Plutarch's Influence On Athenian Politics Summary

Themistocles was an Athenian politician who was an archon in 493 BCE. While he was an archon, he helped strengthen the Athenian navy. He later became a military commander during the Persian invasion of Greece. At the Battle of Salamis in 480 BCE, Themistocles convinced the Greek forces to stay together to fight the Persians. Ultimately, he commanded the Athenian navy and other Greek forces to a victory against the Persians. After several more years in Athens, the tide of public opinion turned against him and the Athenians ostracized him. He lived the rest of his life in and around the very Persian Empire he had fought against.

Historians like Herodotus, Thucydides, and Plutarch wrote about this influential man and his effect on Greece. These

three historians were some of the most well-known Greek historians of their times. In their writing, they all treated Themistocles differently, depending on their feelings towards him. Plutarch was critical of Themistocles’ ambitious character, but also praised his military accomplishments, which demonstrates Plutarch was ambivalent about Themistocles. Herodotus wrote that Themistocles was a military hero with extreme greed. It is likely that Herodotus believed this to be true. Thucydides believed Themistocles was a military genius and praised this and Themistocles’ intelligence in his writing. All three historians had different feelings towards Themistocles and this affected how they treated him in their writings.
Plutarch wrote Themistocles’ biography during his quest to write the biographies of many influential Greek figures.

He covered Themistocles’ youth as an illegitimate Athenian to his death in Magnesia as an ostracized Athenian. Plutarch’s true feelings towards Themistocles are hard to detect. However, through analysis of his treatment of Themistocles, it seems he held ambivalent feelings about the Athenian commander. Plutarch supplied his readers with multiple stories to prove Themistocles was an ambitious and intelligent man. He included both negative and positive outcomes that came from these pieces of Themistocles’ character. Plutarch wrote that Themistocles’ ambition was his downfall. Plutarch was critical of Themistocles’ excessive ambitious nature and believed it caused his ostracism from Athens. Plutarch first criticized Themistocles in section two. Plutarch stated that as a child, Themistocles’ intelligence and ambition made him “erratic and unstable” and “degenerate” (Plut. Them. 2). Plutarch’s treatment of Themistocles changed various times throughout his writing. At some points, like in section two, he criticized Themistocles, but in other sections, like section fifteen, he praised Themistocles. In section fifteen, Plutarch wrote Salamis was a “victory more splendid than any other” because of the “soundness of Themistocles’ judgment and ingenuity” (Plut. Them. 15). This demonstrates the ambivalence of Plutarch’s feelings about Themistocles. Another example of the

varying treatment comes from sections five and fourteen. In section five, Plutarch criticized Themistocles because he had offended Greeks by trying to outdo Cimon and instead came across as “presumptuous” and “pretentious” (Plut. Them. 5). Plutarch explained Cimon was an Athenian commander during the Persian invasion of Greece. Plutarch stated he had “incredible military successes” during the war (Plut. Them. 31) This alluded to why the people of Athens were no longer taken with Themistocles when they had another general who was just as great. According to Plutarch, when Themistocles tried to outdo Cimon, it was just another example of his excessive use of ambition. However, only nine sections later, Plutarch demonstrated his mixed feelings towards Themistocles when he praised Themistocles’ skill in picking “the right time… and location for fighting” (Plut. Them. 14). Plutarch seemed to believe Themistocles’ ambition and intelligence were helpful when he applied them to military tactics. For example, Plutarch also wrote that Themistocles’ “greatest achievement was [ending] all the inter-Greek fighting” when he persuaded them to put aside their differences to fight the Persian Empire. While Plutarch praised Themistocles’ intelligence and ambition when it came to military tactics; he criticized those traits in other aspects of Themistocles’ life.
Plutarch thought that Themistocles’ ambition was the reason he was ostracized from Athens and provided evidence to support his opinion.

For example, later in Themistocles’ life, when the citizens of Athens were about to ostracize him, Themistocles talked of his achievements. Plutarch stated that Themistocles was “forced into this position” but that “it was offensive” (Plut. Them. 22). This is a prime example of Plutarch’s mixed feelings. He agreed that Themistocles’ ambition and intelligence helped him become a military success. However, Plutarch also agreed with the Athenian people who believed Themistocles’ ambition caused him to be too successful and powerful. The stories and sources Plutarch used in his writing about Themistocles could be the reason why his feelings were so ambivalent. Plutarch probably heard about Themistocles from a variety of people who held various feelings about Themistocles’ ambition. This is most likely why Plutarch treated Themistocles critically in some places and treated him positively in

others.