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Rating: 
Summary: Action and Words
Review: Is the sword mightier than the pen? It certainly is in the short term going by the lives featured here. Alexander and Caesar were the greatest conquerors of the ancient world while Cicero and Demosthenes are considered to have been its greatest wordsmiths. This collection of four lives is further connected by the fact that the two orators opposed the two conquerors, raising important moral questions about freedom and democracy. Demosthenes, a great speaker who was cowardly by nature, saw Alexander and his father Philip as no better than barborous tyrants, while Cicero, who also lacked the military virtues, fought a verbal war to preserve the Roman Republic. Although being spared by their opponents, both Demosthenes and Cicero were finally hunted and killed by their successors. By today's standards we would condemn Alexander and Caesar as ruthless, bloodthirsty tyrants, however, judging these two great men outside their historical context is grossly unfair. Without Alexander, the Greeks would have continued to fight their petty wars and Hellenic culture would have remained confined to a small corner of the Mediterranean. As for Caesar's usurpation of power, it was vital for Rome's survival to separate government from politics as the constant electioneering, bribery, partisan strife, riots, plots, and military coups were causing anarchy at the heart of the Republic. Writing at a time when a strong Imperial system was safeguarding Hellenic culture and prosperity throughout the Mediterranean, it is not surprising that Plutarch saw Alexander and Caesar in such a positive light. Whatever message he may wish to convey, Plutarch's writing is full of delights, focusing on character traits, interesting quotes, great events, and always going off on those wonderful tangents about natural history, superstitions, or the customs of far away countries. These are four interesting biographies. But why buy 4 when there are volumes with 8 or 9, or even ALL the 'Lives' of Plutarch?
Rating:
Summary: Action and Words
Review: Is the sword mightier than the pen? It certainly is in the short term going by the lives featured here. Alexander and Caesar were the greatest conquerors of the ancient world while Cicero and Demosthenes are considered to have been its greatest wordsmiths. This collection of four lives is further connected by the fact that the two orators opposed the two conquerors, raising important moral questions about freedom and democracy. Demosthenes, a great speaker who was cowardly by nature, saw Alexander and his father Philip as no better than barborous tyrants, while Cicero, who also lacked the military virtues, fought a verbal war to preserve the Roman Republic. Although being spared by their opponents, both Demosthenes and Cicero were finally hunted and killed by their successors. By today's standards we would condemn Alexander and Caesar as ruthless, bloodthirsty tyrants, however, judging these two great men outside their historical context is grossly unfair. Without Alexander, the Greeks would have continued to fight their petty wars and Hellenic culture would have remained confined to a small corner of the Mediterranean. As for Caesar's usurpation of power, it was vital for Rome's survival to separate government from politics as the constant electioneering, bribery, partisan strife, riots, plots, and military coups were causing anarchy at the heart of the Republic. Writing at a time when a strong Imperial system was safeguarding Hellenic culture and prosperity throughout the Mediterranean, it is not surprising that Plutarch saw Alexander and Caesar in such a positive light. Whatever message he may wish to convey, Plutarch's writing is full of delights, focusing on character traits, interesting quotes, great events, and always going off on those wonderful tangents about natural history, superstitions, or the customs of far away countries. These are four interesting biographies. But why buy 4 when there are volumes with 8 or 9, or even ALL the 'Lives' of Plutarch?
Rating: 
Summary: Intriguing Lives, Great Biographies
Review: Plutarch (or Ploutarchos in Greek), shows in this book that he is one of the best biographers of all time. He uses written and oral sources to construct the life stories of four important historical figures, Demosthenes, Cicero, Alexander, and Caesar. These are all great personalities, with virtues and vices, wtih strengths and weaknesses, and Plutarch shows both the negative and the postive sides of their character and actions. Plutarch is both a historian and a storyteller. In this sense he is no different than the popular biographers and historians of today. In addition, he does not detach himself form the events and people he writes about; he frequently makes moral judgements. He praises them when they do something praiseworthy, and he criticizes them when they do something deplorable. That is also not different from the way the current popular historians and biographers approach their topics. Don't Stephen Ambrose or David McCullough also make moral judgements about the people they write about? Don't they also emotionally attach themselves to the people and events they examine? Isn't that what makes their books such a pleasure to read? Plutarch's books are a pleasure to read, too. That's why they have been popular for more than eighteen hundred years. A parallel recounting of the stories of persons whose lives had some striking similarities (thus leading to comparison and contrast) is a clever method, and it is difficult to understand why it is hardly ever used today. The Greek used by Plutarch is relatively easy to understand; the translation is good and, albeit more than eighty years' old, is appealing to today's reader. So, if you want to improve, or work on, your Ancient Greek, this book is for you. If you are interested in the history of 4th-Century B.C. Ancient Greece, and the conflicts, intrigues, interpersonal clashes, political systems, and cultural values of that period, this book is for you. And, finally, if you enjoy reading intriguing life stories, well told, this book is definitely for you.
Rating: 
Summary: Plutarch: The historian that changes history
Review: You have ancient historians like Polybius, Thucydides, and Seutonius who tell the facts and do not change them. But with Plutarch, it's a different ballgame. Plutarch wants to make the good people look bad and the bad people look good. Try to avoid any book written by Plutarch for all the lives he has written about are sketchy. I was kind enough to give the book two stars so if you actually are resding this, here's my advise: if you have money to blow, get it and try and read it, but don't go out of your way.
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