Plutarchâs Flamininus: A Roman Hero for a New Greek World

Jeffrey Beneker

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1 Plutarchâs Flamininus: A Roman Hero for a New Greek World

In: Plutarch and his Contemporaries

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Jeffrey Beneker

Jeffrey Beneker
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Type:: Chapter

Pages:: 3â13

DOI:: https://doi.org/10.1163/9789004687301_002

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Abstract

Plutarchâs Philopoemen-Flamininus, the only book of Parallel Lives to feature subjects who appear as characters in each otherâs biographies, relies on both external and internal synkrisis to narrate and contextualize the accomplishments of both men. In the first Life, Plutarch presents Philopoemen as a champion of the Greeks who delivers victory over tyrants and enjoys great acclaim, but by the middle of the second Life, Flamininus upstages his Greek rival by establishing a freedom that is more authentic and comprehensive. The narrative trajectory of these Lives, which follows the historical development of Roman control over mainland Greece, shows the Romans as better than the Greeks when it comes to establishing peace, and Flamininus becomes the real champion of Greek freedom. The Philopoemen-Flamininus, then, reflects the general acceptance of Roman imperial rule of Greece, but Plutarch seems unwilling to let such a simple lesson stand. He concludes the book with Flamininusâ persecution of Hannibal, which results in the Carthaginianâs suicide. In a syncritic shift, Hannibal becomes the comparand for Philopoemen, while Flamininus plays the role of Deinocrates, the Messinian tyrant who captured and killed Philopoemen. The nobility of Philopoemenâs and Hannibalâs deaths, combined with the culpability of their captors, problematizes the moral lesson of the book. In this chapter, I examine the intertwined narratives of these two Lives and show how Plutarch describes the historical reality of Roman superiority and yet draws his characters with a complexity that allows the defeated Greek to contend with the victorious Roman.

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Plutarch and his Contemporaries

Sharing the Roman Empire

Series:Â Brill's Plutarch Studies, Volume: 14

E-Book ISBN:: 9789004687301

Publisher:: Brill

Print Publication Date:: 18 Jan 2024

Subjects
- Classical Studies
  - Ancient History
  - Greek & Latin Literature

Front Matter

PartÂ 1 Residents of Empire: Politics and Civic Life

PartÂ 2 Among Philosophers: Debates and Disputes

PartÂ 3 Facing the (Super)natural

PartÂ 4 Readers and Spectators

PartÂ 5 Uses of the Past

PartÂ 6 Cultural Practices: Inhabiting and Subverting the Norms

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1 Plutarchâs Flamininus: A Roman Hero for a New Greek World

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Plutarch and his Contemporaries

Sharing the Roman Empire

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1 Plutarchâs Flamininus: A Roman Hero for a New Greek World