After the two lives, Plutarch sets Theseus beside Romulus. Theseus went looking for danger when he could have stayed king in Troezen. Romulus was pushed into his deeds by the tyrant who held Alba.

Plutarch gives Theseus the braver start and the worse abductions of women. He gives Romulus the city that lasted: two peoples made one, and marriages that held. He does not crown a single winner.