Comparison of Dion and Brutus

Plutarch. Plutarch's Lives, Vol. VI. Perrin, Bernadotte, editor. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press; London: William Heinemann Ltd., 1918.

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This work compares and evaluates the lives and achievements of Dion, who overthrew the Sicilian tyrant, and Brutus, who assassinated the Roman dictator Caesar, both of whom fought for republican freedom. The author begins by examining the preconditions of their uprisings, noting that Dion initiated his campaign spontaneously using his own wealth, whereas Brutus joined the conspiracy under the influence of others and out of self-preservation. However, regarding the nature of their adversaries, the author praises Brutus's capacity for confronting the formidable and widely mourned Caesar, contrasting it with Dion's struggle against the mediocre tyrant Dionysius. Furthermore, the text compares their military judgments, the purity of their motives, and the trust they garnered. Ultimately, through anecdotes of the posthumous respect shown even by his enemies and Octavian's preservation of his statue, Brutus's exceptional character and legacy are highlighted in comparison to Dion's.