• Parallel Lives of the Noble Greeks and Romans

  • By: Plutarch
  • Narrated by: Charlton Griffin
  • Length: 83 hrs and 11 mins
  • 4.7 out of 5 stars (269 ratings)

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Parallel Lives of the Noble Greeks and Romans

By: Plutarch
Narrated by: Charlton Griffin
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Publisher's summary

Plutarch (c. AD 46-AD 120) was born to a prominent family in the small Greek town of Chaeronea, about 20 miles east of Delphi in the region known as Boeotia. His best known work is Parallel Lives, a series of biographies of famous Greeks and Romans, arranged in pairs to illuminate their common moral virtues and vices. The surviving Lives contain 23 pairs, each with one Greek life and one Roman life as well as four unpaired single lives. Currently only 19 of the parallel lives end with comparisons while possibly all of them did at one time.

Plutarch was not concerned with history so much as the influence of character, good or bad, on the lives and destinies of men. Whereas sometimes he barely touched on epoch-making events, he devoted much space to charming anecdotes and incidental triviality, reasoning that this often revealed far more about his subjects than even their most famous accomplishments. In many ways he must be counted among the earliest moral philosophers.

This volume follows the translation of Arthur Hugh Clough and John Dryden. Please see the accompanying PDF file for duration and starting times of all biographies.

Public Domain (P)2015 Audio Connoisseur
  • Unabridged Audiobook
  • Categories: History

What listeners say about Parallel Lives of the Noble Greeks and Romans

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  • SJ
  • 09-29-16

Shakespearean!

Charlton Griffon is Shakespearean in his narration of "Plutarchs Lives." I literally look for books that he has narrated and buy the ones
in my topic area. It's powerful to listen to a man bring back to life words written two thousand years ago. I imagine i am on a porch in the ancient world having this read to me by my grandfather. Quite powerful.

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23 people found this helpful

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A treasure of history

A fantastic performance of a lengthy and rich series of amazing biographies. I look forward to revisiting many of my favourites in the future.

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3 people found this helpful

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Great narration

So I want to point out here that this is Plutarch's lives COMPLETE. Other audiobooks break it down into multiple parts but this version has it all and is 83 hours long. I admit that I have not yet finished the entire thing (it's 83 hours long) but the audio quality and the narrator are great. You know how the narrator can really make or break a title? This guy brings it home. If you're a history fan and have 83 hours free this title is probably for you.

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8 people found this helpful

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Timeless

A must read for lovers of history and Roman culture. It is a very long book, but it has kept me company for many daily commutes.

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Charlton Griffin is the best!

If you could sum up Parallel Lives of the Noble Greeks and Romans in three words, what would they be?

A crazy amount of stuff happened before Jesus was even born y'all!

Who was your favorite character and why?

I don't play favorites.

What about Charlton Griffin’s performance did you like?

Can't recommend Charlton Griffin enough- check out all his work! He is a world-class storyteller, really knows when to slow things down or speed it up, using his voice like a finely-tuned instrument.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

If you are physically capable of listening to this book in one sitting only, you might want to consult your doctor

Any additional comments?

Shout out again to Charlton Griffin- I'm slowly making my way through your audio connoisseur library and loving it... (as a lifelong sufferer of insomnia who "had to" drink heavily to put myself to sleep, listening to your voice has been a big part in me getting sober and adopting healthier nighttime habits; now I actually look forward to going to sleep, because of storytime with you). Anyhow, keep up the great work!

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35 people found this helpful

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Great book wonderfully performed

To understand life in any age, the is the book to listen to and it has a great narration. It is often as exciting as an epic movie and often as revealing as a great character drama. What cause fights and quarrels, Plutarch will help you to understand.

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audio conneseur

great collection. fascinating read. many of my favorite historical persons and many new ones. audio conneseur indeed

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4 people found this helpful

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Plutarch is an amazing storyteller

The history is fascinating, the telling is gripping and Charlton Griffey’s narration is addictive (although I did not like it at first). It is shocking to see how little human nature has changed since those days.

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Another Great Classic

Yet another great classic work brought to life in the modern day by Charlton Griffin's expert narration. My only minor complaint is that the chapters are labelled numerically instead by the name of the subject written about in their respective chapters, but a minor gripe nonetheless.

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"A bible for heroes" -Ralph Waldo Emerson

One of the greatest pieces of literature I have read. Plutarch with attention to detail and appreciation for scope catalogues the lives of men we can all learn from.
His anecdotes are memorable gems, and are as relevant today as 2000 years ago. His wit is worth emulating. His contribution is priceless.
I recommend this book to any with even a passing interest in the qualities of virtue, courage, education, or reason. It provides templates off of which to judge our own actions and intentions, and often illuminates parts of ourselves we have not fully understood.

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6 people found this helpful