Parallel Lives (Magill Book Reviews)
At a glance:
- Author: Plutarch
- First Published: 1579
- Type of Work: History/Biography
- Genres: Nonfiction, History, Biography, Sociology
- Subjects: Mythology or myths, Legends, Greek or Roman times, Greece or Greek people, Rome, Heads of state, Generals
“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.
Plutarch, however, was not a true historian in the modern sense, but a moralist concerned to portray the distinctively Roman virtues. His subjects--especially Rome’s builders, such as Fabius Maximus, Marcellus, and Cato the Elder--illustrate his themes of Roman valor and tenacity. Conversely, he suggests that it was the character of men such...
[The entire page is 578 words long]
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