Compare and contrast the presentation of Themistocles and Aristides in Plutarch’s Lives
Uploaded by Kerrytom on Aug 10, 2013
In Plutarch’s Lives, Plutarch sets out to parallel lives of historically important people from Greek and Roman history. The common theme is comparing a Greek figure with a Roman one. However, because some of the people written about are living during the same time as each other, it is also possible to compare how Plutarch presents them. This is true of Greek figures Themistocles and Aristides, who were paired off with Roman figures Camillus and Cato the elder respectively. They were rivals in Athenian politics and Plutarch actually compares them directly in their biographies. These comparisons are not uncommon in Plutarch.
There are certain aspects to how they are presented by Plutarch which need some analysis. The first thing that is noticeable is the different presentation of Themistocles from his own biography to that of Aristides. In Themistocles, he is portrayed as a young man lacking direction, who is roused by the great Greek victory over the Persians at Marathon. “....though he was still a young man when the battle at Marathon was fought and the generalship of Miltades was in everybody’s mouth, he was seen thereafter to be wrapped in his own thoughts for the most parts, and was sleepless o’ nights, and refused invitations to his customary drinking parties” [3.3]. This is in sharp contrast to Plutarch’s portrayal of him in Aristides. In this biography Plutarch shows that Aristides and Themistocles had a long engaging political rivalry which preceded the battle of Marathon. “However, since Themistocles was a reckless agitator, and opposed and thwarted him in every measure of state, Aristides himself was almost compelled- partly in self-defence, and partly to curtail his adversary’s power, which was increasing through the favour of the many- to set himself in opposition to what Themistocles was trying to do” [3.1].
A possible reason for this could be that Plutarch’s wrote Aristides much later then he wrote Themistocles. This is important because it shows how Plutarch’s writing could be influenced by his sources. When he wrote Themistocles he was more influenced by the writing of Herodotus and Thucydides. “At the time, therefore, when Plutarch wrote this life of Themistocles, a time when he was much more under the influence of Herodotus, Thucydides, and contemporary witnesses to the career of his hero then when he wrote the much later life of Aristides”. While writing Aristides he is more influenced by history which...