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Plutarch’s Pragmatic Biographies
Columbia Studies in the
Classical Tradition
Editorial Board
Volume 43
By
Susan G. Jacobs
LEIDEN | BOSTON
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Columbia Studies in the Classical Tradition publishes monographs by members of the Columbia University
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Columbia. Its subjects are: Greek and Latin literature, ancient philosophy, Greek and Roman history, classi-
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⸪
Contents
Acknowledgments xI
Sources and Abbreviations xiii
List of Tables xvi
Introduction 1
Part 1
Training the Politikos under Rome
3 Didactic Agenda of the Parallel Lives: Insights from the Prologues and
Synkriseis 93
3.1 Statesmanship and Generalship in the Prologues 94
3.2 Statesmanship in the Synkriseis 108
3.3 Techniques for Reinforcing Pragmatic Lessons Across the Parallel
Lives 118
3.4 Conclusion: Didactic Agenda of the Parallel Lives as Pragmatic
Biography 120
Part 2
Political and Military Leadership
5 Coriolanus-Alcibiades 180
5.1 Introduction 180
5.2 Life of Coriolanus 183
5.3 Life of Alcibiades 204
5.4 Insights from the Synkrisis 225
6 Agesilaus-Pompey 227
6.1 Introduction 227
6.2 Life of Agesilaus 229
6.3 Life of Pompey 250
6.4 Insights from the Synkrisis 274
Part 3
Ruling and Being Ruled
7 Aemilius-Timoleon 283
7.1 Introduction 283
7.2 Life of Aemilius Paullus 285
7.3 Life of Timoleon 305
7.4 Insights from the Synkrisis 322
8 Demetrius-Antony 325
8.1 Introduction 325
8.2 Life of Demetrius 329
8.3 Life of Antony 345
8.4 Insights from the Synkrisis 365
10 Conclusion 416
10.1 Plutarch’s Project in the Parallel Lives 416
10.2 Applying the Exempla 420
10.3 Reception of the Lives as Pragmatic Biography in the Western
Classical Tradition 422
10.4 “Pragmatic Biography” versus “Explorations of Issues
of Virtue and Vice” 429
Bibliography 431
Index 451
Acknowledgments
All citations of the locations of passages from Greek and Latin sources have been taken
from the Loeb Classical Library series. For Plutarch texts, the Loeb volumes have the
same chapter divisions as the Teubner volumes, but because the “verse” partitions
within each chapter are fewer in the Loeb texts, the exact citations differ slightly
across the two series. The Greek texts for Plutarch reflect the fifth Teubner edition
of Ziegler and Gaertner (2000–) for the Vitae Parallelae and the latest Teubner edi-
tions of Pohlenz and Hubert et al. for the Moralia (1929–). Latin texts are taken from
OCT volumes, when available, and otherwise from the Loeb. The Greek translations
are my own based on modifications of the Loeb translations of the Parallel Lives (by
Bernadotte Perrin, 1914–26) and Moralia (by various translators, 1927–2004), while the
Latin translations reflect those provided in the Loeb volumes.
The individual Lives and Parallel Lives are cited using the abbreviations listed below.
The synkrisis sections are cited using the name of the pair (e.g. Per-Fab) followed by the
chapter and line as numbered in the Loeb volumes. The treatises of the Moralia are
referenced by the English translations listed below.
Plutarch’s Works
Aratus Aratus
Artaxerxes Artax.
Galba Galba
Otho Otho
The question at the heart of the analysis of the six sets of Parallel Lives in this
book is simple: What was Plutarch’s purpose in writing the Parallel Lives? Why
did Plutarch design a framework that included a Prologue, two Lives and a
synkrisis, rather than simply publish more individual Lives, like his Aratus or
Artaxerxes, or another series like his Lives of the Caesars?1 Was his objective,
as is now generally accepted, to spark moral improvement by fostering a more
nuanced understanding of virtue and vice in private and public contexts?2 Or
did he also intend, as I will argue, to provide pragmatic advice in how to handle
specific practical challenges of political and military leadership?
Because the Parallel Lives do not include a programmatic statement that di-
rectly explains their innovative framework3—an explanation that might have
been provided in the lost Epaminondas-Scipio, the first pair in the series4—the
question of Plutarch’s purpose has been a recurring issue. In the 18th and 19th
centuries, scholars saw Plutarch as a would-be historian, who wrote the Parallel
Lives as historical biography by reworking material from his predecessors.5 In
the early 20th century, Plutarch’s intentions were re-interpreted to be those
of a writer of moral biography, whose focus was not on “what” his subjects
achieved (the subject of history) but on how the subject’s actions manifested
1 Only four of Plutarch’s individual (un-paired) Lives survive, of which two are from the Lives of
the Caesars series (Otho and Galba) and two are stand-alone works—Aratus and Artaxerxes.
Discussions of these works can be found in Georgiadou (1988; 2014), Ash (1997), Stadter
(2005/2015), Almagor (2009; 2014a; 2014b) and De Blois (2014). See Chapter 2 for further
discussion.
2 Duff (1999b: 70–71, 245–251, 257) and Duff (2011a) provide a succinct summary of this widely-
accepted view of Plutarch’s purpose. See below for a wider discussion.
3 Duff (2011b) provides an overview of the parallel framework and the function of each of its
parts.
4 The first pair of Parallel Lives, Epaminondas-Scipio, which may have had a “programmatic”
prologue stating the purpose of the four-part books and the series, has been lost. Whether
Epaminondas was paired with Scipio Africanus or Scipio Aemilianus is unknown. For argu-
ments on both sides see Herbert (1957) and summaries in Stadter (1989: xxviii, note 12) or
Duff (1999b: 14, note 4).
5 See Duff (1999b: 5–9) for a description of the evolution of Plutarch scholarship. See Chapter
10, below, for a discussion of how the rejection of Plutarch as a reliable “historian” in the
19th century led to a rejection of the Lives as a source of pragmatic insights for statesmen
and generals (as they had been used earlier), although they remained a respected source of
inspiration to moral virtue.
key character traits (ἦθος).6 The Lives were expected to provide portraits of
“paragons” of virtue or vice to inspire moral improvement, with lessons that
were clear-cut and direct: “Imitate this statesman” or “Avoid the conduct of
that one”. Plutarch’s focus on the character of the politikos was also recognized,
and Plutarch’s lessons were seen as applicable to both public and private life.
Indeed, the “politicus” and components of political aretē were the central
focus of Wardman’s 1974 monograph on the Lives.7
In identifying “moral lessons” as central to Plutarch’s purpose, scholars had
drawn inferences from the Prologues8 and synkriseis,9 largely relying on the
content of the Prologues to five pairs (Nic-Cras, Alex-Caes, Per-Fab, Aem-Tim
and Dtr-Ant) considered “programmatic” because their themes could apply
to all of the Parallel Lives. In the Prologues to Nic-Cras (Nic. 1.1–5) and Alex-
Caes (Alex. 1.1–3), Plutarch distinguished his “Lives” from “History” and stat-
ed his desire to reveal “the signs of the soul” (τὰ τῆς ψυχῆς σημεῖα) (Alex. 1.3)
of his heroes, including their “disposition” (διάθεσιν), “character” (ἤθους) and
“temperament” (τρόπου) (Nic. 1.5). The other “programmatic” Prologues, found
in Per-Fab (Per. 1.1–2.4), Aem-Tim (Aem. 1.1–8) and Dtr-Ant (Dtr. 1.1–8)10—
focused on providing paradigms of behaviors to imitate or avoid. The process
by which role models stimulate imitation was most clearly stated in Pericles,
6 The major shift towards treating Plutarch as a moral biographer began with Frederick
Leo’s Die griechisch-römische Biographie nach ihrer litterarischen Form (1901). Shipley
(1997: 2) describes the Lives as biographies that were “character studies” with a didactic
purpose: “the exemplary moral, that is protreptic, purpose of the Lives was to encourage
admiration and imitation of good characters”. See also Geiger (2014).
7 Wardman (1974: 19–20; 105–132) sees Plutarch helping men become “more useful and
effective in politics, however local” and discusses virtues of the “politcus”. Stadter (1989:
xxxiv) states that Pericles is written to inform and “to give the reader assistance in living
the life of an active member of the political community”. On key virtues, see Martin (1960;
1961; 1995), Babut (1969), Russell (1973: 87–99), Frazier (1995; 1996; 2014a), Duff (1999b:
72–89), Verdegem (2005a). See Corvisier (1994) on how diseases and injuries illuminate
character traits.
8 For a comprehensive review of the Prologues, see Stadter (1988), Duff (2008; 2011b; 2014).
Duff (1999b: 13–51) examines five “programmatic” Prologues, while Duff (2004) reviews
Dtr-Ant in further detail.
9 On function of the synkriseis, see Russell (1973: 110–113), Pelling (1986b/2002; 2005a), Duff
(1999b: 249–286; 2000), Larmour (2014).
10 The key passages are found at Per. 2.2–4, Aem. 1.1–5 and Dtr. 1.5–6. As is widely recog-
nized, these three Prologues echo the dynamic process of moral improvement Plutarch
describes in the Moralia, whereby exposure to virtue automatically stimulates the ob-
server to imitate it and emulate the virtuous man. For further discussion of key passages
in these Prologues, see Chapter 3.
Introduction 3
11 The “disconnect” between the expectations created in the Prologues and the content of
the Lives is discussed in Pelling (1988b: 10–13) and Duff (1999b: 66–70), raising questions
about how Plutarch created pairs. Nikolaidis (2005: 316–317) suggests that Plutarch com-
posed Lives one at a time and eventually matched up the pairs, and, in this way, could have
strayed from his original intention. On the chronology of the Lives, see Jones (1966/1995).
12 The inconsistency appears both within and across Lives. Agesilaus’ violation of laws is
criticized when he helps Phoebidas (Ages. 23.6–7), but praised after Leuctra (Ages. 30.4;
Ages-Pomp 2.2–3). Refusal to yield to entreaty is praised when Fabius refuses to engage
in battle (Fab. 19.2–4), but blamed when Phocion does not act against Nicanor (Phoc.
32.3–5). The ambiguity of Plutarch’s treatment of specific virtues and vices is discussed in
Pelling (1988b: 13) and Duff (1999b: 70–71, 130–135).
13 Pelling (1988b; 1995/2002), Stadter (1988; 2000/2015; 2002a; 2003), Duff (1999b; 2004; 2007).
Duff (1999b: 52–57; 70) explains this conclusion. Pelling (2004: 88–89, 97) asks whether
the moral lesson was a maxim or more of a “mental exercise, stirring up our ethical sensi-
bilities by making us wonder what it would be like to be in a very different, very challeng-
ing, moral situation”. See also Pelling (1995: 213–217/2002: 244–248).
14 Van Hoof (2010: 10), for instance, asserts that Plutarch improves his reader’s character “not
through direct instruction, but through descriptive or exploratory moralism: by yielding
insight into his protagonists’ characters, Plutarch not only invites the reader to form his
own judgments on these, but also elicits a desire to imitate them.” Verdegem (2010b: 25–
27) finds both protreptic and descriptive moralism, while Liebert (2016) sees the Lives as
political philosophy designed to engage readers in an exploration of philotimia and its
role in relations between statesman and city, and between city and empire. See also Brenk
(2008).
4 Introduction
the heroes. Through this exercise, the reader derives paradigms to guide his
own behavior, as well as food for thought about problematic issues where judg-
ments are difficult to make. Ultimately, readers are expected to judge for them-
selves the relative merits of the heroes and which behaviors to imitate or avoid,
rather than be guided to a particular conclusion.
Although the established paradigm for interpreting the Lives is generally con-
sidered “familiar and uncontroversial”,20 there are reasons to question whether
this approach is able to capture all of Plutarch’s intended lessons. Several
characteristics of the Lives suggest that a broader interpretive framework is
needed. First, many Lives contain carefully-constructed descriptions of how
the heroes resolved the practical challenges of managing cities, leading armies
and bringing policies to fruition, including details that demonstrate how to
deliberate, persuade different groups, manage rivalries and inspire obedience.21
The insights provided in these details go far beyond simply revealing the moral
traits of the leader to also uncovering his strategic judgment as a statesman
and general. Secondly, Plutarch often inserts authorial comments stating prin-
ciples of effective leadership rather than highlighting issues of virtue or vice.
For instance, Plutarch’s comments on the unreliable nature of public honors
in Demetrius (Dtr. 30.4–5) or the perils of allowing weaker political allies to use
one’s influence to their own ends in Pompey (Pomp. 46.2) contain a message
that is instructive for statesmen rather than men in private life. Finally, as will
be discussed in Chapter 3, the synkriseis pay far more attention to compar-
ing degrees of excellence in the statesmanship and generalship practiced by
the two heroes than they do in evaluating degrees of difference in their moral
qualities.
The pragmatic lessons specific to the public sphere can be integrated with
the treatment of moral issues into a single interpretive framework if the broader
paradigm of “pragmatic biography” is adopted.22 “Pragmatic biography”, as de-
fined in this book, combines the focus of biography on the character of one
Greek over Roman readers. See also Jones (1971: 48–64). See Chapter 1 for how the audi-
ence was expected to engage the text.
20 Tatum (2010b: 451) provides a succinct summary of key elements of the current paradigm.
21 For instance, deliberations are presented in Aristides (12.1–2), persuasion in Pericles (12.3–
4; 14.1–2), managing rivalries in Fabius (10.4–5) and inspiring obedience in Phocion (1.1–2).
22 The term “pragmatic biography” was suggested to me by Joseph Geiger to capture the
joint objectives of revealing moral character and providing pragmatic lessons. Jacobs
6 Introduction
man and the events in his life from birth to death with the lessons in leader-
ship included in pragmatic history.23 The ethical lessons place the spotlight
on setting the proper goals in private and public life, while the means of ac-
complishing those goals are illustrated in descriptions of how a reputation
for moral integrity, persuasive oratory and good strategic judgment lead to
the successful resolution of practical problems. Unlike the current paradigm,
pragmatic biography is centered on the practice of statesmanship rather than
on the moral character of statesmen in isolation and, like pragmatic history,
enables the reader not only to receive inspiration for moral improvement, but
also to derive practical lessons in how to be effective as a political or military
leader. As in pragmatic history, both the moral character of the leader—which
explains his motivation and ability to win the trust and obedience of others—
and the specific actions he took to produce a victory (or defeat) in particular
circumstances become inseparable dimensions of the lessons for leaders. In
this book, I argue that Plutarch included paradigms covering both the ethical
and practical dimensions of effective leadership in his Lives, and the “pragmat-
ic” component of these lessons, embedded in the narratives, authorial com-
ments and synkriseis of the Lives, provided a central unifying element to the
entire series.
When interpreted as “pragmatic biography”, the Parallel Lives are vehicles for
helping the reader become, not simply “a good man”, but “a good man who is
an effective statesman”. The hypothesis underlying the current study is that
Plutarch wrote for an audience who had already received philosophical train-
ing in how to be good men, but still needed guidance in how to solve the practi-
cal problems they confronted in their political and military roles.24 In writing
(2013; 2017a; 2017c) illustrates this approach to analyzing Plutarch’s treatment of leader-
ship challenges in the Lives from various perspectives.
23 Pragmatic history is the category of historical writing often associated with Polybius and
later historians who believed that history could provide lessons in leadership and general-
ship that readers could apply in their own careers. See Chapter 2 for further discussion.
24 As will be discussed in Chapter 1, the elite of Plutarch’s day, while unable to pursue empire
or wage war, could benefit their cities in other ways: they could procure privileges and
investment funds for their cities from the Emperor or his representatives, negotiate busi-
ness deals with other cities in their province, hold magistracies in city administration and
serve on embassies to the proconsul or Emperor. In the military sphere, opportunities for
advancement and influence remained as well. Senior positions in senatorial and eques-
Introduction 7
trian careers included command of armies, with responsibility for managing the needs of
the army, implementing strategies and assessing the threat of enemies on the frontier. For
an overview of opportunities open to the elite, see Garnsey and Saller (1982; 1987), Braund
(1988), Millar (1993; 1997; 2004), Lendon (1997), Duncan-Jones (2016).
8 Introduction
25 Van Hoof (2010: 257–258) includes the major “political” treatises in practical ethics, includ-
ing How to Tell a Flatterer, How to Profit from Enemies, On Being Compliant, On Inoffensive
Self-Praise, Philosophers and Men in Power, To an Uneducated Ruler, Political Precepts and
Old Men in Politics. See also Van Hoof (2014).
26 Van Hoof (2010: 11–12; 37).
27 Van Hoof (2010: 11; 26).
28 Boulet (2014: 453) uses the term “alliance” to signify the relationship between philosophy
and politics as viewed by Plato and Plutarch.
29 Van Hoof (2010: 22–25).
30 Sosius Senecio followed a senatorial path from quaestor in Achaea in the late 80s to senior
commander in the Dacian Wars under Trajan. His career included the command of a
Legion in Lower Germany, the governorship of Gallia Belgica, the consul ordinarius in 99,
and another consulship in 107 (Jones (1971: 55–56)). See also Puech (1992: 4883), Titchener
(2011: 40–43) and recently-updated PIR (second edition) on available details on Senecio.
Introduction 9
tain behaviors and their consequences,31 but also provided models of conduct
to imitate or avoid.32 Indeed, many of the same historical statesmen, such as
Pericles or Cato Minor, appear as exempla in the treatises and as subjects of the
Lives, underscoring the contemporary relevance attached to the experiences of
great statesmen of the past.33
Despite these shared characteristics, however, the treatises on practical eth-
ics and the Parallel Lives differed in their ultimate objectives. While the treatises
were constructed to effect internal changes in the reader in order to improve
his sense of his own well-being,34 the Lives focused on enhancing the reader’s
effectiveness in improving the well-being of his community.35 While having
one’s moral character in order contributed to effectiveness, practical success
also necessitated skills of communication and good strategic judgment about
what action to take (and when, where and how) which had to be acquired
through real-world experience, not training in philosophy.36 This orientation
towards instructing readers in how to manipulate external circumstances to
benefit the common good is not a central feature of most of the treatises on
practical ethics, although in the political treatises, such as Political Precepts
and Old Men in Politics, Plutarch provides practical advice on how to manage
public affairs. For the most part, the treatises on practical ethics—which, in
Van Hoof’s terms, fostered a “philosophical attitude” towards confronting a
variety of pressures in public life37—complemented the larger agenda of the
31 Van Hoof (2010: 49–50) discusses krisis as the first step in recognizing the contours of the
problem at issue.
32 Van Hoof (2010: 46–55) discusses askesis, the second step in the process of change, which
includes both delineation of a program of “exercises” to cultivate new habits of behavior
and the naming of particular men as positive or deterrent role models. Van Hoof points
out that the same rhetorical practices of descriptive moralism—including comparisons
and exempla—were employed in the treatises and the Lives.
33 Pericles, for instances, is cited nearly forty times in twelve different treatises, as listed
below in Table 4.1 in Chapter 4, while Cato Minor is cited thirteen times in eight treatises.
Phocion, Agesilaus and Alexander are also frequently used as exempla. Beck (2004: 107)
lists Greek and Roman statesmen used as exempla in the Moralia.
34 Van Hoof (2010: 11, 34–41, 260–261).
35 Van Hoof (2010: 49, 258–259) considers the political treatises Philosophers and Men in
Power, To an Uneducated Ruler, Political Precepts and Old Men in Politics as belonging to
practical ethics because Plutarch offers advice on how to be successful, but she overlooks
the extent to which the advice in the political treatises is designed to improve the quality
of a reader’s decision-making on behalf of others, not simply his own sense of well-being.
36 Plutarch expresses the need for real-world experience in order to hone the practical judg-
ment necessary to effective leadership at Old Men in Politics 790E–F, which is discussed
below in Chapter 1.
37 Van Hoof (2010: 35, 40).
10 Introduction
This book examines Plutarch’s project in three stages. Part 1 explores the un-
derpinnings of Plutarch’s didactic agenda in the Lives, with chapters devoted to
Plutarch’s concept of the politikos and the various public roles filled by the elite
of his day, the practical advice offered to the elite in the political and practical-
ethical treatises of Plutarch and others, and the overlap between the themes in
the treatises and the issues raised in the Prologues and synkriseis to the Lives.
Parts 2 and 3 illustrate the range of pragmatic lessons for leaders supplied in
six sets of Parallel Lives. Part 2, “Political and Military Leadership” draws on
Pericles-Fabius Maximus, Coriolanus-Alcibiades and Agesilaus-Pompey to high-
light the pragmatic advice directed to city archons, magistrates in Rome or the
provinces, and military leaders, which centered on how to persuade the people
or an army, how to manage political alliances and rivalries and how to identify
the best policies or military strategies in different situations. Part 3, “Ruling and
Being Ruled”, investigates the interactions between rulers and subject cities in
Aemilius-Timoleon, Demetrius-Antony and Phocion-Cato Minor, each of which
provides different lessons for the Emperor and provincial governors as “rulers”
trying to secure obedience and for the provincial city leaders as “the ruled”
attempting to keep Rome at bay. The final chapter summarizes the challenges
of leadership that recur across the Lives and closes with a discussion of the
reception of the Lives as “pragmatic biography” from the Renaissance until the
19th century,38 when doubts about Plutarch’s reliability as an historian led to a
narrowing of focus to concentrate on his treatment of virtue and vice.
38 As discussed in Chapter 10, Plutarch is prominently used as a reference point for both
practical and ethical insights in Erasmus’ Education of a Christian Prince, Machiavelli’s
Discourses on Livy and Art of War, Montaigne’s Essays and, among other American
Founding Fathers, in the work of Alexander Hamilton. On the history of the Lives from the
14th century onwards, see Richard (1994; 2008; 2014), Pade (2007; 2014), Guerrier (2014),
Frazier (2014b), Pérez Jiménez (2014), Mossman (2014).
Part 1
Training the Politikos under Rome
⸪
CHAPTER 1
Overview
Plutarch of Chaeronea1 (c. 40/45–120) was one of the most prolific authors of
the period spanning the turbulent final years of the Julio-Claudian dynasty
and the more tranquil reigns of Trajan (98–117) and Hadrian (117–138). In the
variety of his pursuits, Plutarch was fully a man of his time: as a wealthy,2 well-
educated3 Greek living in Greece, he served his native Chaeronea as a local
magistrate and ambassador;4 as a priest of Apollo at Delphi,5 he interacted
with senior members of the Roman imperial apparatus; and as a Platonic phi-
losopher, he actively engaged in philosophical discussions, wrote on a wide
range of topics and is believed to have headed his own school in Chaeronea.6
Plutarch’s experiences in all of these spheres inform his writings, which include
the essays, dialogues and philosophical treatises collected in the Moralia,7 the
individual Lives of Aratus and Artaxerxes, two Lives (Galba and Otho) from his
series Lives of the Caesars and, finally, the Parallel Lives of Greek and Roman
1 Plutarch (Dem. 2.2) mentions his choice to live in Chaeronea so that his small town would
not become smaller. The town was the site of the defeat of the Greeks by Philip of Macedon
in 338 BC and a later victory by Sulla (86 BC) over troops of Mithridates VI. See Jones (1971:
1–8) for background on the city’s history.
2 See Jones (1971: 8–9) on his family background and affluence at least adequate to qualify for
equestrian status.
3 During his 20s, Plutarch studied under Ammonius in Athens and became a philosopher of
the Platonic school. In choosing the Academy, Plutarch followed the practice of aligning
himself with one of the major schools of thought—the main alternatives at the time being
the Stoics and Epicureans (Trapp (2007: ix–xi)). Jones (1971: 14) places the date of Plutarch
studying under Ammonius in the late 60s. Ammonius was not only a teacher in philosophy,
but held the position of strategos at Athens three times, a position that involved him in city
management and administration. Plutarch later acquired citizen rights there.
4 Plutarch’s activities as a local magistrate and ambassador are cited in Political Precepts
811B–C.
5 For Plutarch’s activities as a priest at Delphi, see Jones (1971: 10, 26, 28–34), Swain (1991),
Stadter (2004/2015).
6 Plutarch is believed to have run a school in Chaeronea, but no details survive (Stadter (1989:
xxii)). Russell (1973: 13–14) paints a picture based on comments in the Moralia.
7 Plutarch’s corpus includes nearly eighty essays and dialogues of the Moralia. The Lamprias
catalogue lists additional works that are lost.