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The Everlasting Man · Character

Marcus Aurelius

Roman emperor and Stoic philosopher, referenced in discussions of pagan virtue.

minor

First appearance: vii the war of the gods and demons

Marcus Aurelius's tie to Buddha is one of the pressures that moves The Everlasting Man—worth meeting in the text, not only on a cast list.

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With Buddha (friendship): Buddha and Marcus Aurelius are compared as exemplars of stoic detachment and inner…

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The fuller portrait of Marcus Aurelius sits in Reading Lens — open the free preview to keep reading with notes on the page.

See Marcus Aurelius in vii the war of the gods and demons

Character Web

8 connections

A slice of how Marcus Aurelius sits in the book — open the reader for the full interactive map.

BUBuddhaSOSocratesJCJesus ChristPLPlatoNANapoleonMAMarcus Aurelius

Relationship types

  • Friendship
  • Other

Character groups

  • Historical and Philosophical Figures
  • Religious Founders and Narrator
  • Protagonist

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Narrative arc

Story tension across the book — this chapter sits in Exposition.

SetupEscalationClimax
  • Setup
  • Escalation
  • Breaking point
  • Aftermath
  • Closing

This is the dramatic climax because the author shifts from defending his own thesis to directly confronting th…

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Relationships

  • Buddha

    friendship · positive

    Buddha and Marcus Aurelius are compared as exemplars of stoic detachment and inner peace. How this plays out →

Relationship notes

How these ties play out is in the reading companion — open the free preview.

See Marcus Aurelius in vii the war of the gods and demons