Greek and Roman Lives
mar 2012 · Courier Corporation
Libro electrónico
416
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Written early in the second century, Plutarch's Lives offers richly detailed and anecdotal biographies of some of the ancient world's mightiest and most influential figures. Plutarch sought to explore the characters and personalities of great men, to see how individual natures led ultimately to tragedy or victory. This selection from Plutarch's massive work profiles five Greeks and five Romans. The translation used here is by an unknown writer, but was associated with John Dryden's name because it was originally published in 1683-1686, in conjunction with a life of Plutarch by Dryden. In 1864, it was revised by the poet and scholar Arthur Hugh Clough, whose introduction and notes are also featured.
The great men profiled here include Solon, the lawmaker of Athens, who fostered the growth of the city's democratic institutions; Pericles, whose legendary eloquence was epitomized by his well-known funeral oration; and Alexander the Great, whose incredible eleven-year journey of conquest extended from his native Macedonia to Egypt and India. Among the Romans are the warrior-statesman Marius, who opposed the ruling aristocracy and opened the army to commoners; Cicero, the famous orator; and Julius Caesar, whose extensive character sketch provided Shakespeare with the material for one of his greatest plays.
The great men profiled here include Solon, the lawmaker of Athens, who fostered the growth of the city's democratic institutions; Pericles, whose legendary eloquence was epitomized by his well-known funeral oration; and Alexander the Great, whose incredible eleven-year journey of conquest extended from his native Macedonia to Egypt and India. Among the Romans are the warrior-statesman Marius, who opposed the ruling aristocracy and opened the army to commoners; Cicero, the famous orator; and Julius Caesar, whose extensive character sketch provided Shakespeare with the material for one of his greatest plays.
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PLUTARCH. c.46--c.125 Considered by many to be the most important Greek writer of the early Roman period, Plutarch was a member of a well-to-do Greek family, a chief magistrate, a priest at Delphi, and an exceptionally well-read individual. His philosophical views were based on those of Plato and, although a Greek, he esteemed the achievements and attributes of the Romans. By the time Plutarch's works were published for the first time in the eleventh century, some had already been lost. He wrote innumerable essays on philosophical, historical, political, religious, and literary subjects, 78 of which survive today and are known collectively as the "Moralia." He is known primarily, however, for his Parallel Lives of Greeks and Romans, which consists of 50 biographies---23 of prominent Greeks, 23 of Roman leaders, and 4 separate lives---accompanied at intervals by short comparative essays. Although historical information is included in the work, Plutarch wrote it originally to inspire emulation in youth, so the emphasis is on character, moral choice, and anecdote. Sir Thomas North's 1579 translation into English of Parallel Lives became an important source for William Shakespeare which he used for three plays, Julius Caesar, Antony and Cleopatra, and Coriolanus.
Born August 9, 1631 into a wealthy Puritan family, John Dryden received an excellent education at Westminster School and Cambridge University. After a brief period in government, he turned his attention almost entirely to writing. Dryden was one of the first English writers to make his living strictly by writing, but this meant he had to cater to popular taste. His long career was astonishingly varied, and he turned his exceptional talents to almost all literary forms. Dryden dominated the entire Restoration period as a poet, playwright, and all-round man of letters. He was the third poet laureate of England. In his old age Dryden was virtually a literary "dictator" in England, with an immense influence on eighteenth-century poetry. His verse form and his brilliant satires became models for other poets, but they could rarely equal his standard. Dryden was also a master of "occasional" poetry - verse written for a specific person or special occasion. Like most poets of his time, Dryden saw poetry as a way of expressing ideas rather than emotions, which makes his poetry seem cool and impersonal to some modern readers. Dryden also wrote numerous plays that helped him make him one of the leading figures in the Restoration theatre. Today, however he is admired more for his influence on other writers than for his own works. He died on April 30, 1700 in London.
Arthur Hugh Clough was born on the first day of 1819 to James and Ann Clough in Liverpool, England. A poet who studied at Rugby and Oxford, Clough had radical political and religious beliefs. After going to France to support the revolution of 1848, Clough traveled to the United States hoping to obtain a position at Harvard. When that did not work out, Clough returned home and married Blanch Smith. Soon after, Clough spent much of his time helping his wife's cousin, Florence Nightingale, lobby for reform in hospitals and in the nursing profession. Throughout the 1850s, Clough worked on a translation of Plutarch's Lives and a large poem, Mari Magno. Clough died in Florence, Italy, on November 13, 1861, at the age of 42.
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