Plutarch, Ἀνδρεία, and Rome

Abstract

Abstract:In Coriolanus 1.4, Plutarch criticizes the Romans for having only one term to encompass all of virtue: virtūs. With its "manly" vir-root, virtūs directly translates Greek ἀνδρεία, but leaves out much of the entire range of virtues represented by Greek ἀρετή. Through his manipulation of ἀνδρεία and related words, Plutarch asserts not only that virtūs is as Greek as it is Roman, but also that virtūs alone is not enough to make a vir. Plutarch ultimately appears to identify masculinity self-reflexively, as the ability to wield intellectual authority over all spheres of ἀρετή, including the ethical, political, and military.