"All history is biography," said Emerson, and he's certainly right in thinking that an understanding of the lives of individual men and women is essential to history. Fortunately for us, many ancient writers shared Emerson's idea of the importance of biography, and they've left us many fascinating accounts of important Roman leaders. Among the most interesting biographies are those contained in Plutarch's "Lives of the Noble Greeks and Romans." Please read one of the following selections from Plutarch. Cite an incident or sentiment that seems to you particular important in understanding Roman character/values/history, and explain why you chose this particular passage/event.Abridged versions:
Tiberius Gracchus, Gaius Gracchus, Fabius Maximus, Cato the Elder, Camillus
Unabridged versions:
Tiberius Gracchus, Gaius Gracchus, Fabius Maximus, Cato the Elder, Camillus
Right in the beginning the story states that Fabius was a man of great courage and strength. This man was consul five times and lead many victories for Rome. During the time of Fabius a man named Hannibal was invading parts of the Roman empire and the Roman people feared for their lives for Hannibal was getting closer and closer into Roman land. Hannibal won many battles against Rome but Fabius used his wise words to convince the Roman people that heaven was on their side and that they needed to please the gods. The Romans value success and value victory quickly. The Roman people called Fabius a coward for taking so long in trying to defeat Hannibal's army. With all of the losses that Fabius accrued during his reign he was ultimately called a coward and an incompetent general. Roman's value strength and confidence in the battlefield and they value winning battles instead of losing them. I chose this particular passage because it shows us how the Romans valued the people who were in charge. In Fabius' case he was not valued at all. His character was the opposite of what the Romans wanted to be.
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ReplyDeleteI think that the most interesting part or the part that stood out to me the most was the part about election day and the results that came from that. I think the biggest thing that stood out to me was the power that Tiberius had, and all the efforts created so that he could have power, by removing Marcus Octavian. It strikes me the actions that he and his men created, and all the efforts that they had placed to take Marcus Octavian out of power, “When the votes were taken, a large majority decided in favor of Tiberius, who thereupon ordered his own servants to drag Octavius out of his chair” (Kaufman 12). What is even more interesting to me is that the laws passed after that were signed by Tiberius himself. We see this yielding of power attempted not just with the Roman Empire, but other nations as well such as the United States. Take January 6th, 2020 and the potential coup that was created by storming the capital and trying to keep President Trump in power. Some individuals go to extremes in hopes of maintaining their power or getting power to hold on to. Especially in the time period of the Romans, power was everything. Power was seized and possessed through generations and generations inside of families. These characteristics of trying to hold power were prevalent throughout Roman societies. People didn’t care too much about their characteristic values, or the values of humanity they possessed, as long as they were able to hold power. Power creates problems though, especially when they don’t come easily or they don’t come at all. Typically whether through force, action, or other form of trying to possess power, when it doesn’t come or there’s a pause in the attempt to acquire power, the individual fears for life or is persecuted or punished, “Meanwhile he appeared in the Forum, looking distressed, and with tears in his eyes told the citizens, "I fear that my enemies will destroy my house and take my life before morning. This had such an effect that several people pitched tents around his house and kept guard all night” (Kaufman 17). Because of all the harm that he had tried to cause by throwing Marcus Octavian off the throne, he was indeed punished and never to be heard from again. This also shows the values of the Romans and somewhat coincides with the point that I had made earlier in my blog post for the week about treason, and those who create treason against a form of government, tend to be punished for their actions. The object here was Tiberius and his attempt to throw Octavian off his rule, and when that failed and he was vulnerable, he alongside around 300 others was killed. It’s an unfortunate tale of actions of people do hurt others, and in this case not only did Tiberius die, but others died as well because of his actions. The Romans would cut off any and everyone that possessed a threat to the Roman Empire, or any potential cause of effect to the Empire. I chose this story because it was extremely interesting to me, and it fit the original blog post I had posted, which talked about a law that I supported and that was treason. A similar situation of treason could be applied here with Tiberius, and that’s why I think I connected with this story because I felt it best fit the week, and was the most interesting to me to read. - Nile Hesson
ReplyDeleteI think this entire story showcases the most sought after Roman values and characteristics. Cato seems to be the ideal Roman soldier--he's strong and successful in war, he knows how to farm, he's wealthy, etc. I noticed that towards the end of the biography, the fame and fortune got to Cato's head a little bit, and his ideals seemed a bit off--not believing in doctors and such. I can see how this entire story was viewed by the Romans as great because of the exemplary example that is Cato. As we have seen in Roman history that military is a major MAJOR part of the success of the Empire. I think this biography of Cato shows how important it is for a Roman soldier to want to be great--that it pays off in the end.
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I feel like the stories of the Gracchus brothers go together very well in the sense that they both wanted to help people and change the government, and in the end were both killed for it. This just goes to prove that the Romans didn't want to change their values to be kind and help people. Thye just wanted to do whatever they wanted and they would kill anyone who stood in their way, even they were a great leader.
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