Warning: Use of undefined constant referer - assumed 'referer' (this will throw an Error in a future version of PHP) in /usr/home/essaywo/public_html/essays on line 102

Warning: Use of undefined constant host - assumed 'host' (this will throw an Error in a future version of PHP) in /usr/home/essaywo/public_html/essays on line 105

Warning: Cannot modify header information - headers already sent by (output started at /usr/home/essaywo/public_html/essays:102) in /usr/home/essaywo/public_html/essays on line 106

Warning: Cannot modify header information - headers already sent by (output started at /usr/home/essaywo/public_html/essays:102) in /usr/home/essaywo/public_html/essays on line 109
Marcus Aurelius - Paper

Marcus Aurelius


Even today, Meditations by is read by every class from kings to common people. The book is a universal classic, meaning it can be related to at any time, by anyone. The philosophies included in his book have spanned the centuries, and Meditations remains to be one of the most influential books ever written.
was born on April 20, 121 AD into a family of royalty. His uncle and adoptive father, Antoninus Pius, was the emperor of Rome. Aurelius, too, was trained from birth to be a great ruler like his father. At age eleven, he dedicated himself to religion, although he considered philosophy to be the "true, inward" religion, one which did not require ceremonies necessary in ...

Want to read the rest of this paper?
Join Essayworld today to view this entire essay
and over 50,000 other term papers

apt to want a war than the contemplative Aurelius. Verus was an "Epicurean" and definitely would never be called a philosopher. However, Verus died suddenly in 169, leaving Aurelius to rule Rome on his own. It is important to mention that during basically all of Aurelius’ rule, Rome was engaged in a long series of defensive wars. In fact, the book Meditations was written during these wars, possibly during the darkest of conditions. And even though these wars were successful, they were taxing both on Rome as a state, and on Aurelius himself. However, he somehow managed to stay somewhat unaffected throughout, an amazing feat unto itself.

Although Aurelius was considered a great man and emperor, he ruthlessly persecuted the Christians. He considered them a threat to his "imperial system." However, he did not know very much of the Christian doctrines that he was so against. In direct contradiction to this ruthlessness to the Christians was the way he treated his own ...

Get instant access to over 50,000 essays.
Write better papers. Get better grades.


Already a member? Login

with himself, with these material riches. It is evident when a person reads Meditations that Aurelius would much rather have lived the quite life of a philosopher than the public life of an emperor. He always wished that, at some point in his life, maybe when the wars were over, he would have some time to actively pursue philosophy. He never received that opportunity. However, he did, in the midst of all the wars he fought in, find the time to write down his thoughts into a diary. This diary, now a published book, is called Meditations. This book, his only known writings, actually consists of 12 books written in Greek. The repeated points throughout Meditations are that a ...

Succeed in your coursework without stepping into a library.
Get access to a growing library of notes, book reports,
and research papers in 2 minutes or less.


CITE THIS PAGE:

Marcus Aurelius. (2004, September 8). Retrieved December 23, 2024, from http://www.essayworld.com/essays/Marcus-Aurelius/14037
"Marcus Aurelius." Essayworld.com. Essayworld.com, 8 Sep. 2004. Web. 23 Dec. 2024. <http://www.essayworld.com/essays/Marcus-Aurelius/14037>
"Marcus Aurelius." Essayworld.com. September 8, 2004. Accessed December 23, 2024. http://www.essayworld.com/essays/Marcus-Aurelius/14037.
"Marcus Aurelius." Essayworld.com. September 8, 2004. Accessed December 23, 2024. http://www.essayworld.com/essays/Marcus-Aurelius/14037.
JOIN NOW
Join today and get instant access to this and 50,000+ other essays


PAPER DETAILS
Added: 9/8/2004 01:40:30 PM
Category: Biographies
Type: Premium Paper
Words: 2598
Pages: 10

Save | Report

SHARE THIS PAPER

SAVED ESSAYS
Save and find your favorite essays easier

SIMILAR ESSAYS
» Marcus Aurelius
» Stoicism And Epicureanism
» The History And Decline Of The ...
» Rome
» The History Of The Peace In Rom...
» The Rise Of Gladiatorial Combat...
» Cicero
» Cicero
» Severan Copy Of Athena Partheno...
» The Fall Of The Roman Empire Co...
Copyright | Cancel | Contact Us

Copyright © 2024 Essayworld. All rights reserved