Memoirs of Hadrian Study Guide & Notes

Memoirs of Hadrian Plot Summary

Preview of Memoirs of Hadrian Summary:

Memoirs of Hadrian by Marguerite Yournecar is a classic historical novel detailing the life and reign of the Roman emperor Hadrian, as told from the first-person point-of-view of Hadrian himself. The narrative is told in a letter written by the protagonist to his successor, Marcus Aurelius. It details the struggles and triumphs of a leader who made peace his central objective.

When Hadrian begins his letter to Marcus Aurelius, he is an old man dying from heart disease. He intends to give his adopted grandson a true history of his life and reign. Hadrian is born in Italica to a Spanish family. He studies rhetoric, Greek, philosophy and medicine in Spain and Greece, and trains as an army officer. During the waning days of Domitian's reign, he goes to Rome and works several years as a judge. There he lives a life of debauchery, until he returns to active duty...
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