plutarch_parallellives

=__//Plutarch's Parallel Lives//__=

His Life


Plutarch was born in Chaeroneia, Boetia in 46 AD to a wealthy family. He studied mathematics and philosophy at the Academy of Athens at the age of 20. For many years he served as a priest at the temple of Apollo at Delphi [2]. Because of his wealth, he was an important political figure in his hometown of Chaeronia. In 69 AD Plutarch became a Roman citizen. His official Roman name was Mestrius Plutarchus. In the 90s Plutarch returned to his hometown and settled there as mayor in order to revive the city which was in decline. In the early second century, Plutarch was visited by the emperor Trajan and dubbed a consul. His date of death is unknown but has been estimated to be between the years 119 and 125, shorty after recieving his title. Most of his work concerns moral treatises. [2]

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His Works
Plutarch wrote more than 200 works in his lifetime [3]. The //Moralia// is a compilation of his 78 remaining works. His later, more developed works are comprised of a series of essays now known as //Parallel Lives// [3]. The original language in which his works were written is Attic Greek but many of them, including //Parallel Lives//, have been translated into modern English. His biographies are concerned mostly with matters of morality and conduct. //Parallel Lives// consists of biographies of statesmen and well-respected soldiers. His writings were not philosophical and he often criticized the important schools of thought of his day such as Epicureanism and Stoicism. His writing has directly influenced writers and thinkers like Sir Phillip Sidney, Edmund Spenser, Ben Jonson, William Shakespeare, John Milton, H.G. Wells, Ralph Waldo Emerson, and of course, Mary Shelley. [1]



Parallel Lives
Plutarch's //Lives of the Noble Greeks and Romans// is a series of biographies of famous men arranged by either their common moral virtues or failings. //Parallel Lives//, which is a surviving section of the //Lives of the Noble Greeks and Romans//, contains twenty-three pairs of biographies. Plutarch structured //Parallel Lives// by alternating biographies of famous Greeks with those of famous Romans. //Parallel Lives// is of extreme value in allowing us to attain information of history and previous cultures. However, Plutarch did not plan to give historical accounts, but rather explore the power of each man’s character on his life. [5]

Key Passages in //Frankenstein// concerning //Parallel Lives//
"One night during my accustomed visit to the neighbouring wood where I collected my own food and brought home firing for my protectors, I found on the ground a leathern portmanteau containing several articles of dress and some books. I eagerly seized the prize and returned with it to my hovel. Fortunately the books were written in the language, the elements of which I had acquired at the cottage; they consisted of Plutarch's //Parallel Lives//, and the //Sorrows of Winter//. The possession of these treasures gave me extreme delight; I now continually studied and exercised my mind upon these histories, whilst my friends were employed in their ordinary occupations" (Shelley Ch. 15). [7]

“The volume of Plutarch’s Lives, which possessed, contained the histories of the first founders of the ancient republics. This book had a far different effect upon me from the sorrows of Werter. I learned from Werter’s imaginations despondency and gloom; he elevated me above the wretched sphere of my own reflections to admire and love the heroes of past ages. I had a very confused knowledge of kingdoms, wide extents of country, mighty rivers, and boundless seas. But I was perfectly unacquainted with towns, and large assemblages of men. The cottage of my protector had been the only school in which I had studied human nature; but this book developed new and mightier scenes of action, I read of men concerned in public affairs, governing or massacring their species. I felt the greatest ardour for virtue rise within me, and abhorrence for vice, as far as I understood the signification of those terms, relative as they were, as applied them to pleasure and pain alone. Induce by these feelings, I was of course led to admire peaceable lawgivers, Numa, Solon, and Lycurgus, in preference to Romulus and Theseus. The patriarchal lives of my protectors caused these impressions to take a firm hold on my mind; perhaps, if my first introduction to humanity had been made by a young soldier, burning for glory and slaughter, I should have been imbued with different sensations”(Ch. 15). [7]

//Frankenstein// and //Parallel Lives//
//EDUCATION OF THE CREATURE. Parallel Lives// gives the monster greater insight into the nature of human beings in addition to his observations of the DeLacey family. The monster's interpretation of the lives of famous Greek leaders conveys Shelley's message regarding the fundamental wretchedness of human beings. The creature paradoxically extols the humanity and chivalry in "peaceable lawgivers" like Romolus, a man who builds a great city but commits murder against his own kin. The creature's observations based on his readings illuminate the irony of mankind's immense creative abilities in the context of his own destructive nature. Thus, the creature enhances his understanding of human nature through these biographies and learns early in his development the deceitfulness of human beings.

//THE CREATURE BECOMES HUMAN.// The creature ultimately attains human characteristics and ironically becomes a character from his own textbook on human nature. The creature states: "...I read of men concerned in public affairs, governing or massacring their species. I felt the greatest ardour for virtue rise within me, and abhorrence for vice..." (Chapter 15). [7] Like the "peaceable lawgivers," the creature conveys the warmest sentiments towards the DeLacey family during his stay in the hovel. He behaves himself and comes to believe that civility will inevitably bring about the happiness and self-fulfillment he desperately desires. He acknowledges law and order as the cornerstones of human civilization and picks up on important social queues that enable him to become the most eloquent and persuasive speaker in the novel despite his lack of humanness. After his rejection by the family and exile from the hovel, the creature becomes human, as evidenced by his maliciousness in destroying everything that Victor holds dear. In commiting murder, the creature exhibits behavior typical of the ancient Greek heros in Plutarch's work. More importantly, since the creature models his behavior after the human species as portrayed in //Parallel Lives//, his vileness verifies the vileness of the human species that Shelley embodies in Victor.

//SHELLEY'S USE OF PARALLEL LIVES.// //Parallel Lives// influence's Shelley's ideas about human nature and what it means to live in a civilization that feeds upon immorality. The greatest irony that connects these two important commentaries is the fact that human beings create and destroy in abundance. Science, advancement and human progress rely upon some kind of destruction. In //Parallel Lives//, many of the important leaders were men of incredible talents who made incredible sacrifices for the sake of building a better society. Simultaenously, many of these men were blatant murderers who showed no regard for their fellow man and were willing to go to extreme lengths to provide for themselves by providing for their people who in turn loved their leader. On the same token, Victor is gifted with extreme intelligence and is a very human character at the same time. He is loving and affectionate towards his family and Elizabeth, but is unwilling to shake off his obsession with science, and thus, consumed by his own desires to propel himself to the forefront of the scientific field and perform the unthinkable, Victor destroys his family, but more importantly, himself in the process. Victor's actions elucidate man's innate selfishness and reiterates the importance of a theme that ties these two works together.

Important Leaders
"I was of course led to admire peaceable lawgivers, Numa, Solon, and Lycurgus, in preference to Romulus and Theseus." (Chapter 15). [7] These leaders were all significant figures in ancient Roman and Greek history and are specifically mentioned by the creature in his description of //Parallel Lives// and its influence on his education. While many of these figures are associated with peace, stability and order they are also associated with intense violent behavior. The idea that man creates order at the expense of self-directed violence highlights a common thread between Plutarch and Shelley. Both authors weave narratives which ironically relate man's brilliance in creating productive societies in contrast with the vast destruction they have caused upon their environment and one another.

Numa Pompilius
In Roman Legends, Numa Pompilius is the second king of Roman, following after Romulus. According to Plutarch Numa was the youngest son of Pomponius and born on the day that Rome was founded. Numa married Tatia, the daughter of the King of the Sabines. Plutarch stated that Numa had one daughter Pompilia, while other accounts offer that he also had four sons. After Tatia died, Numa married a lady by the name of Lucretia. He first refused to accept the position of king of the Romans and Sabines, but his father persuaded to take it. Numa was honored for his wisdom and his ability to be a wise legislator. Numa also supposedly had a calendar formed that was based on solar and lunar years, created the constitution of the priests, and constructed the occupational guilds of Rome. According to Plutarch “forbade the Romans to represent the deity in the form either of man or of beast,” and thus helped organize religion for the Romans. Numa died in 673 BCE.[4]

Lycurgus
Historians are not sure if Lycurgus was an actual human or if he is a mythical person. Lycurgus was the famous lawgiver in Sparta. He created the military based reorganization of Spartan society. According to ancient source, he introduced into Sparta iron money, required men to eat in commons and live in barracks, and forced Helots into serfdom. He also formed the Spartan education system where military units were responsible for raising children. [9]

Solon[[image:Solon.jpg width="139" height="149" align="right" caption="Solon"]]
Solon was a famous Athenian, known for his lawmaking and Lyric poetry. He was celebrated for his efforts to combat the economical, political, and moral decline in Athens during his time. The only account of Solon’s laws is by Plutarch. Solon is considered to have established the building blocks of democracy in Athens. He broadened the financial and social requirements for one to be elected to public office. [8]

Theseus
Theseus was the son of Aethra, the daughter of Pittheus, the king of Troezen. The identity of his father has been debated for many years. His father was either Aegeus the king of Athens or Poseidon, god of the sea. He grew up in Troezen but departed from there at the age of 16 to go to Athens and claim Aegeus as his father. On the way there he did battle with and defeated many villains. Medea, the wife of Aegeus, tried several times to murder Theseus, but Aegeus, realizing that Theseus was indeed his son, saved his life. Theseus is credited with successfully slaying the Minotaur of the labyrinth. Upon his return to Athens, his father committed suicide under the belief that his son was dead. Theseus then ascended the throne. He left Athens to go to the underworld with Pirithous to save the goddess Persephone, and was captured by the god Hades for his actions. He was then saved by Hercules and returned to Athens, finding it in chaos. Unable to reestablish authority, he went to the island of Skyros, where King Lycomedes threw him off of a cliff to his death. [10]

Romulus[[image:http://z.about.com/d/ancienthistory/1/5/C/H/Romulus.jpg width="172" height="202" align="right" caption="Romulus"]]
Romulus is traditionally known as one of the founders of Rome. He and his twin brother Remus were the sons of Rhea Silvia, a priestess, and Mars, god of war. Rhea Silvia was the daughter of Numitor the king of Alba Longa. Her uncle, Numitor’s brother Amulius, made her a priestess to ensure that she would have no sons to challenge his ascension of the throne. When the twins were born, he had them throne into the Tiber River in a basket, but the boys were saved. Once they reached manhood, they decided to build a city. They decided to build it on top of Palentine Hill. Romulus built a wall, which Remus leapt over to prove its lack of worth. Romulus killed Remus and was left the only one to rule the city. Romulus is known as the first king of Rome. [6]