I really like this piece! You capture the decent, noble voice of Marcus Aurelius so perfectly. You should rent the HBO series ROME, you would really love that and there are some great fan stories for it here as well!

Just some historical trivia. Marcus Aurelius was a real emporer, the last of the 5 Good Emperors under whom Rome was at its peak. The reason for the success of the five was that instead of just passing on the title of Ceasar to their kin, they would pick and groom a successor from outside their family. That way someone with actual talent would become ruler. The real Emperor Marcus broke with this tradition and named his son Commodus his heir. The movie Commodus was actually a saint compared to the real one. He was the one all of the stories of Rome's bloodthirsty and insane Emperors were based on. Nobody mourned him when the Preatorian Gaurd assasinated him. Just FYI.

Hi! *waves* Since I've finally seen "Gladiator" and I was bored, and no one was around, I decided to read your stories! :-D. This was really good, though I can definitely see an improvement in your work. Just in the little things, like how you state things. But hey, we all have to begin somewhere, right? Ah well, I liked this very much. Touching, really. I have to go read your other ones now :-D.

If only...

This is an excellent piece of writing. It sums up Marcus's reasons brilliantly. Gladiator was the most inspirational movie I ever saw, and this definitely lives up to that standard.

It's really good! I really like it

Good job. (Am I a responsible reader now?) No really, I liked it. Interesting. -SC

okay, I admit it - I'm a wandering Harry Potter fanatic who wandered over to the Gladiator section, and I looked at this in part because the guy who was Marcus Aurelius is playing Dumbledore... but I loved Gladiator and this lettter seems totally in character. I really like it *clicks the little square nexts to "add story to favorites"*

I LIKE IT.

whoa! this was great!

Overall it was well-written...but I would try to reword some things. It sounds like you took more lines from the movie than you wrote yourself.

Well-written and accurate. Wouldn't that complicate the plot if Marcus Aurelius had written this in a journal, and-say-a servant found it? Commodus would probably destroy this person before it got out, and then Commodus would become more evil in the eyes of the audience. Nice job; very professional style.

Wow. This is good.

crap...you just used lines from the film...this sucks

Wow that was a really good idea for a fan fic. I would have never thought of it. Its really good and I enjoyed reading it!