Character guide

Marius

major

Also known as Marius the Epicurean, the young Marius, sentimental Marius, Epicurean

Marius moves from his provincial childhood through Flavian's pagan aestheticism, the Stoic court of Aurelius, and the Christian household of Cecilia, sampling each as a possible home for his soul. His defining tension is between the Epicurean's cultivated detachment and a longing for some affection or faith that will not dissolve under his own ironic scrutiny. His restless, impressionable search gives the novel its shape: each early encounter is a station on a pilgrimage whose destination he cannot yet name.

Marcus Aurelius

major

Also known as Aurelius

Aurelius receives Marius with real kindliness at court, reading his serious face as a physiognomist reads a soul, and admits the young scholar into the rarefied atmosphere of imperial letters and duty. Yet the emperor's virtue is one of endurance and renunciation, a religion of good conduct sustained by effort rather than joy. For Marius he embodies the highest pagan answer to the question of how to live, and the novel quietly measures that answer against what comes after.

Flavian

supporting

Also known as Hadrian, The Emperor Hadrian to his Soul Flavian, the archaic Hadrian

Flavian, poor but patronized by a mysterious benefactor, rules the younger Marius through a fascination that is half intellectual and half sentimental, granting him an intimacy withheld from everyone else. He cultivates foppery of phrase, dainty food, and the archaisms of a self-consciously literary age, and his genuine power is inseparable from his pose. In introducing Marius to Lucian and the golden book of euphuistic verse, he opens the door to a life of aesthetic sensation that the novel will spend its length testing.

Cornelius Fronto

supporting

Also known as Cornelius, Marcus Cornelius Fronto, Fronto

Fronto is the literary lion of the Antonine court, the man whose name and patronage admit the provincial Marius into the highest circles of Roman letters and power. His devotion to archaic diction and verbal craftsmanship represents the era's most refined and most self-conscious art, a style that prizes the well-turned phrase above the plain truth. Through him Marius gains access to the world of the palace and to the question of whether eloquence and virtue can truly be the same thing.

Cecilia

supporting

Cecilia presides over a community where children cling to her instinctively, where the dead are mourned with exultation, and where a rule against second marriages keeps earthly and heavenly love carefully apart. Marius is drawn to her as to the sister he never had, yet his old policy of fleeing any affection that might disturb his quiet work of living pulls him back. Her household, with its strange joy and its buried children, becomes the most serious rival to every philosophy he has tried.

Psyche

minor

Also known as the hapless Psyche

The mythological figure whose story of love and suffering is a recurring allegory in the narrative.

Lucius Verus

minor

Also known as Lucius, Verus, Lucian

Co-emperor with Marcus Aurelius, known for his more pleasure-loving disposition.

Faustina

minor

Empress and wife of Marcus Aurelius, whose reputation for scandal touches the court.

Apuleius

minor

Author of The Golden Ass, whose work is read and discussed by Marius and Flavian.

Antoninus Pius

minor

Also known as the dying Antoninus Pius, Antoninus, old Antoninus Pius

The preceding emperor, whose death is recounted at the start of Marius's Roman sojourn.

Plato

minor

The Greek philosopher whose ideas on love and reality are frequently referenced by characters.

Blandina

minor

A Christian slave and martyr whose courage is celebrated in the account of the Gallic persecution.

Commodus

minor

The son of Marcus Aurelius, whose violent nature foreshadows the empire's decline.

Cupid

minor

The god of love, central to the myth of Psyche retold in the Golden Book.

Venus Speciosa

minor

Also known as Venus, the true Venus, ancient Venus

The goddess of love, whose temple and cult are described in Marius's early religious experiences.

Heraclitus

minor

The pre-Socratic philosopher known for his doctrine of flux and the unity of opposites.

Aesculapius

minor

The god of medicine, whose temple is visited by Marius during his search for healing.

Ceres

minor

The goddess of agriculture, whose rites are part of the old Roman religion.

Zephyrus

minor

The west wind, a minor mythological figure in the Psyche narrative.

Nero

minor

The infamous emperor, cited as a negative example of tyranny and excess.

Pliny

minor

The Roman naturalist and author, cited for his observations on the natural world.

Constantine

minor

The first Christian emperor, referenced in the context of the church's later triumph.

Saint Francis of Assisi

minor

Also known as Saint Francis

The medieval saint, mentioned as an example of Christian simplicity and love of nature.

Dante

minor

The Italian poet, whose Divine Comedy is alluded to in discussions of the afterlife.

Hermotimus

minor

A character in Lucian's dialogue who represents a skeptical philosophical position.

Vettius Epagathus

minor

A Christian martyr from Lyons whose story is told during the persecution narratives.

Lucilla

minor

Also known as the widowed Lucilla

Daughter of Marcus Aurelius and widow of Lucius Verus, involved in court intrigues.

Numa

minor

The legendary second king of Rome, whose religious institutions are recalled in the opening chapters.

Socrates

minor

The Athenian philosopher, often invoked as a model of ethical inquiry and martyrdom.

Chaerephon

minor

Also known as Dear Chaerephon

A friend of Socrates, mentioned in the context of the Delphic oracle's pronouncement.

Hercules

minor

The mythological hero, used as a symbol of Stoic endurance and divine labor.

Jupiter

minor

The king of the gods, frequently invoked in Roman religious contexts throughout the book.

Diana

minor

The goddess of the hunt, associated with the natural world and virginity.

Proserpine

minor

Queen of the underworld, whose abduction myth is referenced in relation to seasonal cycles.

Juno

minor

Also known as Juno Sospita

The queen of the gods, protector of women and the Roman state.

Bacchus

minor

The god of wine and ecstasy, associated with mystery cults and liberation.

Mercury

minor

The messenger god, guide of souls, and patron of travelers and merchants.

Apollo

minor

The god of prophecy, music, and healing, whose oracle at Delphi is mentioned.

Ceyx

minor

A mythological king transformed into a bird, referenced in poetic contexts.

Augustus

minor

Also known as the great Augustus

The first Roman emperor, whose reign is seen as a golden age of peace and culture.

Horace

minor

The Roman poet, quoted and admired for his Epicurean and lyrical verses.

Homer

minor

The epic poet, whose works are a touchstone for classical education and values.

Euripides

minor

The Greek tragedian, cited for his psychological depth and skeptical themes.

Cicero

minor

The Roman orator and philosopher, referenced for his writings on duty and the gods.

Galen

minor

The Greek physician, whose medical theories are mentioned in passing.

Alexander

minor

Alexander the Great, used as a symbol of worldly ambition and conquest.

Saint Augustine

minor

Also known as Augustine

The Christian theologian, whose conversion story parallels some themes in the book.

Jonathan Edwards

minor

Also known as the excellent Jonathan Edwards

The Puritan theologian, referenced in the endnotes for his religious intensity.

Saint Lewis

minor

Also known as Lewis, Saint Lewis of France

King Louis IX of France, cited as a model of Christian kingship.

Pheidias

minor

The Greek sculptor, whose statue of Zeus is mentioned as a pinnacle of classical art.

Aristippus

minor

The founder of the Cyrenaic school of philosophy, advocating for pleasure as the highest good.

Ponticus

minor

A Christian martyr mentioned in the account of the Gallic persecution.