Volume 19, 2007 - Brown University

66 Stephanie Bernhard
expression or a jest, informs us better of their characters and inclinations . . .”
(Alexander, 1). This passage reveals a pettiness in Cicero that would elude a
reader of his political resume.
Thus Plutarch often praises Cicero’s morally upright nature, but he also
concedes Cicero’s vices of arrogance and self-love. He stresses, however, that
Cicero’s shortcomings do not take away from his status as a great and admirable
man because they are not moral failures. In his introduction to “Cimon,” Plutarch
writes that “[w]e must not dwell on [errors] too emphatically in our
history, but should rather show indulgence to human nature for its inability to
produce a character which is absolutely good and uncompromisingly dedicated
to virtue” (Cimon, 2). Fittingly, Plutarch chooses to portray all significant
aspects of his subject’s character and explains that Cicero was pompous and
often abrasive. But he also qualifies these faults: “He made himself obnoxious to
a number of people, not because of anything which he did wrong but because
people grew tired of hearing him continually praising himself and magnifying
his achievements” (Cicero, 24). According to Plutarch, then, the qualities of
humility and especially likeability are less important than right acts; for he does
not deny Cicero’s greatness.
Plutarch uses his biography of Cicero to illustrate the danger of bending to
public opinion to gain popularity and the importance of heeding one’s personal
instincts when making decisions. Though many of Plutarch’s reflections on
Cicero’s character remain ambiguous, as he describes both his successes and
shortcomings, they form an overall picture of Cicero as a principled man who
stood up for his beliefs and convinced others to follow causes he believed would
benefit the Republic. Plutarch writes that “[m]y method is, by the study of
history, and by the familiarity acquired in writing, to habituate my memory to
receive and retain images of the best and worthiest characters” (Timoleon, 1).
The text of “Cicero” shows that Plutarch considers the great orator, though
flawed, to possess a moral character worth remembering.
References
Plutarch. 2001a. Plutarch’s Lives, Vol. 1. Trans. John Dryden. New York: Random
House.
———. 2001b. Plutarch’s Lives, Vol. 2. Trans. John Dryden. New York: Random
House.
Ward, Allen, Heichelheim, Fritz, and Yeo, Cedric. 2003. A History of the Roman People,
4 th ed. New Jersey: Pearson Education.