Five Lives of Plutarch and What They Can Teach Us

Description: Biography has been called the soul of history, and no biographer has had the success and impact of Plutarch. His Parallel Lives established as never before the link between “the glory that was Greece, and the grandeur that was Rome,” in the words of Poe. Yet Plutarch’s purpose was much more ambitious: to provide the broadest possible canvas for the examination of moral virtue and human failing, while never losing sight of the everyday decisions that define character. Here biography becomes a moral endeavor, in which we are invited, like Plutarch, to see these lives “as a sort of mirror, in which I may see how to adjust and adorn my own life.” Join us as we examine five of Plutarch’s Lives, chosen not just for their historical importance and moral considerations, but for their delightful anecdotes and digressions, in which Plutarch roams freely over science, religion, philosophy, literature, and culture, offering timeless insights. Each week we will examine one of these short biographies: Lycurgus, the founder of Sparta’s unique institutions; Pericles, the leader of Athens at its height; Alexander, conqueror and spreader of Greek civilization; Coriolanus, the Roman hero who waged war upon his country; and Marcellus, whose conquest of Sicily introduced Rome to the Greek achievement as never before. This course will be taught by Adam C. Wolfe, a Memoria Academy instructor and veteran of three branches of the military. Grade Level: Ages 18+.

Optional Materials: Materials to be determined.