"As he left the forum he said to those who were with him: 'It is certainly sordid to do the wrong thing, and anyone can do the right thing when there is no danger attached; what distinguishes the good man from others is that when danger is involved he still does right."
-Plutarch, "Fall of the Roman Republic"
"A city, like a ship, can gain stability from opposed forces which together prevent it rocking one way or the other; but now these forces were united into one and there was nothing to stop the movement of violent party interest from overthrowing everything."
-Plutarch, "Fall of the Roman Republic"
"The ordinary mind will see in his plight an example of the fickleness of fortune, but to the wise it will seem rather an example of reckless ambition. Because of this he was not content to be first and greatest among many millions; simply from the fact that two men were judged superior to him, he concluded that he had nothing at all."
-Plutarch, "Fall of the Roman Republic"
pick#classicschallenge 2025 @Lunakay #2025reads #narrativepoetry
Reading this for the second time, was as hard as the first. Through Hecuba‘s agony, Euripides shows the senselessness of war. Her voice is also the voice of the surviving women, and its truly awful, but I‘m still glad I read this. What stands out for me is the women‘s strength. They have been through so much and yet they are not broken.
"However, I should have to write another essay altogether to determine the point whether this is a real change and revolution in a man's nature, brought about by fortune, or whether it is rather the case that when a man is in power the evil that has been latent in him reveals itself openly."
-Plutarch, "Fall of the Roman Republic"
so-soPercy Jackson and The Olympians: The Wrath of the Triple Goddess: 6/10 rating
I've found the recent, ever-evolving Twitter Discourse on The Odyssey equally maddening, absurd, and fascinating (y'know, in the train wreck way). Has anyone else seen this come through your feeds? Anyway, in this house, YES, The Odyssey is a foundational text that everyone should know about and also, we stan both Fagles and Wilson, end of. Let's have it all! More interpretation! More poetry! More lenses through which to view all of our stories!
Next up for reading. Returning to ancient Rome.
#Rome #RomanRepublic
