rome fought for what?
The whip and the cross.
I love Rome, but she's become a whore.
I despise what she is, but I'm too old to leave her.
And in truth, I helped to make Rome what she has become.
Agrippa, we have to go.
Yes, get the chariot ready.
What is your son's name?
Spartacus.
[Sobs] You shame me.
You shamed us all.
Flavius will lead you.
He is as loyal a Roman as money can buy.
[Senator] Having thus imparted to you my sentiments...
as they have been awakened by the occasion, I shall take...
Where is Agrippa? That pimp?
Who cares?
Where is she?
- Where is she? - [Yells, Gasps]
[Groans, Exhales]
[Gasping]
Remarkable.
Whoa!
You're safe now.
Thank you.
Good luck.
[Giggling]
[Varinia] And that is how we came here.
And how does the story end?
I don't know, Spartacus.
It becomes your story now...
and you must find your own ending.