The Search for Moral Principle and Right Conduct

Where it surfaces

• II: White-Nights

  Marius's sense of responsibility toward others and his anticipation of a great occasion for self-devotion illustrate his early moral seriousness.

• IV: The Tree of Knowledge

  Marius grapples with the exclusive claim of his childhood religion versus the temptation of unlimited self-expansion, feeling that the easy exercise of himself among temptations is a 'rival religious service.'

• XI: “The Most Religious City in the World”

  The chapter explores the tension between public religious duty and personal moral philosophy, as seen in Marcus Aurelius's combination of Stoic principles with polytheistic practice.

• XII: The Divinity That Doth Hedge a King

  Aurelius's asceticism and Stoic philosophy are highlighted, emphasizing modesty, simplicity, and the sacrifice of body to soul.

• XIII: The "Mistress and Mother" of Palaces

  Aurelius's Stoic philosophy emphasizes tolerance, not being exigent with others, and maintaining virtue despite rumors about Faustina; he strives to see the good in people.

• Manly Amusement

  The chapter contrasts Marius's instinctive moral conscience with Aurelius's Stoic indifference, exploring the foundations of ethical judgment.

• Stoicism at Court

  Fronto's discourse explores how to integrate duty and righteousness into a life guided by aesthetic pleasure, proposing that morality is a form of comeliness and artistic order.

• XVI: Second Thoughts

  Marius considers the moral economy of his choices, questioning whether his philosophy misses essential aspects of human experience and ethical living.

• The Ceremony of the Dart

  Marius contrasts Aurelius's stoic resignation and tolerance of evil with Cornelius's joyful recognition of evil as a real enemy, questioning the validity of Aurelius's moral optimism.

• XIX: The Will as Vision

  Explores the Platonic ideal of the true king as a servant and Aurelius's sacrificial acceptance of public duty.

• XXV: Sunt Lacrimae Rerum

  Marius grapples with a sense of failed love and the reproach of historical cruelties, questioning his own moral indifference and the natural unkindness in things.

• The Martyrs

  Marius reflects on the moral contrast between Aurelius's stoicism and Christian chivalry, and the martyrs' conduct exemplifies steadfast faith.

• XXVII: The Triumph of Marcus Aurelius

  Marius seeks to appeal to Aurelius for 'common-sense, for reason and justice,' reflecting a quest for moral clarity amid imperial spectacle.