# Cornelius Fronto — Marius the Epicurean character guide

> Cornelius Fronto in Marius the Epicurean by Walter Pater.

**Role:** supporting

**Also known as:** Cornelius, Marcus Cornelius Fronto, Fronto

**First appearance:** 0013-part-ii-xi-the-most-religious-city-in-the-world

## Snapshot

The celebrated orator and imperial tutor whose friendship opens Rome to Marius and whose rhetoric embodies the age's love of polished, antiquarian eloquence.

## Who they are

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.

## Relationships

### [Marcus Aurelius](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/marius_the_epicurean_se/characters/marcus_aurelius)

_professional_

Cornelius Fronto was Marcus Aurelius's rhetoric tutor and later correspondent, maintaining a respectful but intellectually critical relationship.

## In the story

### [X: On the Way](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/marius_the_epicurean_se/chapters/part-ii-x-on-the-way)

Not directly present; the young knight is named Cornelius, but this is a different Cornelius (of the Twelfth Legion), not the rhetorician.

### [XI: “The Most Religious City in the World”](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/marius_the_epicurean_se/chapters/part-ii-xi-the-most-religious-city-in-the-world)

Cornelius accompanies Marius on his ramble, but turns away from religious observances, showing his disdain for popular piety.

### [XII: The Divinity That Doth Hedge a King](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/marius_the_epicurean_se/chapters/part-ii-xii-the-divinity-that-doth-hedge-a-king)

Mentioned as a band of knights among whom Cornelius (likely Fronto's son or associate) is present in military array.

### [XIII: The "Mistress and Mother" of Palaces](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/marius_the_epicurean_se/chapters/part-ii-xiii-the-mistress-and-mother-of-palaces)

Mentioned in the context of correspondence with Aurelius regarding Faustina.

### [Stoicism at Court](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/marius_the_epicurean_se/chapters/part-iii-xv-stoicism-at-court)

The aged rhetorician who delivers the discourse on the Nature of Morals, wearing the philosophic pall with a magnificent clasp, the emperor's birthday gift, and speaking with winning eloquence.

### [Stoicism at Court](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/marius_the_epicurean_se/chapters/part-iii-xv-stoicism-at-court)

Marius's friend, whose ethical charm and noble air influence Marius's conscience and his search for moral principle.

### [XVI: Second Thoughts](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/marius_the_epicurean_se/chapters/part-iii-xvi-second-thoughts)

Fronto's discourse prompts Marius's second thoughts, offering a wide prospect over the human and spiritual horizon.

### [Beata Urbs](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/marius_the_epicurean_se/chapters/part-iii-xvii-beata-urbs)

Borrowed the phrase 'City on high' from Aurelius in a recent discourse.

### [The Ceremony of the Dart](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/marius_the_epicurean_se/chapters/part-iii-xviii-the-ceremony-of-the-dart)

Fronto is mentioned as a cheerful teacher who espouses the theory of reasonable community between men and God, contrasting with Aurelius's melancholy.

### [Two Curious Houses](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/marius_the_epicurean_se/chapters/part-iv-xxi-two-curious-houses)

Marius reflects on Cornelius as a half-understood friend whose preferences and judgments have guided him, and sees the Christian community as a fulfillment of those ideals.

### [II: The Church in Cecilia’s House](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/marius_the_epicurean_se/chapters/part-iv-ii-the-church-in-cecilia-s-house)

Cornelius guides Marius through the villa and the catacombs, showing a hesitant but earnest demeanor, as if reluctant to fully explain the significance of what they are seeing.

### [Divine Service](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/marius_the_epicurean_se/chapters/part-iv-xxiii-divine-service)

Cornelius is sought by Marius but not found at his lodgings; Marius goes to the Cecilian villa to find him.

### [XXVIII: Anima Naturaliter Christiana](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/marius_the_epicurean_se/chapters/part-iv-xxviii-anima-naturaliter-christiana)

Cornelius is Marius's dear friend, embodying youthful hope and a connection to the coming Christian world. He is saved by Marius's self-sacrifice.

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/marius_the_epicurean_se/characters/cornelius_fronto
- Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/marius_the_epicurean_se
- All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/marius_the_epicurean_se/characters