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Tiberius Gracchus According To Plutarch, Essay

It does not clearly transpire at any point during Plutarch's account what the author's real opinion of Tiberius Gracchus is. The only instance where the author explicitly introduces his view is when he ventures to suggest that the fate of Tiberius may have been different, namely that he might have succeeded in continuing his reforming endeavors, if only his father-in-law had not been elsewhere, waging war against the Numantines, but had been present in Rome in order to support him: "And it is in my opinion that Tiberius would never have met with his great misfortunes if Scipio Africanus had been present in Rome during his political activity" (Plutarch 159). This faint trace of personal imprint is interesting because the readers could infer that Plutarch may be exhibiting a vague form of sympathy at Tiberius's plight, a presumption supported by his subtle suggestion that the politician perhaps just happened to have been unlucky with the violent manner by which he was silenced.

In conclusion, it can be stated that "The Gracchi were in true sense martyrs: they had witnessed to their belief in the need for reform and they had suffered for their faith" (Scullard 37)." Tiberius Gracchus and, later on, his brother Gaius, were fierce defenders of the...

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Yet, in spite of their advocators' best efforts, the reality of the Gracchi laws and reformations is that they were short lived and failed to echo throughout all of the Roman Empire. Nonetheless, the admirable attempts of both Gracchus brothers to effect economic and social changes through the tribune office and council of the plebs "had opened the door to more instability and further violence and marked the beginning of the breakdown of the republican form of government" (the Reforms of Tiberius and Gaius Gracchus).
Works Cited

Plutarch. Plutarch's Lives. Ed T.E. Page. Trans. B. Perrin. Vol. X. Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 1959. Print.

Richardson, Keith. Daggers in the Forum: The Revolutionary Lives and Violent Deaths of the Gracchus Brothers. London: Cassell and Company Limited, 1976. Print.

Scullard, H.H. From the Gracchi to Nero: A history of Rom 133 B.C. To a.D. 68. New York: Methuen and Co. Ltd., 1959. Print.

"The Reforms of Tiberius and Gaius Gracchus." Western Civilization: Volume a: To 1500: To 1500. Vol. 1.…

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Works Cited

Plutarch. Plutarch's Lives. Ed T.E. Page. Trans. B. Perrin. Vol. X. Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 1959. Print.

Richardson, Keith. Daggers in the Forum: The Revolutionary Lives and Violent Deaths of the Gracchus Brothers. London: Cassell and Company Limited, 1976. Print.

Scullard, H.H. From the Gracchi to Nero: A history of Rom 133 B.C. To a.D. 68. New York: Methuen and Co. Ltd., 1959. Print.

"The Reforms of Tiberius and Gaius Gracchus." Western Civilization: Volume a: To 1500: To 1500. Vol. 1. 2008. Print.
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