Plutarch
Abstract
This chapter presents selections from Plutarch’s Parallel Lives . Written in Greek, this work paired biographies of Greek and Roman figures to reveal character, virtue, and vice as forces in history. His Life of Cato captures a champion of ancestral Roman values amid cultural change, while his Life of Antony explores ambition, passion, and power through the tragic affair of Antony and Cleopatra. Deeply influential on modern writers from Shakespeare to Enlightenment thinkers, Plutarch invites readers to consider how individual character shapes political life and historical destiny.
Fields of Study & Subjects
Classical Antiquity Studies
Classical Philosophy and Thought
Classical Studies and Philology
Publication details
- Journal / source
- Routledge eBooks
- Pages
- 500–513
- Publication date
- 3 March 2026
- Language
- EN
- Document type
- Book chapter