Open AccessPolitical Vocation and Oratory in the Lives of Phocion, Cato Minor and Cato Maior
Author(s) -
Carlos Jesus Alcalde-Martin
Publication year - 2018
Publication title -
ploutarkhos
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 2832-2118
pISSN - 0258-655X
DOI - 10.14195/0258-655x_15_1
Subject(s) - politics , character (mathematics) , minor (academic) , socrates , ideal (ethics) , literature , philosophy , history , art , law , political science , epistemology , humanities , mathematics , geometry
The pair of biographies Phocion – Cato the Younger begins by establishing, in the Life of Phocion, a comparison between the two protagonists that is illustrated and developed in the internal comparison that Plutarch implicitly traces throughout the two Lives. This can be seen, among other aspects, in their political vocation and in the description of their character and oratory. There is also a close parallel between these biographies and that of Cato the Elder, reinforced by the comparison of their protagonists with Socrates, which evokes the ideal image of the politician inspired by philosophy.