Tyrannical Men and Virtuous Women in Plutarch's Mulierum Virtutes

Abstract

This essay argues that Plutarch's repeated inclusion of tyrannical men within the collected narratives of the Mulierum Virtutes is a rhetorical mechanism by which he proves that men and women's virtues are identical and equivalent. Plutarch consistently contrasts the qualities of a virtuous woman with those of a tyrannical man, while at the same time highlighting the similarities between virtuous women and good rulers. His tales of tyrannical men, good rulers, and heroic women thus allow Plutarch to distinguish between virtuous and vicious feminine characteristics and to show that virtue triumphs over vice, regardless of gender.