Julius Caesar
The examination of the life of Julius Caesar is an especially fascinating one. The literary junkie will find here quotes and lines that have taken on a proverbial life of their own ever since: “the die is cast,” “no one is above suspicion,” and “he came, he saw, he conquered.” Of course, those familiar with these sayings will discover among the many translations that time has a way of changing words around while still retaining essentially the same meaning.
Mark Antony
Shakespeare delved deeply into Plutarch’s opus to pry out material for his play, especially on the subject of Caesar and Antony. Mark Antony, it perhaps does not need to be said, was a close ally of Caesar as well as being instrumental in helping Caesar to almost-but-not-entirely live his dream of transforming Rome from a republic to an empire.
Alexander the Great
Not content with just his title of King of Macedon, Alexander the Great is famous for having conquered and created one of the most all-encompassing empires in history. And all before he reached the age of 30. Through Plutarch, however, we learn that even the most famous leaders are also subject to unfulfilled wishes. In the case of Alexander, it was never attaining the wisdom of Diogenes the Cynic with whom Macedon king was so thoroughly infatuated that even upon being insulted at their first meeting, Alexander left utterly delighted.
Demosthenes and Cicero
Two of the greatest orators of the ancient world are placed in parallel to each other. Demosthenes was Greek and Cicero was Roman. They were both considered at least near the top if not actually the very best orators their civilizations ever respectively produced. Interestingly, Plutarch backs off from what would seem to be the natural “angle” to take on his parallel examination: speech by speech comparisons of their oratory. Essentially, he is saying that greatness is not a competition, but a gift to every civilization which follows upon it.
Romulus and Theseus
The mythic original heroes of Rome and Greece are placed in juxtaposition to each as well in what appears at first to be an effort by Plutarch to discover the more courageous of the two. That honor eventually falls to Theseus, but before all those Theseus fans start to pump their fists and launch into a singalong of "Rock and Roll, Part 2" it must be noted that the ultimate judgment on the two is situated thusly:
"Both Theseus and Romulus were by nature meant for governors, yet neither lived up to the true character of a king.”
