The surviving Parallel Lives (in Greek: Bioi parallèloi), as they are more properly and commonly known, contain twenty-three pairs of biographies, each pair consisting of one … This isn't a review as such, merely an explanation of why this book is on my "started-not-finished" shelf. It hits all the wrong notes and doesn't hold my interest. by Modern Library. (He also scorns Antony, the skilled strategist, for tolerating Cleopatra’s ill-advised military decisions.). “Character is destiny.” This saying, often attributed to the philosopher Heraclitus, sums up the outlook of the ancient Greek historian Plutarch, who sought to show how character shaped the destinies of both individuals and the state. After you claim a section you’ll have 24 hours to send in a draft. In this case, it's not because it's a bad book as such (it's not! Examine the theme of Parallel Lives. The gulf between these famous Greeks and Romans and we today is huge. But I think that I read one of the many partial editions, not the whole thing; I no longer remember the exact edition, nor which lives I did or didn't read about (except that Alcibiades and Coriolanus were one pair). In this case, it's not because it's a bad book as such (it's not! I am undertaking the admittedly questionable task of reading this collection aloud, and seem to find myself stumbling over cloddishly put-together sentences more and more, some of which do not even appear to make any grammatical sense, but seem to rely more on some sort of intuition on the part of the reader to determine the meaning of the phrase. When we read Greek and Roman history, we get brief summaries of the key personalities, but Plutarch gives us far more. In order to further examine and chart the effect of moral character in famous people's lives, Plutarch writes this collection as a biography study. So it is somewhat ironic that his most famous writing is the series of parallel lives and comparisons of famous Greek and Roman statesmen collected and translated into English in the late 1500s by John Dryden as. Abundant quotation of parallel passages from the plays. © 2020 eNotes.com, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Lucky you, if you can read the original in Latin. Both of these men are characters of myth, not historical figures, yet they both feature so prominently in the stories of the early days of Greece and Rome respectively, as the protagonist of The Odyssey and the founder of Rome. The first edition of the novel was published in 100, and was written by Plutarch. The main characters of this history, classics story are , . These notes were contributed by members of the GradeSaver community. Plutarch paired each of his Roman biographies with that of a Greek whose life or character he thought comparable. Shakespeare’s Plutarch. A monumental achievement, covering the lives of 50 of the most influential ancient Greeks and Romans. Plutarch's Lives of the Noble Greeks and Romans, commonly called Parallel Lives or Plutarch's Lives, is a series of 48 biographies of famous men, arranged in tandem to illuminate their common moral virtues or failings, probably written at the beginning of the second century AD. There are no discussion topics on this book yet. ), nor does it indicate an unsatisfactory reading experience! Roughly 1800 years ago, a biographer and historian decided to compare the great men of Greece and Rome to one another to give his readers inspiration to follow their example or what to avoid. Douglas Adams, A.A. Milne, Shakespeare, and the Python Group were informed by these writings. Surviving Lives contain 23 pairs, each with a Greek & a Roman Life, & 4 unpaired Lives. They are much like the people of today, yet quite different culturally. Plutarch is notoriously poor at describing battles, but he scoured the available sources for illuminating anecdotes. :-). Surviving Lives contain 23 pairs, each with a Greek & a Roman Life, & 4 unpaired Lives. He's amongst the earliest moral philosophers. He sought to provide rounded portraits, likening his craft to painting. This is often known as the "Parallel Lives" because these biographical sketches come in pairs, one Greek, one Roman, followed by a comparison. Plutarch's Parallel Lives is a series of biographies, arranged in pairs illuminating virtues & vices. His subjects--especially Rome’s builders, such as Fabius Maximus, Marcellus, and Cato the Elder--illustrate his themes of Roman valor and tenacity. He does also write about big names. Their attitude towards death is certainly hugely different to ours, as they seemed to be ready to risk their lives far more willingly then we are. At one time, I considered reading the whole collection, to tie up the "loose end;" but the book is so thick, and there are so many books I want to read more, that I finally decided to just leave it untied. Since many of those sources are no longer extant, Plutarch has performed an invaluable service to posterity. i just read the bit about crassus and spartacus, both we were really cool examples of incredible men. These papers were written primarily by students and provide critical analysis of Parallel Lives by Plutarch. I'm still in the process of reading Parallel Lives. My edition of Plutarch's, A fascinating book. Not affiliated with Harvard College. this section. Their attitude towards death is certainly hugely different to ours, as they seemed to be ready to risk their lives far more willingly then we are. Too much hero worship and things the heroes are admired for are not necessarily things I admire. Plutarch meant to write these histories so we could learn good moral behaviour from them . As a kid, I read a number of the "parallel lives" while I was visiting my grandmother, in the years when she lived in her own apartment down in the south part of my home town (every summer, I'd spend a few days staying with her, and always enjoyed picking out and reading books from her voluminous collection of them). I am undertaking the admittedly questionable task of reading this collection aloud, and seem to find myself stumbling over cloddishly put-together sentences more and more, some of which do not even appear to make any grammatical sense, but seem to rely more on some sort of intuition on the part of the reader to determine the mea. As a result, most of the biographies are filled with moral teachings. Theseus and Romulus are great examples. Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 1967. You can help us out by revising, improving and updating Many modern translators, however, separate the biographies into two distinct sections, one for Greek and one for Roman. It is like reading most conservatives. Indeed he does devote much of his writing to interesting anecdotes and incidental trivial happenings while quickly skimming over some of the more historical accomplishments. her to be with child by him, left a sword and a pair of shoes, hiding them under a great stone that had a hollow in it exactly fitting them; It is interesting to see the similarities and differences between their day and ours. Goodreads helps you keep track of books you want to read. The first century AD author, Plutarch, states that his goal in writing is primarily to compare the influence of character on the lives and destinies of their respective cultural and political worlds. The Question and Answer section for Parallel Lives is a great If nothing else, at least I can say I've read it! He assumes more knowledge of the classical world than I have, but I don't mind. By comparing a famous Roman with a famous Greek, Plutarch intended to provide model patterns of behaviour and to encourage mutual respect between Greeks and Romans.
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