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Plutarch · Comparison of Demetrius and Antony §2.1-2.3

Comparison of Motives for Power and Regard for Liberty

Passage 2 of 6 · Greek

Summary

Compares the moral character of their rise to power, contrast Demetrius's liberation of Greece with Antony's suppression of Roman liberty, and evaluates their respective generosity toward enemies.

§2.1ἡ μέντοι προαίρεσις, ἀφʼ ἧς ἐκτήσαντο τὴν ἀρχήν, ἄμεμπτος ἐπὶ τοῦ Δημητρίου, κρατεῖν καὶ βασιλεύειν ἀνθ ρώπων εἰθισμένων κρατεῖσθαι καὶ βασιλεύεσθαι ζητοῦντος, ἡ δʼ Ἀντωνίου χαλεπὴ καὶ τυραννική, καταδουλουμένου τὸν Ῥωμαίων δῆμον ἄρτι διαφυγόντα τὴν ὑπὸ Καίσαρι μοναρχίαν.
However, the underlying purpose from which they acquired their rule is blameless in the case of Demetrius, since he sought to rule and reign over men who were accustomed to being ruled and having kings, whereas that of Antony was harsh and tyrannical, since he was enslaving the Roman people who had only recently escaped the monarchy under Caesar.
§2.2ὃ δʼ οὖν μέγιστον αὐτῷ καὶ λαμπρότατόν ἐστι τῶν εἰργασμένων, ὁ πρὸς Κάσσιον καὶ Βροῦτον πόλεμος, ἐπὶ τῷ τὴν πατρίδα καὶ τοὺς πολίτας ἀφελέσθαι τὴν ἐλευθερίαν ἐπολεμήθη.
At any rate, that which is his greatest and most illustrious achievement, the war against Cassius and Brutus, was waged for the purpose of depriving his country and citizens of their liberty.
Δημήτριος δέ, καὶ πρὶν εἰς τύχας ἐλθεῖν ἀναγκαίας, ἐλευθερῶν τὴν Ἑλλάδα καὶ τῶν πόλεων ἐξελαύνων τὰς φρουρὰς διετέλεσεν, οὐχ ὥσπερ Ἀντώνιος, ὅτι τοὺς ἐλευθερώσαντας τὴν Ῥώμην ἀπέκτεινεν ἐν Μακεδονίᾳ, σεμνυνόμενος.
Demetrius, on the other hand, even before falling into forced misfortunes, continually liberated Greece and expelled garrisons from the cities—unlike Antony, who prided himself on having slain in Macedonia the men who had liberated Rome.
§2.3ἓν τοίνυν ἐστὶ τῶν ἐπαινουμένων Ἀντωνίου, τὸ φιλόδωρον καὶ μεγαλόδωρον, ἐν ᾧ τοσοῦτον ὑπεραίρει Δημήτριος ὥστε χαρίσασθαι τοῖς πολεμίοις ὅσα τοῖς φίλοις οὐκ ἔδωκεν Ἀντώνιος.
Now, one of the praised qualities of Antony is his generosity and liberality, in which Demetrius so far surpasses him that he bestowed as favors on his enemies as much as Antony did not give even to his friends.
καίτοι ταφῆναί γε καὶ περισταλῆναι κελεύσας Βροῦτον ἐκεῖνος εὐδοκίμησεν· οὗτος δὲ καὶ τοὺς ἀποθανόντας τῶν πολεμίων πάντας ἐκήδευσε καὶ τοὺς ἁλόντας Πτολεμαίῳ μετὰ χρημάτων καὶ δωρεῶν ἀπέπεμψεν.
To be sure, the former won high regard by ordering Brutus to be buried and wrapped in a shroud; but the latter gave honorable burial to all of his slain enemies, and sent those captured back to Ptolemy with money and gifts.

Notes

  1. 2.1κρατεῖν καὶ βασιλεύειν ἀνθρώπων εἰθισμένων κρατεῖσθαι καὶ βασιλεύεσθαι ζητοῦντος — The participle ζητοῦντος (present active participle, genitive singular) forms a genitive absolute construction with Demetrius (implied from ἐπὶ τοῦ Δημητρίου) as its logical subject. The verbs κρατεῖν and βασιλεύειν govern the genitive case and take ἀνθρώπων as their object, which is modified by the perfect passive participle εἰθισμένων with its dependent infinitives.
  2. 2.2ἐπὶ τῷ τὴν πατρίδα καὶ τοὺς πολίτας ἀφελέσθαι τὴν ἐλευθερίαν — The preposition ἐπί with the articular infinitive in the dative case (τῷ ... ἀφελέσθαι) expresses purpose. The verb ἀφαιρέομαι takes a double accusative (the person/entity deprived and the thing taken away), hence governing both τὴν πατρίδα καὶ τοὺς πολίτας and τὴν ἐλευθερίαν.
  3. 2.2οὐχ ὥσπερ Ἀντώνιος, ὅτι τοὺς ἐλευθερώσαντας τὴν Ῥώμην ἀπέκτεινεν ἐν Μακεδονίᾳ, σεμνυνόμενος — The present nominative singular participle σεμνυνόμενος agrees with the main subject Δημήτριος, yielding the sense 'not priding himself as Antony did on the grounds that...'. While one could supply an ellipse such as οὐχ ὥσπερ Ἀντώνιος [ἐποίησε], grammatically it flows as a contrast of actions where Demetrius continued liberating, unlike Antony who boasted of killing liberators.
  4. 2.3ἐκεῖνος ... οὗτος — In this contrast, the demonstrative pronoun ἐκεῖνος ('that one' / 'the former') refers to Antony, who is further back in the immediate discourse context, while οὗτος ('this one' / 'the latter') refers to Demetrius.

Cite this passage

Plutarch, Comparison of Demetrius and Antony §2.1-2.3. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0007.tlg059.humanitext-grc2:2.1-2.3

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