Plutarch

Plutarch was a famous Greek essayist and biographer. Born Chaeronea, Greece, about 46 A.D. Died Chaeronea, about 120 A.D.

Plutarch wrote The Parallel Lives of Famous Greeks and Romans, one of the best-known books of the ancient world. Despite some inaccuracies, it remains an important historical document and an outstanding example of biographical writing. The work consists of 50 biographies of distinguished warriors and statesmen. Most of the biographies are arranged in pairs. In each pair a famous Greek figure is compared with his Roman counterpart. Among the most famous of the parallel biographies are those of Alexander the Great and Julius Caesar, Demosthenes and Cicero, and Demetrius and Marc Antony.

Plutarch's aim in writing the Lives was ethical, rather than historical, and he hoped to instruct the reader in the qualities of greatness. He combined fact, legend, anecdote, and ethical commentary to illuminate the lives of his subjects. Plutarch's manner has been widely admired and imitated. A famous English translation of the Lives by Sir Thomas North in 1579 was a source for several of Shakespeare's plays.

After studying philosophy in Athens, Plutarch traveled extensively in Egypt and Asia. He soon won fame as an essayist and philosopher and taught in Rome for a while. Returning to his native Chaeronea, he opened a school and began writing the Lives. Plutarch also wrote the Moralia ("Morals"), a group of entertaining essays and dialogues. Many are still read for their charm and their insight into Greek and Roman life. The Moralia treats such subjects as religion, history, philosophy, and literature.