Teaching Ancient Biography
by Dr. Margaret Cotter-Lynch, Southeastern Oklahoma State University
Original text © 2005. Margaret Cotter-Lynch.
Plutarch: Life of Pompey
KEY THEMES:
moral character
assertion and evidence
cause and effect
money, military, and power
I. The purpose of life writing: why write a biography? There are two possible, and sometimes interconnected, objectives behind writing the story of a person’s life:
a. What makes this person unique? A biography written with this as the primary question will emphasize:
i. Extraordinary accomplishments
ii. What makes this person unique or unusual
iii. How and why this person is special
iv. The interaction of an individual person with a particular time and place
v. The subject of the biography as an object of wonder, admiration, or
fascination
vi. The differences between this person and everyone else, ever
b. What makes this person familiar? A biography written with this as the primary question will emphasize:
i. The commonalities/shared characteristics between the subject and other people
ii. The recognition of familiar characteristics in the subject by the reader
iii. The engagement of the reader in comparing the subject of the biography with the reader’s own experience, i.e. “this person is like/unlike me/people I know”
iv. The subject of the biography as a didactic example, who can be learned from as a model of good or bad behavior.
II. Plutarch as a biographer:
a. Greek philosopher, lived ~ 100 CE (i.e. ~ 150 years after Pompey, Antony, Caesar). Plutarch wrote 46 biographies of Greeks and Romans, plus “Moralia”
b. Plutarch was a moral philosopher in the Platonic tradition. He believed:
i. There is a clear right vs. wrong way to live
ii. Good = subsuming individual emotions to reason and the greater good
iii. His biographies served a didactic purpose in illustrating the rewards and consequences of good and bad living
c. Plutarch’s philosophical training and beliefs can be seen in his Lives of Pompey, Antony, and Caesar. Plutarch’s accounts of these men’s lives show what we should imitate and what we should avoid in order to live a virtuous (according to Plutarch) life.
III. In his “Life of Pompey,” Plutarch makes clear moral character judgements about Pompey, which he presents in a structure of assertion and evidence. First Plutarch tells us his judgement, then he gives us examples from Pompey’s life to support his assertion.
a. p. 224: Pompey is cautious and discreet, as evidenced by his treatment of the wife of Demetrius
b. p. 270: Pompey displays a lack of moderation in his political dealings, as evidenced by the corruption with Crassus
IV. Plutarch also emphasizes the relationship of cause and effect in his biography of Pompey. This supports his moralistic philosophy, that good decision making and right living leads to a successful life, while being rash, overly emotional, or otherwise flawed will lead to failure.
a. p. 270: The public shows put on by Pompey lead to popularity which in turn leads to political power
b. p. 249: A bill in the Senate appointing Pompey in charge of the war against Mithradates leads to Pompey’s eventual control of the entire Roman empire.
V. Plutarch is clear and forthright in his assessments of successes and failures.
a. p. 263: Plutarch signals a shift in his story, from telling about successes, to recounting failures.
VI. Plutarch’s style as we see it here will characterize the other biographies we will read by him, as well. As you read, look for typical phrases of Plutarch’s style:
a. “For instance”
b. “Here’s one example of”
c. “The upshot of this was”
d. “The effect of this was”
Assignment: for next time, read Plutarch’s “Life of Antony.” What makes Antony succeed? What makes him fail?
