Lives of Noble Grecians and Romans 1

by Plutarch, John Dryden (Translator), Arthur Hugh Clough (Editor)

Plutarch's 'Parallel Lives,' written at the beginning of the second century A.D., form a brilliant social history of the ancient world. They were originally presented in a series of books that gave an account of one Greek and one Roman life, followed by a comparison of the two: Theseus and Romulus, Alcibiades and Coriolanus, Demosthenes and Cicero, Demetrius and Antony. Plutarch was interested in the personalities of his subjects and on the way their characters molded their actions, leading them to tragedy or victory. He was a moralist of the highest order. 'It was for the sake of others that I first commenced writing biographies,' he says, 'but I find myself proceeding and attaching myself to it for my own; the virtues of these great men serving me as a sort of looking-glass, in which I may see how to adjust and adorn my own life.' Plutarch was a man of immense erudition who had traveled widely throughout the Roman Empire, and the Lives are richly anecdotal and full of detail. They were the principal source of Shakespeare's Roman plays.

Genres: History, Classics, Biography, Nonfiction, Reference, Classic Literature, Ancient History

764 pages, Hardcover

Published January 1, 1992

About the author

Plutarch (later named, upon becoming a Roman citizen, Lucius Mestrius Plutarchus; AD 46–AD 120) was a Greek historian, biographer, and essayist, known primarily for his Parallel Lives and Moralia. He is classified as a Middle Platonist. Plutarch's surviving works were written in Greek, but intended for both Greek and Roman readers.

Reviews

[Greg · Rating 3 out of 5]

It is a shame that such an interesting, and historically valuable work such as Plutarch's lives is so difficult for modern readers. Though many others have commented on how difficult this English is for us, consider the following quote taken at random, from the first two sentences of the life of the Roman Camillus:

Among the many remarkable things that are related of Furius Camillus, it seems singular and strange above all, that he, who continually was in the highest commands, and obtained the greatest successes, was five times chosen dictator, triumphed four times, and was styled a second founder of Rome, yet never was so much as once consul. The reason of which was the state and temper of the commonwealth at that time; for the people, being at dissension with the senate, refused to return consuls, but in their stead elected other magistrates, called military tribunes, who acted, indeed, with full consular power, but were thought to exercise a less obnoxious amount of authority, because it was divided among a larger number; for to have the management of affairs entrusted in the hands of six persons rather than two was some satisfaction to the opponents of oligarchy.

Ugh. And on it goes. The North translation is even worse, to my ear. The best translation that I've found is the Loeb Classical Library. However, they are spread across eleven volumes, making for a very expensive acquisition.

[Smiley]

In fact I read only two on Alexander and Cicero (in Lives 2) since I'm interested in their lives as described and analyzed by Plutarch. I found it a bit tough due to Dryden's style of translation, that is, his Victorian-style lengthy sentences.

In this Lives 1, I'm going to read on Pericles whose famous funeral speech at Athens as recorded in History of the Peloponnesian War by Thucydides has long impressed me.

[Milo · Rating 3 out of 5]

Took nearly a month to read Volume 1 of Plutarch's Lives. I don't think I'll be getting around to Volume 2 any time soon (if at all).

I picked this book up from the library because I was doing research on Shakespeare/Fletcher's The Two Noble Kinsmen and I saw that the first of the "Lives" was on Theseus, a secondary character in 2NK. And, because I don't like to leave a book unfinished, I plowed through all of Volume 1 even though it didn't particularly interest me.

Like many ancient texts, this one dates itself. Supposedly all these biographies are of respected role models... but times have changed, and we wouldn't necessarily look up to all these people today. Of course, I'm also biased, since they were all soldiers, commanders, politicians, leaders, and the like... and those aren't the kinds of people whom I usually look up to.

There were a few occasional observations in the book that were real gems. Unfortunately, everything else just blurred together — to the point where I would set the book down for five minutes, pick it back up, and barely recognize the paragraph I just finished.

[Faith B · Rating 5 out of 5]

Plutarch's Lives is completely awesome.
You don't really like thinking of Julius Caesar as such a perverted guy, but there you go. It's also very nice to see that Caligula and Nero were perverted, b/c they were so gross. Hmm, that doesn't make sense. O well, welcome to my nonsensical head. :)

[Colin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not bad, for a translation.

[Harkonnen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not much to say but have read 3x and mostly for papers, I know I will be reading it again

[Kathy Weitz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Re-read Theseus & Romulus for Poetics & Progym