The Parallel Lives (Annotated)

This annotated edition offers a comprehensive view of Plutarch's "Parallel Lives," including all fifty lives, detailed comparisons, and the original structure as Plutarch intended. It features a critical study on the invention of biography, Shakespeare's debt, and the translation's authorship, along with a biographical essay on Plutarch himself. The edition emphasizes the moral purpose behind Plutarch's work, highlighting its influence on Western culture, from Shakespeare to the French Revolution, while also clarifying the collaborative nature of the historic translation. It provides readers with an extensive, annotated resource for understanding one of history's most influential portrait galleries.