Mark Antony, detail of a marble bust; in the Vatican Museum. Alinari/Art Resource, New York.
Plutarch, Life of Antony Chapters 4 and 24.6–7
By Noah Apter
Of all the classical historians on offer to us, what appeal does Plutarch have? What, if anything, causes him to stand out amongst the likes of Tacitus, Suetonius, Thucydides, Herodotus, and others? I believe the allure of Plutarch’s writing is that he captures the humanity and psychology of his subjects with greater depth than any of his contemporaries or those before him. There is no greater example of this than his writing on Mark Antony. Plutarch remarks on his jests and camaraderie with fellow soldiers, his great generosity, and (briefly) his efforts to deliver justice to those who were wronged. These anecdotes, along with detailed descriptions of Antony’s physical appearance, breathe life into his character—Plutarch enables us to view Antony as a real human being with emotions, pastimes, relationships, and flaws. This is Plutarch’s greatest strength and, I believe, the technique that draws many to his work: his vivid and humanizing descriptions of his subjects.
- προσῆν δὲ καὶ μορφῆς ἐλευθέριον ἀξίωμα, καὶ πώγων τις οὐκ ἀγεννὴς καὶ πλάτος μετώπου καὶ γρυπότης μυκτῆρος ἐδόκει τοῖς γραφομένοις καὶ πλαττομένοις Ἡρακλέους προσώποις ἐμφερὲς ἔχειν τὸ ἀρρενωπόν. ἦν δὲ καὶ λόγος παλαιὸς Ἡρακλείδας εἶναι τοὺς Ἀντωνίους, ἀπ᾽ Ἄντωνος, παιδὸς Ἡρακλέους, γεγονότας. [2] καὶ τοῦτον ᾤετο τὸν λόγον τῇ τε μορφῇ τοῦ σώματος, ὥσπερ εἴρηται, καὶ τῇ στολῇ βεβαιοῦν. ἀεὶ γάρ, ὅτε μέλλοι πλείοσιν ὁρᾶσθαι, χιτῶνα εἰς μηρὸν ἔζωστο, καὶ μάχαιρα μεγάλη παρήρτητο, καὶ σάγος περιέκειτο τῶν στερεῶν. οὐ μὴν ἀλλὰ καὶ τὰ τοῖς ἄλλοις φορτικὰ δοκοῦντα, μεγαλαυχία καὶ σκῶμμα καὶ κώθων ἐμφανὴς καὶ καθίσαι παρὰ τὸν ἐσθίοντα καὶ φαγεῖν ἐπιστάντα τραπέζῃ στρατιωτικῇ, θαυμαστὸν ὅσον εὐνοίας καὶ πόθου πρὸς αὐτὸν ἐνεποίει τοῖς στρατιώταις. [3] ἦν δέ που καὶ τὸ ἐρωτικὸν οὐκ ἀναφρόδιτον, ἀλλὰ καὶ τούτῳ πολλοὺς ἐδημαγώγει, συμπράττων τε τοῖς ἐρῶσι καὶ σκωπτόμενος οὐκ ἀηδῶς εἰς τοὺς ἰδίους ἔρωτας. ἡ δ᾽ ἐλευθεριότης καὶ τὸ μηδὲν ὀλίγῃ χειρὶ μηδὲ φειδομένῃ χαρίζεσθαι στρατιώταις καὶ φίλοις ἀρχήν τε λαμπρὰν ἐπὶ τὸ ἰσχύειν αὐτῷ παρέσχε, καὶ μεγάλου γενομένου τὴν δύναμιν ἐπὶ πλεῖον ἐπῆρεν, ἐκ μυρίων ἄλλων ἁμαρτημάτων ἀνατρεπομένην. ἓν δέ τι τοῦ μεγαλοδώρου παράδειγμα διηγήσομαι. [4] τῶν φίλων τινὶ μυριάδας ἐκέλευσε πέντε καὶ εἴκοσι δοθῆναι: τοῦτο Ῥωμαῖοι δεκίης καλοῦσι. τοῦ δ᾽ ἐπιτρόπου θαυμάσαντος καὶ ἵνα δείξῃ τὸ πλῆθος αὐτῷ καταβαλόντος ἐν μέσῳ τὸ ἀργύριον, ἠρώτησε παριὼν ὅ τι δὴ τοῦτο εἴη. τοῦ δ᾽ ἐπιτρόπου φήσαντος ὡς ὃ κελεύσειε δοθῆναι, συμβαλὼν αὐτοῦ τὴν κακοήθειαν ὁ Ἀντώνιος, ‘ἐγὼ πλεῖον ᾤμην,’ ἔφη, ‘τὸ δεκίης εἶναι: τοῦτο δὲ μικρόν ἐστιν: ὥστε ἄλλο πρόσθες αὐτῷ τοσοῦτον.’
- A good reputation of appearance was also present for Antony: a classy beard, a broad forehead, and a hooked nose seemed to have the masculine quality resembling the face of Heracles in paintings and sculptures. There is an old tradition that the Antonii are from Heracles, being children of Anton, son of Heracles. He thought that he confirmed this tradition by both the form of his body just as it has been said, and by his apparel. Whenever he was about to be seen by many, he wore his tunic up to his thigh, a large sword hung by his side, and a coarse cloak surrounded him. It is marvelous how much goodwill and longing for him the things that seemed vulgar in others created in his soldiers—his bragging and joking and drinking horn as evidence or his sitting by a soldier eating or standing to eat at the soldier’s table. And somehow his goodwill was not without charm; on the contrary, it won many others over for him—he guided them in their love affairs and acquiesced to teasing about his own affairs. His liberality and offering things to his soldiers and friends with neither meager nor sparing hand provided a shining beginning to his strength. When he became great, he lifted his power even further, being riddled by infinite other faults. I will relate one example of his great generosity. To one of his friends he ordered that 250,000 drachmas be given (the Romans call this a decies). With his steward marveling, he poured the money in the middle to show Antony its extent. Antony, hovering around, asked what it was. When the steward declared that it was what he ordered to be given, Antony, giving his opinion on the malice of the man, said, “I thought the decies would be more. This is measly, so double it.”
24.6 ἐνῆν γὰρ ἁπλότης τῷ ἤθει καὶ βραδεῖα μὲν αἴσθησις, αἰσθανομένῳ δὲ τῶν ἁμαρτανομένων ἰσχυρὰ μετάνοια καὶ πρὸς αὐτοὺς ἐξομολόγησις τοὺς ἀγνωμονηθέντας, μέγεθος δὲ καὶ περὶ τὰς ἀμοιβὰς καὶ περὶ τὰς τιμωρίας. μᾶλλόν γε μὴν ἐδόκει χαριζόμενος ἢ κολάζων ὑπερβάλλειν τὸ μέτριον. [24.7] [7] ἡ δὲ περὶ τὰς παιδιὰς καὶ τὰς ἐπισκώψεις ὕβρις ἐν αὑτῇ τὸ φάρμακον εἶχεν. ἀντισκῶψαι γὰρ ἐξῆν καὶ ἀνθυβρίσαι, καὶ γελώμενος οὐχ ἧττον ἢ γελῶν ἔχαιρε.
[24.6-7]: For there was simplicity in his character and slow perception, but when he perceived his errors he repented greatly and made admission to the man who was wronged, and there was magnitude in his compensation to the wronged and his punishment to those who wronged. At any rate, he was thought to exceed what was within proper measure in his indulgence of people more so than his punishment of them. His wantonness about both pastime and joking around held a remedy itself. For one was allowed to mock and abuse him in turn and he rejoiced at being laughed at no less than laughing at others …
Noah Apter (College ’25) is a student at the University of Pennsylvania majoring in Philosophy and Classical Studi