Teaching by example: aetiology in Plutarch’s De mulierum uirtutibus

Abstract

In this paper, I propose that aetiology was central to Plutarch’s essay, De Mulierum Virtutibus. Within this series of examples illustrating women’s virtues, Plutarch concludes many of the episodes with an aetiology. A careful examination of these aetiologies and their distribution throughout the work reveals both the importance of this device and the sophisticated manner in which Plutarch employs it. I suggest this use of aetiology is the main mechanism for proving his argument that women and men can display the same virtue. The aetiologies legitimize this claim by proving that women’s actions had real consequences, the effects of which could even reach his contemporary audience.