The letters from Marcus definitely include sexual innuendos, as in this passage: “And perhaps for a tiny few days still I won’t see you, while you firm yourself up, as you must. Both men are effusive in their declarations of affection, but it is hard to tell if this is anything more than the manner in which well-educated Romans expressed devotion and friendship in the 2nd century. Knowing that Cicero, another great orator, was executed a hundred years earlier, Fronto must also watch what he says. Marcus is the more engaging performer, probably because he is only eighteen when the correspondence begins and is less guarded than Fronto, a mature man and master rhetorician who must instruct his prize pupil by example. The power differential between Marcus and Fronto-student and teacher, emperor and subject-causes each man to show off for the other. The first strategy, even Richlin admits, will not convince every reader.
The second strategy is certainly a success: the letters are wonderfully readable. She turns snippets of Greek into snippets of French and substitutes quotations from Shakespeare for those of early Latin authors. More importantly, she updates the standard Victorian translation to a style that is “readable now.” This means she includes double entendres the reader will get, current slang, and contractions. She has made a selection of the letters of Fronto and Marcus written between 139 and 148 that suggests, in her view, that the two men were lovers. Amy Richlin, a professor at UCLA, does two things to change that. In short, Fronto’s letters do not appear on many classical literature reading lists. There were complaints about the quality of the Latin editions and the cumbersome format of the English translation.
Nor were they interested in the possibility that the revered Stoic philosopher-emperor Marcus Aurelius had a sexual relationship with another man. Victorian readers found Fronto’s letters dull and poorly written. If you’ve read the Meditations-the book of Stoic philosophy that’s the best-known of Marcus Aurelius’ works-but have never heard of these letters, don’t worry. An English translation appeared in 1824, but it was not until 1919–20 that a “word for word” translation of all the letters was published. A completely accurate reconstruction of the original was impossible due to gaps and illegible words, but classical scholars produced several editions, the most recent published in 1988. The existence of these letters was unknown until 1815, when they were discovered underneath a text written on recycled parchment. The most intriguing aspect to the letters presented in Amy Richlin’s beautifully edited volume is the question she asks early in her introduction: were Marcus and Fronto in love? These intimidating circumstances form the background for the correspondence between Marcus Aurelius Antoninus, Roman Emperor from 161 to 180, and Marcus Cornelius Fronto, a prominent orator who was hired to instruct the young Caesar-in-training in rhetoric.
Then imagine writing to your emperor, a man with the power of life and death over his subjects.
IMAGINE WRITING a letter to your most brilliant teacher. Marcus Aurelius in Love: The Letters of Marcus and Fronto