Dramatic artist, natural scientist and philosopher, Plutarch is widely regarded as the most significant historian of his era, writing sharp and succinct accounts of.
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So telling about the Greco-Roman world: In our modern world, our most immediate association with a youngster having virtuoso talent would be playing a musical instrument, usually violin or piano. The implications of the difference are worth pondering. He used to ridicule those who were given to shouting out their speeches and said that, just as lame men rode on horseback because they could not walk, so these orators shouted because they could not speak.
Think about this the next time you witness a politician or public figure shouting at the top of their lungs. Would the person speak with more subtlety and eloquence if they really had something insightful to say? It was only a matter of time before a thinker like Marx came along. Occasionally, as in the case of Cicero, this much heralded combination was actualized. However, he made himself obnoxious to a number of people, not because of anything which he did wrong, but because people grew tired of hearing him continually praising himself and magnifying his achievements.
Some things never change: Plutarch includes a couple dozen of such comebacks -- one of the prime reasons to read his life of Cicero. Wanting to underscore Cicero's humble family origins, an aristocrat by the name of Nepos asked Cicero repeatedly, "Who is your father? And how, you may ask, did Cicero's life end? Sorry to say, the Romans periodically turned their country into a bloodbath and poor Cicero was caught up in a political crossfire.
View all 14 comments. Feb 14, Eadweard rated it really liked it Shelves: Loved it all, specially the biographies of Marius and Sulla, a rivalry for the ages. Jul 31, umberto rated it liked it Shelves: I think these six Roman Lives can be regarded as the best ancient biographies I've ever read since Plutarch, as a second to none biographer, wrote the Lives vividly, lively and professionally.
In other words, few could surpass him. In fact I started with his Caesar first because I would like to know more about his life and deeds militarily and politically, and his version doesn't disappoint me. For instance, "The reported size of the island i. Britain had appeared incredible and it had becom I think these six Roman Lives can be regarded as the best ancient biographies I've ever read since Plutarch, as a second to none biographer, wrote the Lives vividly, lively and professionally.
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Britain had appeared incredible and it had become a great matter of controversy among writers and scholars, many of whom asserted that the place did not exist at all and that both its name and the reports about it were pure inventions. So, in his attempts to occupy it, Caersar was carrying the Roman empire beyond the limits of the known world. He twice crossed to the island from the coast of Gaul opposite and fought a number of battles in which he did more harm to the enemy than good to his own men; With the final result of the war he was not wholly satisfied; nevertheless, before he sailed away from the island, he had taken hostages from the king and had imposed a tribute.
One of the obstacles concerned, I think, was politics. Moreover, I enjoyed reading Pompey in more detail, that is, from my previous obscure knowledge from reading on his life and his name added by 'the Great' surprised me till I wondered if he was a king.
His readers would know more information related to such a query. I read about him and knew he was murdered somewhere in Africa while on the run, it was definitely sad to read how he confronted his fate. View all 4 comments. Oct 18, L. Logan rated it it was amazing Shelves: The thing about Plutarch's Lives, is that it gives a timeless insight into the inner workings of humankind's motivations and weaknesses.
It quite frankly is pretty scary to read because there are moments where you will see some of your own traits inside the men that Plutarch highlights and realize that those same traits contributed to the fall of a civilization. Nevertheless it is a book that every human being should read. You'll not only gain a greater insight into yourself but also others.
It' The thing about Plutarch's Lives, is that it gives a timeless insight into the inner workings of humankind's motivations and weaknesses. It's astounding really that with all of our "progress" these days, we are still no better off. It's probably not possible to add much of anything significant to what's been written about Plutarch, but while reading this a several things really hit home with me. First is the nature of, and reason for the disaster that befell the Roman Republic.
It basically tore itself to pieces because individual men were allowed to maintain their own personal armies to promote their careers by brute force, and the resulting disaster was so profound that the population of Rome was only half of what it was It's probably not possible to add much of anything significant to what's been written about Plutarch, but while reading this a several things really hit home with me.
Fall of the Roman Republic
It basically tore itself to pieces because individual men were allowed to maintain their own personal armies to promote their careers by brute force, and the resulting disaster was so profound that the population of Rome was only half of what it was before the civil wars started. Julius Caesar alone killed over a million people - a significant portion of the population of Europe, at that time. It's no wonder that the Romans abandoned the Republic and were willing to try almost any other form of Government by that time.
Second, you can see how those events informed our Founding Fathers in their attempt to create a lasting Republic - doubting the possibility of success to the very end - and in how they struggled to create safeguards against the same sort of disaster: It's still not at all certain that they succeeded, and won't be for several hundred years even if our Republic does survive past our lifetimes, but the footprint of the disaster reaches all the way across the centuries into our own lives.
Absent at least a rudimentary understanding on the part of the reader of the history of the period, he doesn't make a lot of sense and in fact is rather boring , but given such an understanding he's just terrific at tying the events together from the viewpoint of a contemporary of them. The college I went to tried to convey a "classical" education comprising all this, but failed miserably, its mediocre professors bogging the curriculum down in ther personal obsessions with the minutiae of Roman and Greek art, philosophy, civics, etc.
That would have given me a useful understanding a lot earlier in life of what our Founders were thinking, of world history during the 20th century, and of what we're facing now, instead of having had to acquire such on my own, in a piecemeal and haphazard fashion. Sep 16, Mike Hankins rated it it was amazing Shelves: Plutarch's Lives are classic biographies of famous individuals, usually written with a moral lesson in mind. They are fascinating, gripping narratives that read like a great novel, attempting to get at the character and moral fiber underneath his subject, in order to inspire the reader to emulate or avoid certain characteristics.
This penguin collection includes six lives that are key to understanding the fall of the Roman Republic: Plutarch's Plutarch's Lives are classic biographies of famous individuals, usually written with a moral lesson in mind. Plutarch's method is less like a modern historian -- he isn't trying to check all the facts and present a balanced view, he is clearly presenting these lives as morality tales. Each of these figures is incredibly ambition, driven, motivated, and powerful.
They also contain flaws that end up being their undoing, or ruining their efforts. Thats not to say that these stories are inaccurate, just that such accuracy was probably a secondary goal for Plutarch. Writing in the early empire, he was only a few generations removed from these events, and had many sources to go on that have not survived to today.
I don't want to try and "review" Plutarch, but I will say that I very much enjoy reading these stories, and I intend to reread these somewhat often. Plutarch is fascinated by the military aspect of Roman life, and so much time is spent of details regarding the military campaigns of these men. He also likes to include anecdotes that reveal character traits in some way. The book is a great read, feeling like any great novel. It's a joy to read, and indeed he achieves his goal of being inspiring.
One note is that these biographies were originally written as pairings: We don't usually package the Lives this way anymore, although this collection does include some of the comparative chapters. These are a great read. If you're interested in ancient Rome and not sure what books to read -- go ahead and start here. The intertwining lives of these men are fascinating and entertaining.
There's not very many fields of history where reading primary source material is fun, but Rome is a definite exception. The primary sources are great reading, and there's a big reason why Plutarch is such a timeless classic. Nov 19, Felix Dance rated it liked it. Seeing this book on the shelf of a second-hand bookshop I knew it was time. He writes well and concisely, with many interesting insights into Roman society and the historical times — the end of the republic — while focusing on the chief characters of the changes that brought the empire.
The collection itself is a modern construction, selecting only the biographies of relevant characters and one day I hope to read the rest of the surviving works of Plutarch, although I always feel guilty reading books from Ancient Rome in English. A good analogue for the chaos of Jakarta. Jul 18, Jesse rated it it was amazing. The events outlined in these lives are a horrifying spectacle.
The battle over Rome between Marius and Sulla set in motion a political sequence that included purges, deliberately orchestrated famines, martial law, and endless conquest-foreign and domestic I think it poetic that the home of the mother of the Gracchi, the founders of socialism, should've been so enviously fought over. As a result, Spartacus led his fellow slaves to some incredible victories, and more than half of Rome's populati The events outlined in these lives are a horrifying spectacle.
As a result, Spartacus led his fellow slaves to some incredible victories, and more than half of Rome's population vanished. Despite his religiosity, Plutarch does a good job of examining the politics of the first and second triumvirates, and, as always, creates stunning dramatic brushstrokes that are as moving as they are unbelievable. Plutarch's grasp of politics is grand instead of minute. His emphasis on warfare and personality no doubt does not endear him to contemporary historians. Some of his contentions are flat out wrong.
Yet he is the master of the fair biography, good at pointing out a man's strengths and weaknesses, and giving it all a dramatic and even tragic touch.
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Sympathy is given when warranted as is condemnation. In this volume the best lives presented are Sulla and Pompey. Cicero is a bit dull, hurt by Plutar Plutarch's grasp of politics is grand instead of minute. Cicero is a bit dull, hurt by Plutarch's lack of political insight. Crassus and Caesar are solid. Marius less so, but at least his military abilities are made clear. Oct 17, Ben rated it really liked it.
Nor did he ever allow the enemy to get a hold over him. Even when he was surrounded by their entrenchments he bided his time, quite unmoved by challenges or by insults. They say that once Publius Silo, the most powerful of the enemy commanders and the one with the greatest reputation, said to him: I like this kind of book. It is interesting how you can read two different authors who address the same subject and get totally different accounts of the subject matter. I think I would probably go with Plutarch this time.
This was a college text. Mar 07, Shane rated it really liked it Shelves: This story is told through of the biographies of Marius, Sulla, Crassus, Pompey, Caesar, Cicero, men who headed various factions in the numerous civil wars and revolutions that shook Rome during this period. Plutarch, the Greek author of these works, made no attempt to explain how and why these events took place.
The Fall of the Roman Republic: Six Lives by Plutarch
Rather he was far more interested in the men themselves and their various failings and achievements. Never the less Plutarch is generally reliable. He gets some minor dates and names wrong and he clearly falls into the Sulla and Pompey camps, but this does not mean to say he glamorizes them. He drew upon a variety of contemporary sources, mainly letters, memoirs, and previous histories, in an effort to tell the lives in a balanced way.
This accuracy, as well his attempt to show the character of these men, has made Plutarch a go to source for many historians studying the period. In addition to his reliability, the biographies themselves are pleasures to read. Plutarch had a knack for spotting and giving extra attention to an exciting event.
It is no wonder why Shakespeare used him as a main source for his famous tragedies Julius Caesar and Antony and Cleopatra. The histories of the Romans have long captivated both scholars and every day knowledge seekers. Combining the classical Roman and the medieval Byzantine periods no other state in history can claim such a continuous existence. The reflections of the power, culture, and intellect of the ancient Romans has, for better or worse, been one of the most enduring features of Western culture.
As such the sources on ancient Rome are most worthy for either a casual reading or for academic research.
Among these stands the biographies and philosophies of Plutarch. Born around 46 A. D, in the Greek region of Boeotia, he studied and became a philosopher in Athens and wrote a large corpus of works on a variety of subjects before his death in around the year A. His history comes in the form of his large body of biographies title Parallel Lives, written towards the end of his life.
The work pairs the lives of great Romans with great Greeks, and focuses on the subjects breeding, education, achievements, and morality. However, the pairings at times make little sense and can confuse the reading if they were constantly flipping between a Roman and Greek. As such the translator, Rex Warner, has done us the service of selecting six of these lives to illustrate the history of the event. Jul 28, Angel rated it liked it.
It drags at times. The references are often alien to me and I assume to most people of this millennium. A lot of the intrigues and wars and political reigns and neighboring regions and norms and whatnot are a little difficult to keep track of without flowcharts and maps and whatnot. Too many people have the same name! I don't understand most of Cicero's jokes! But I still liked it.
Obviously I'm not well-versed in Roman history and most of the figures that pop up in th I liked it. Obviously I'm not well-versed in Roman history and most of the figures that pop up in this book were unknown to me before I picked it up. In fact, aside from those heretofore unknowns that happen to be subjects of the biographies Marius, Sulla, Crassus I'm going to quickly forget the bulk of these people. I'll give it a month tops before the name Mithridates passes through my mind for the last time ever in my entire life. I will remember Clodius' trial though, because that story is literally a sitcom plot.
Not to say that Plutarch's biographies aren't enjoyable, but they're also nonsense here and there and I'm not so blase enough about accuracy to not feel lost at times, trying to separate the apocrypha from the truth, the facts from the fantasies. This is my own failing, of course. If I wanted to learn history I'd pick up a textbook.
Very informative, if not of the truth of the matters, then at least of what was believed to be true by reputable scholars a few centuries after the fact. It's what Shakespeare knew of ancient Rome. It's worth a read. Sep 22, Mike rated it it was ok. I read the section on Julius Caesar, and it didn't really tempt me to read any further. It isn't really fair to hold Plutarch to the standards of a modern historian, but even if you don't, it's still hard to deny that Plutarch's histories just don't have much value for a modern reader, except as an historical study on Rome.
This is very much 'great man' history, focused just as much - if not more - on mythologizing as it is on really documenting an era or a series of events. As such, it's pretty I read the section on Julius Caesar, and it didn't really tempt me to read any further.
The Fall of the Roman Republic: Six Lives
As such, it's pretty uncomfortable how much it glosses over how many people Caesar killed and put into subjugation, up to and including slavery. That's nothing unusual for an ancient historian, but not something that I have any interest in reading. This also mostly consists of very boring military history, which is probably the least interesting thing Plutarch could've possibly chosen to focus on. Plutarch's subjects might be interesting, and I might be reading an analysis of why ancient historians were the way they were, but actually reading this itself is pretty boring.
Feb 21, Billy rated it liked it. As an old Latin student I was very interested in these 6 guys actually read the book for an old folks class at University of Richmond. For today's reader this book is somewhat difficult since there are references to personalities we have never heard of and geographical places which have changed names several times over. However I now have Marius, Sulla, Crassus, Pompey and Caesar in the right order; I understand a lot better about their overlap in time.
I wonder if the Roman Republic ever was As an old Latin student I was very interested in these 6 guys actually read the book for an old folks class at University of Richmond. I wonder if the Roman Republic ever was so ideal given all the murders. Lastly, my Latin teacher idealized Cicero and, upon reading this book, I realize he imitated Cicero to a certain extent.
Cicero's writing was great but in person I have a feeling I would not have liked him for his verbal cruelty and arrogance. Better than I expected it to be, but one I'll definitely have to read again. Taken from The Lives , a series of biographies spanning the Graeco-Roman age, this collection illuminates the twilight of the old Roman Republic from BC. Whether describing the would-be dictators Marius and Sulla, the battle between Crassus and Spartacus, the death of political idealist Crato, Julius Caesar's harrowing triumph in Gaul or the eloquent oratory of Cicero, all offer a fascinating insight into an empire wracked by political divisions.
Deeply influential on Shakespeare and many other later writers, they continue to fascinate today with their exploration of corruption, decadence and the struggle for ultimate power. For more than seventy years, Penguin has been the leading publisher of classic literature in the English-speaking world.
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There was a problem filtering reviews right now. Please try again later. Plutarch is the opposite of Isaaic Asimov. Foundation portrays history only in terms of massive predictable, quantifiable and eminently understandable trends. There is little accounting for individual personalities; only stochastic movements of people, information, money, and resources. On the other hand, Plutarch writes history in the form of biographic essays, showing us one unique, sometimes inconsistent, often inscrutable man at a time. Six Lives was written years after the fall of the Roman Republic, and gives the reader a feel for six top leaders of the Republic.
I think they help show that while the Empire was sexier than the Republic, the Republic may have more to teach us It's history is the cautionary tale of a prosperous, learned society with codified rights for some , and elements of representative governance, which proceeded down a path to dictatorship. Some understanding of how this happened may be gleaned from the six lives Plutarch examines: He is responsible for the slaughter on the Capitoline Hill, demonstrating an arrogance and ruthlessness which makes him plenty of enemies and few friends. He spends his last few unhealthy years fleeing political rivals and seeking sanctuary wherever he can find it, much as Mohammad Reza Pahlavi "the Shah of Iran" did in I'm not sure why Gaius was included on this list; he seems the less impressive than the others.
Turning on the public who elected him Consul, he maneuvers himself into a position of Dictator, and then proceeded to butcher over 12, citizens, political opponents, personal enemies and their families for the slightest real or perceived transgressions. Through sheer dumb luck, Sulla was asked to receive the surrender of notorious outlaw Jogurtha on behalf of Rome. Sulla hadn't contributed anything to Jogurtha's defeat and capture, but that didn't stop him from commissioning statues in Rome depicting him standing triumphally over the humbled outlaw. His peers were particularly miffed by a giant gold ring he had custom made, bearing the surrender scene.
I guess he wore it under their noses, like bad bad LeRoy Brown. I wish somebody who saw it would have drawn a picture! Sulla died, incidentally, of a gruesome intestinal worm infestation. His for-profit fire company used to show up at burning homes to negotiate a bargain sale of the house. If the owner refused, the firemen turned around and went home! He comes across as the weakest of the Triumvirs, with no realistic shot at coming out on top over Pompey or Caesar. Brutal ending for Crassus: POMPEY Triumvir 2 is the military strategy whiz-kid, who becomes General at twenty-two, and gets his own Triumph victory parade without the normally required rank of Praetor.
His career as statesman is less impressive. When Crassus's death ends the Triumvirate, the Republic descends into civil war.
Pompey snatches defeat from the jaws of victory, and loses to Caesar. Shortly after, he seeks asylum in Egypt, and is murdered by King Ptolmey's agents, in an example of cold-blooded Machiavellian politics which Plutarch explains well on page No matter; there is so much overlap of events in the personal histories of Crassus, Pompey, and Caesar, that reading them in succession starts to feel a bit like Rashomon. If you have read Shakespeare's Julius Caesar, and the preceeding chapters on Crassus and Pompey, this section has little new to offer. It's nice to know that political power wasn't completely limited to generals, but Cicero wasn't nearly as powerful as the others on this list.
I like him better in his own work: On the Good Life Penguin Classics. Plutarch thinks Cicero is a too-clever-by-half smartass, but does grudgingly admit his brilliant oratory skills, and his impressive legal career. Sadly, Cicero's life illustrates that being right or just or smart was not enough to ensure the public's goodwill during the Republic. Without question, military might ruled the day. There are plenty of places mentioned in this book, and no maps. This is a setup for much confusion: Temple of Hercules Victor, and the Temple of Portunus. Plutarch was a classical Greek historian during the Roman period who was well rounded and provides us with important insights into the classical world through his writings.