Plutarch's Lives, Vol. 1

What is the relationship between Plutarch’s biographies and history? In what ways are Plutarch’s biographies similar to history? In what ways are they different?

How does Plutarch explore the nature of power and leadership in the Lives? What does he depict as the qualities of a great leader, or a weak or ineffective one?

Plutarch believes that human nature is universal, and that the moral lessons he draws from his biographies could be applicable to anyone. How does this belief shape Plutarch’s analysis and his guiding assumptions? What are the strengths and weaknesses of this approach?

Analyze the structure of Plutarch’s biographies. What are some common components of the biographies? How does his structure reflect or illuminate some of his broader goals in creating these biographical pairings?

How does Plutarch depict figures from cultures other than Greece and Rome? In what ways are they different or similar to his Greco-Roman figures?

Plutarch’s Lives features biographies of several mythical and legendary figures alongside historical figures, including Theseus, Numa Pompilius, and Lycurgus. Are these biographies qualitatively different from Plutarch’s historical biographies? Why or why not? What is their wider significance in the text?

Select the biography of one individual who had a negative or ambivalent influence on history. What does Plutarch regard as this individual’s moral and/or political failings? How does this figure compare to other individuals he criticizes in the Lives?

Plutarch’s Lives contains the biographies of the greatest figures of classical antiquity. How does Plutarch define greatness in his Lives? How is Plutarch’s idea of greatness similar to, or different from, modern ideas of greatness?