Plutarch’s "Life of Alcibiades": Story, Text and Moralism

PLUTARCH’S LIFE OF ALCIBIADESSTORY, TEXT AND MORALISM
	Contents
	Preface
	Abbreviations
		1. Ancient Works
			1.1. Plutarch’s Lives
			1.2. Plutarch’s Moralia
			1.3. Other works
		2. Modern Works and Series
			2.1. Modern Works
			2.2. Series
	Introduction
		1. Moralism
			1.1. The Moralism of the Parallel Lives
				1.1.1. The moral purpose of the Parallel Lives
				1.1.2. Positive and negative examples
				1.1.3. Non-protreptic moralism
				1.1.4. Comparative moralism
			1.2. Alcibiades
				1.2.1. A turbulent life58
				1.2.2. A controversial figure
					A. Historiography and biography
						1. Thucydides
						2. Xenophon’s Greek History
						3. Diodorus Siculus
						4. Cornelius Nepos
					B. Rhetoric
						1. Isocrates’ On the Team of Horses
						2. (Pseudo-)Lysias’ Against Alcibiades I
						3. Pseudo-Andocides’ Against Alcibiades
					C. Socratic Literature
						1. Xenophon’s Memorabilia
						2. (Pseudo-)Plato’s Alcibiades I
						3. Plato’s Symposium
				1.2.3. A negative Life?
		2. Story
			2.1. The Story-Text Distinction
			2.2. Constructing a Story: Plutarch and his Sources
				2.1.1. Plutarch: a creative writer
				2.2.2. The referential level for the Life of Alcibiades
					A. Plato
					B. Thucydides
					C. Xenophon
					D. Ephorus
					E. Theopompus
					F. Biography
				2.2.3. Plutarch’s Method of Work
		3. Text
			3.1. Plutarch’s Narrative Techniques
				3.1.1. Time
				3.1.2. Narrator(s) and narrative(s)
				3.1.3. Focalization
				3.1.4. Speech representation
			3.2. The Pairing with Coriolanus
				3.2.1. The order of the two Lives
				3.2.2. Plutarch’s Coriolanus
			3.3. The relative chronology of the Parallel Lives
	1The Proem (Alc. 1)
		1. An Intriguing Beginning
		2. Making a Start
			2.1. Ancestry (Alc. 1.1)
			2.2. Upbringing and Education (Alc. 1.2-3)
			2.3. Physical Appearance (Alc. 1.4-5)
			2.4. Speech (Alc. 1.6-8)
		3. Conclusions
	2A Difficult Character (Alc. 2-9)
		1. On Character Changes and Innate Passions (Alc. 2.1)
		2. Childhood Stories (Alc. 2.2-3.2)
			2.1. Three Memorable Anecdotes (Alc. 2.2-7)
				2.1.1. The lion on the wrestling ground (Alc. 2.2-3[6] )
				2.1.2. Much ado about a throw (Alc. 2.3[6] -4)
				2.1.3. Too proud to play the aulos (Alc. 2.5-7)
			2.2. Two Slanderous Stories from Antiphon (Alc. 3)
		3. How to Distinguish Flatterers from a Friend (Alc. 4-6)
			3.1. An Accumulation of Contrasts
	3.1.1. The influence of Socrates (Alc. 4.1-4 and Alc. 6)
				3.1.2. Two ways to treat your lover (Alc. 4.5-5.5)
			3.2. An Accumulation of Material
	3.2.1. The influence of (pseudo-)Plato
				3.2.2. Alc. 4-6 and other Plutarchan writings
					A. De ad. et am. 68c-71d
					B. De aud. 46c-47b
					C. Amat. 762b-f
				3.2.3. Four other elements
		4. Sayings and Doings of a Young Adult (Alc. 7-9)
			4.1. Three Anecdotes (Alc. 7.1-3[8])
				4.1.1. Teaching two teachers a lesson (Alc. 7.1-2)
				4.1.2. A question for Pericles (Alc. 7.3[4-8] )
	4.2. On the Battlefield (Alc. 7.3[9]-6)
			4.3. Violence, Greed, and Marriage (Alc. 8)
			4.4. A Wonderful Tale (Alc. 9)
		5. Conclusions
			5.1. Plutarch’s Sources
			5.2. Alcibiades’ Character
			5.3. The Structure of the Text
			5.4. The Reader’s Appraisal
	3The Ascent to Power (Alc. 10-15)
		1. A Spectacular Entry (Alc. 10.1-2)
		2. Alcibiades’ Rhetoric (Alc. 10.3-4)
		3. The Olympic Triumph (Alc. 11-12)
			3.1. An Unparalleled Exploit (Alc. 11)
			3.2. The Ionians Pay Tribute (Alc. 12.1)
			3.3. A Blemish on Alcibiades’ Reputation (Alc. 12.2-3)
		4. The Struggle for Power in Athens (Alc. 13)
			4.1. Nicias and Phaeax (Alc. 13.1-3)
			4.2. The Ostracism of Hyperbolus (Alc. 13.4-9)
				4.2.1. Introducing Hyperbolus (Alc. 13.4-5)
				4.2.2. Whoso diggeth a pit . . . (Alc. 13.6-9)
				4.2.3. Ostracism notes
		5. Breaking the Peace of Nicias (Alc. 14-15)
			5.1. Alcibiades’ Envy (Alc. 14.1-2)
			5.2. The First Steps on the Road to War (Alc. 14.3-5)
			5.3. The Coup in the Assembly (Alc. 14.6-12)
				5.3.1. The construction of the story
				5.3.2. The formal presentation of the materia
			5.4. The Argive Alliance (Alc. 15.1-2)
			5.5. After the Battle of Mantinea (Alc. 15.3-8)
		6. Conclusions
			6.1. A Talented and Ambitious Politician
			6.2. Uncertainty Remains
			6.3. Chronological Displacements
			6.4. Plutarch’s Use of Thucydides and His Other Sources
			6.5. Two Related Lives
	4 A Thought-Provoking Transition(Alc. 16)
		1. Dividing Public Opinion
	1.1. Conflicting Actions, Conflicting Views (Alc. 16.1-6)
			1.2. Two ‘Divisive Elements’ (Alc. 16.7-9)
		2. Combining Source Material
	5The Great Reversal (Alc. 17.1-23.3)
		1. Thinking about the Conquest of Sicily (Alc. 17.1-18.5)
			1.1. Alcibiades and the Athenians’ Desire for Sicily (Alc. 17.1-4)
				1.1.1. Simply adapting Thucydides?
				1.1.2. The comparative degrees of ambition
			1.2. Dissenting Voices: Socrates and Meton (Alc. 17.5-6)
			1.3. The Commission of the Commanders (Alc. 18.1-3)
			1.4. A Bad Omen: the Adonia Festival (Alc. 18.4-5)
		2. From Mutilation to Condemnation (Alc. 18.6-22.5)
			2.1. Facts and Hypotheses (Alc. 18.6-8)
			2.2. Under Attack (Alc. 19)
			2.3. Alcibiades and the Sicilian Expedition (Alc. 20.1-3)
			2.4. The Attack Continues (Alc. 20.4-6[26])
			2.5. Who Cares about the Truth? (Alc. 20.6[26]-21.6)
				2.5.1. Questionable testimonies (Alc. 20.6[26]-8)
				2.5.2. A questionable confession (Alc. 21.1-6)
			2.6. All Against One (Alc. 21.7-22.5)
				2.6.1. The recall of Alcibiades (Alc. 21.7-9)
				2.6.2. Alcibiades’ reaction (Alc. 22.1-3)
				2.6.3. The condemnation of Alcibiades (Alc. 22.4-5)
		3. Alcibiades’ Defection to Sparta (Alc. 23.1-3)
		4. Conclusions
			4.1. Alcibiades and the Athenian Demos
			4.2. The Construction of the Story
			4.3. Shaping the Text and the Reader’s Opinion
	6The Art of Adaptation (Alc. 23.4-5)
		1. Alcibiades’ Adaptation of his Conduct
		2. Plutarch’s Adaptation of his Material
	7 From Sparta to Samos(Alc. 23.6-26.9)
		1. From Sparta to Sardis (Alc. 22.6-25.2)
			1.1. The Timaea Affair (Alc. 23.6-9)
			1.2. Defection in Ionia (Alc. 24.1-4)
			1.3. Alcibiades and Tissaphernes (Alc. 24.5-25.2)
				1.3.1. Mutual fl attery (Alc. 24.5-7)
				1.3.2. Divide and rule (Alc. 25.1-2)
		2. From Sardis to Samos (Alc. 25.3-26.9)
			2.1. The First Contacts (Alc. 25.3-14)
				2.1.1. An interesting proposal (Alc. 25.3-6)
				2.1.2. Phrynichus’ treason (Alc. 25.7-14)
			2.2. New Leadership (Alc. 26)
				2.2.1. Alcibiades’ reappointment as general (Alc. 26.1-3)
				2.2.2. Alcibiades, saviour of Athens (Alc. 26.4-9)
		3. Conclusions
			3.1. Changes and Parallels
			3.2. Quoting, Adapting and Supplementing Thucydides
			3.3. Time
	8Fighting His Way Back (Alc. 27-31)
		1. A Quest for Glory (Alc. 27.1-2)
		2. The Battle of Abydus (Alc. 27.3-6[15] )
		3. In Prison (Alc. 27.6[16]-28.2[28] )
		4. The Battle of Cyzicus (Alc. 28.2[28] -10)
		5. Alcibiades and Thrasyllus (Alc. 29.1-5)
		6. The Expedition against Chalcedon (Alc. 29.6-30.2)
		7. The Capture of Selybria (Alc. 30.3-10)
		8. The Chalcedon-Treaty (Alc. 31.1-2)
		9. The Capture of Byzantium (Alc. 31.3-8)
		10. Conclusions
			10.1. Painting a Positive Picture of Alcibiades
			10.2. Making Choices on the Story-Level
			10.3. Focusing on Alcibiades’ Actions
	9 At the Height of his Glory(Alc. 32-34)
		1. Alcibiades’ Return to Athens (Alc. 32.1-34.2)
			1.1. Pride and Fear (Alc. 32.1-2)
			1.2. Joy and Regret (Alc. 32.3-4)
			1.3. Critias and Alcibiades (Alc. 33.1)
			1.4. Rhetoric and Rehabilitation (Alc. 33.2-3)
			1.5. Alcibiades and Athena (Alc. 34.1-2)
		2. The Restoration of the Procession to Eleusis (Alc. 34.3-7)
		3. Conclusions
			3.1. New Touches to Familiar Portraits
			3.2. A Story Full of Reversals
			3.3. Going Crescendo
	10A Tragic Downfall (Alc. 35-39)
		1. In Absentia (Alc. 35.1-36.5)
			1.1. The Expedition against Andros (Alc. 35.1-2)
			1.2. Too High the Expectations, Too Little the Resources(Alc. 35.3-4)
			1.3. The Athenian Defeat at Notium (Alc. 35.5-8)
			1.4. Manoeuvres in Athens (Alc. 36.1-4)
			1.5. Alcibiades’ Reaction (Alc. 36.5)
			1.6. Conclusion: Plotting Alcibiades’ Downfall
		2. A New Blow (Alc. 36.6-37.8)
			2.1. The Athenian Defeat at Aegospotami (Alc. 36.6-37.5)
				2.1.1. Different Lives, different narratives
				2.1.2. Different Lives, same source(s)?
			2.2. Alcibiades’ Reaction (Alc. 37.6-8)
		3. The Final Act (Alc. 38-39)
			3.1. In the Minds of the Athenians (Alc. 38.1-5)
			3.2. Alcibiades’ Death (Alc. 38.6-39.9)
				3.2.1. One Life, different stories
				3.2.2. The end?
		4. Conclusions
			4.1. Xenophon and Other Sources
			4.2. Three Important Characters
			4.3. A Tragic Downfall
	Conclusions
		1. Story
			1.1. A Wide Range of Sources
			1.2. Plutarch’s Method of Work
				1.2.1. Reading and writing
				1.2.2. The Life of Alcibiades and Sayings of Kings and Commanders
				1.2.3. Clusters and hypomnemata
			1.3. Plutarch’s Compositional Techniques
				1.3.1. Omission
	1.3.2. Conflation and ‘dichotomies’
				1.3.3. Chronological displacement
				1.3.4. Fabrication and alteration
		2. Text
			2.1. Time
				2.1.1. Order
				2.1.2. Duration
				2.1.3. Frequency
			2.2. Focalization and Focus of Character
			2.3. Direct Discourse
			2.4. Verbal Parallels and Allusive Images
			2.5. Narratorial Comments
		3. Moralism
			3.1. Plutarch’s Picture of Alcibiades
				3.1.1. Great Talents, Great Ambition
	3.1.2. A difficult character to judge
	3.2. A Difficult Question to Answer
	Bibliography
	Index of Plutarch Passages
	Index of Passages in Other Authors