Send us a text Full Show Notes Greek Parallel - Timoleon Important People Perseus - A tyrannical Macedonian leader who acts as a foil to Aemilius's virtues. They are like parallel lines running in opposite directions, even down to their family lives. Tubero - An obscure character worth keeping an eye on. Raised in a frugal, Roman home supporting Roman virtue, he rises to a trusted position in Aemilius’s army and continues to be dependable and virtuous. A stark contrast to the many lackeys who at...
Jun 12, 2024•1 hr•Season 5Ep. 7
Send us a text Full Show Notes - https://plutarch.life/titus-flamininus/ Greek Parallel - Philopoemen Important People Philip V - The second-to-last Macedonian king because the Romans play fair in this generation and allow Philip to remain on the throne even after soundly defeating him in battle twice. Philip also has to give up over-lordship of Greece which allows Titus to declare them free. Antiochus III - Antiochus swoops in when he sees an opportunity and tries to market himself as a liberat...
Apr 11, 2024•49 min•Season 5Ep. 6
Send us a text Full Show Notes Roman Parallel – Titus Flamininus Important People Epaminondas – A personal hero of Philopoemen’s; he can imitate him in nearly everything except his calmness (cf. Section 3). Epaminondas sets a high water mark for Theban military and political power which Philopoemen is not able to replicate with Megalopolis. Nabis – Spartan tyrant Machanidas – Spartan tyrant who dies in an epic one-v-one against Philopoemen. Antigonus III Doson of Macedon (263-221 BC) – Second to...
Mar 12, 2024•55 min
Send us a text Full Show Notes for Plutarch's Life of Cleomenes Roman Parallel - Tiberius Gracchus Important People Aratus - The same Aratus from the last life, but older and more experienced now. Between Aratus, Cleomenes, and Philopoemen, it becomes clear that the Greeks themselves are the architects of their own undoing. None of these three men cooperates with the other and this dissension makes easy target for Antigonus. Megistonoüs - Cleomenes's father-in-law and right-hand man once he take...
Feb 15, 2024•1 hr 23 min•Season 5Ep. 9
Send us a text Important People Lycurgus - ancient lawgiver, whose biography Plutarch also wrote , and to whom everyone refers constantly in this life as the original set of laws they are trying to hearken back to. Leonidas - one of two kings of Sparta (along with Agis, the protagonist of this life) who first secretly and then openly resists and thwarts Agis’s reforms at every turn. Lysander - Not the Lysander who was a contemporary of Agesilaus , but a new Lysander, elected as ephor and one of ...
Jan 11, 2024•49 min•Season 5Ep. 8
Send us a text Pelopidas Show Notes Marcellus Show Notes How do these two hasty generals compare? Who had the greater victories? Who had the greater flaws? What lessons are there for us over two centuries later? Support the show
Dec 22, 2023•26 min•Season 5Ep. 7
Send us a text Marcellus - Rome's Sword Against Hannibal Parallel - Pelopidas Important People Archimedes (sections 15-17; 19) Important Places Nola - A small settlement near Naples. Tarentum -The Greek colony that had called Pyrrhus over to help them fight the Romans about eighty years before this Second Punic War. They switch sides several times, but their location on the spur of the calf of Italy makes them strategically important for either side. Naples - Originally a Greek colony, Syracuse ...
Dec 11, 2023•1 hr 5 min•Season 5Ep. 6
Send us a text Fabius Show Notes Pericles Show Notes Support the show
Nov 22, 2023•20 min•Season 5Ep. 5
Send us a text Full Show Notes: https://plutarch.life/fabius Greek Parallel - Pericles Important People Terentius Varro - Mastermind of Cannae, survivor of the same battle, much to his shame. Marcellus - The sword to Fabius’s shield. Marcellus, whose life Plutarch also wrote, and Fabius together kept the Romans in their war against Hannibal without shameful or crippling setbacks. Scipio (Africanus) - The young and ambitious general, first succesful in Spain against the Carthaginians, makes a pla...
Nov 11, 2023•57 min•Season 5Ep. 4
Send us a text Full Show Notes for Camillus - Noble Roman Dictator Greek Parallel - Themistocles No Extant Parallel Essay - :( Important People Brennus - Gallic chieftan, unscrupulous and forceful, but without much character development as Plutarch did for other villains (see, for example, Alexander of Pherae's character development in the Life of Pelopidas or Dionysius II's tyrannical character as developed in the Life of Dion ). The Common (Ro)Man - Whether volunteering to give your wagon to V...
Oct 11, 2023•1 hr 7 min•Season 5Ep. 3
Send us a text So how do Coriolanus and Alcibiades actually compare? One seems like an angry fireball of revenge, the other a self-serving but talented chameleon. Coriolanus couldn't care less about his reputation, but wants the excellence that lives up to his own standard. Alcibiades can accept anyone's standards of behavior... as long as there is something in it for him. How do these two very different men stand in their similarities and differences? What can we learn for ourselves and apply t...
Sep 22, 2023•30 min•Season 5Ep. 2
Send us a text https://plutarch.life/coriolanus Greek Parallel - Alcibiades Important People Volumnia - Coriolanus’s mother and, because his father died young, the woman on whom Coriolanus will pour all his filial piety. Tullus Aufidius - The leader of the Volscians against the Romans. When Coriolanus switches sides, it is Tullus who is eclipsed. The Senate - Yes, the Senate acts as a character in this Life, so much so that they represent those with all the power and control, even though they do...
Sep 11, 2023•1 hr 18 min•Season 5Ep. 1
Send us a text plutarch.life/pyrrhus Pyrrhus, tempted to fight in the old Homeric style of one on one, strikes me as a man born in the wrong era. With the rise of the Macedonian phalanx, his tactical brilliance sees some success but his personal appetite for risk and voracious craving for the next adventure over the horizon cause him to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory too many times in his life. From Fabricius to Sparta to Argos, Pyrrhus seems to learn prudence, but only learns that even ...
Feb 11, 2023•28 min•Season 4Ep. 9
Send us a text Roman Parallel - Marius (157-86 BC) Important People Demetrius (337-283) - Neighbor and even, for a time, brother-in-law. Son of Antigonus I and father of Antigonus II, Demetrius rules in Greece, Macedon (for seven years), Asia Minor but was ultimately conquered by Seleucus and imprisoned until he died of his own drinking habit. Cassander (355-297) - Son of Antipater, who had served as regent of Macedon during Alexander’s campaigns and later served as regent after the death of Per...
Jan 11, 2023•53 min•Season 4Ep. 8
Send us a text Full Show Notes Available at https://plutarch.life/demetrius Roman Parallel: Mark Antony (83-30 BC) Season 4 is brought to you by Hackett Publishing - Use the coupon code PLUTARCH for 20% off and free shipping at hackettpublishing.com Key Vices and Virtues Luxury or Softness (τρυφή) - At first, Demetrius seems to have control over this vice, but it turns out that it’s a symptom of a larger lack of self-control. Even when he can rein in his appetites for food and sex, he never full...
Dec 11, 2022•1 hr 4 min•Season 4Ep. 7
Send us a text Full Show Notes Available at https://plutarch.life/phocion Season 4 is brought to you by Hackett Publishing - Use the coupon code PLUTARCH for 20% off and free shipping at hackettpublishing.com Roman Parallel - Cato the Younger (95–46 BC) Phocion was three years old when Socrates died in 399 and then lives through the reigns of Philip, Alexander, and dies under Cassander's takeover of Athens. Though less well-known than his contemporary, Demosthenes, Plutarch wants us to remember ...
Nov 11, 2022•1 hr 4 min•Season 4Ep. 6
Send us a text Full Show Notes Available at https://plutarch.life/eumenes Season 4 is brought to you by Hackett Publishing - Use the coupon code PLUTARCH for 20% off and free shipping at hackettpublishing.com Key Virtues and Vices Bravery (ἀνδρεῖος) - Eumenes, in spite of being the head secretary, is no pencil pusher. Plutarch wants to emphasize this even from the beginning. His education in and prowess in wrestling impress Philip equally as much as his intelligence. Both become an asset to Phil...
Oct 11, 2022•56 min•Season 4Ep. 5
Send us a text Check out what I'm up to this summer and fall and see if you can learn some Greek and Latin with me. Full Show Notes Available at https://plutarch.life/alexander Season 4 is brought to you by Hackett Publishing - Use the coupon code PLUTARCH for 20% off and free shipping at hackettpublishing.com Key Virtues and Vices Generosity (μεγαλόδωρος) - When his wealth becomes nearly infinite his generosity keeps pace with it. Many examples given of Alexander’s largesse as he builds his emp...
Sep 11, 2022•1 hr 5 min•Season 4Ep. 4
Send us a text Check out what I'm up to this summer and fall and see if you can learn some Greek and Latin with me. Full Show Notes Available at https://plutarch.life/alexander Season 4 is brought to you by Hackett Publishing - Use the coupon code PLUTARCH for 20% off and free shipping at hackettpublishing.com Important People - Bucephalus - Yes, a horse is an important character! Fiery, hard-working, and lasting till the edge of Alexander's empire, Bucephalus (ox-head) provides an analogue for ...
Aug 11, 2022•1 hr 9 min•Season 4Ep. 3
Send us a text Check out what I'm up to this summer and fall and see if you can learn some Greek and Latin with me. Full Show Notes Available at https://plutarch.life/timoleon Season 4 is brought to you by Hackett Publishing - Use the coupon code PLUTARCH for 20% off and free shipping at hackettpublishing.com Important People Timophanes - Timoleon’s brother and the first tyrant we meet in this story. His name, rather fittingly, means "seems honorable." Dionysius II - The tyrant whom Dion overthr...
Jul 11, 2022•46 min•Season 4Ep. 2
Send us a text Check out what I'm up to this summer and fall and see if you can learn some Greek and Latin with me. Full show notes available at https://plutarch.life/dion Season 4 is brought to you by Hackett Publishing . Use coupon code PLUTARCH for 20% and free shipping in the US and Canada. Important People Dionysius I (the elder) - Tyrant of Syracuse taking power shortly after the Peloponnesian War and reigning until 367 BC. For some authors, he's the textbook tyrant in the way he held on t...
Jun 11, 2022•1 hr 3 min•Season 4Ep. 1
Send us a text Human sacrifice, debauched tyrants, and The Sacred Band of Thebes are all woven together in Plutarch's Life of Pelopidas, friend of Epaminondas and great Theban general. Full show notes: https://plutarch.life/pelopidas Important People Epaminondas - Best friend of Pelopidas and philosopher-soldier-statesman of Thebes, Epaminondas is best known for his work on the battlefield in defeating the Spartans not just once, but nearly every time he meets them in pitched battle. Charon - Th...
Feb 11, 2022•56 min•Season 3Ep. 8
Send us a text Full Show Notes: https://plutarch.life/agesilaus Important People Agis II - The Spartan king and older brother of Agesilaus who led Sparta during most of the latter half of the Peloponnesian War. After his death around 398 BC, the Spartans must decide whether his son, whose father could be Alcibiades, has a legitimate claim to the throne or whether they should grant the kingship to Agesilaus. Lysander - Spartan naval commander who conquered Athens and annexed the old Athenian Empi...
Jan 11, 2022•1 hr 4 min•Season 3Ep. 7
Send us a text This wily Spartan commander defeated Athens, and his authority even eclipses that of the Spartan kings. Did Lysander corrupt the Spartans with luxury? Important People Spartans Agesilaus Callicratidas Gylippus Persians Cyrus Pharnabazus Athenians Alcibiades Support the show...
Oct 11, 2021•41 min•Season 3Ep. 6
Send us a text Alcibiades fought and strategized for Athens, Sparta, Persia, Athens (again), and Thrace, proving that he fought the entire time only for himself. Was it vanity or pride? Enjoy the first truly negative portrayal Plutarch tries to give, though Plutarch in all his humanity can still defend Alcibiades from his most malicious detractors. Parallel: Coriolanus Important People Spartans: Agis II - Spartan King at the time Alcibiades defects to the Spartans. Alcibiades advises Agis to occ...
Sep 11, 2021•48 min•Season 3Ep. 5
Send us a text Nicias helps us understand why losers are still worth studying. Like Cassandra, he prophesied for the Athenian people that they could not defeat Syracuse and then when selected as a leader for the expedition, he comes quite close to overturning his own prophecy. See the full show notes here . Parallel: Crassus Important People Cleon - The first demagogue to exert influence after Pericles's death, he prosecuted the war against Sparta fairly succesfully, though at much greater loss ...
Aug 12, 2021•54 min•Season 3Ep. 4
Send us a text Check out the full show notes here . Pericles brought Athens to its peak, but ended his own life in a plague at the beginning of a long war with Sparta. Support the show
Jul 11, 2021•57 min•Season 3Ep. 3
Send us a text Obscure and under-rated, Cimon gives us a personal look at the time between the Persian and Peloponnesian Wars, also called the Pentecontaetia. Important People Aristides - The Athenian politician and general famous for his integrity. Main political rival of the cunning Themistocles. Themistocles - Mastermind strategist behind the tactics of Salamis and the abandonment of Athens Pericles - Athenian politician who will lead Athens into the Peloponnesian War and then die of the plag...
Jun 11, 2021•37 min•Season 3Ep. 2
Send us a text Themistocles saved Athens in its darkest hour, yet he dies in the Persian empire, the inveterate enemy of Athens. Is Themistocles a patriot or a traitor? Important People Aristides - Themistocles's main political rival and a man he has to recall from exile to help him fight Salamis. Plutarch considers Aristides to be one of the noblest Athenians who ever lived, and so their lives give us two different perspectives on almost the same time period. Eurybiades - The Spartan general in...
May 11, 2021•47 min•Season 3Ep. 1
Send us a text We're wrapping season 2 with a bonus episode looking back at Plutarch's Parallels. We discuss the six biographies of the men who laids the foundations for Greek and Roman greatness. We'll also answer a couple questions that come up, like "Why are the comparison essays so much shorter than the biographies?" and "Why compare the Greek and Roman life at all?" Support the show...
Apr 29, 2021•23 min•Season 2Ep. 7
