A diplomática arte de governar: Alexandre III como modelo de governante para Roma por meio da análise da obra vida de Alexandre de Plutarco (séc. ID.C.)

Abstract

Alexander III of Macedon is one of the most relevant characters in political and cultural scene of ancient times. In 327 BC, the Macedonian conquered part of the known world, annexing Macedonian territories, through North Africa and reaching India. Through various political acts, such as diplomatic relations with peoples that were conquered and the adoption of cultural practices from different regions, the foundations of Alexander’s goverrnment were consolidated, making the Macedonian Empire a complex unit, leaving its name and trajectory as a legacy. The echoes of the Hellenistic conquest became an inspiration source for several personalities after Alexander, even reaching the Roman Empire, where Plutarch of Queroneia, the author of Alexander’s biography, lived. This dissertation aims to analyze aspects of Plutarch's work in using the life of Alexander as a didactic resource so that, through the narrative about the ruler, the author could convey his notions about an ideal leadership for the context of his reality, namely the first century A.D. It was on Plutarch's life and his accounts of Alexander that we focused our research efforts. The documentary resource selected here is Plutarch’s work: “Life of Alexander”. In our interpretation, the Boeotian writer portrayed a multifaceted Alexander, just like Plutarch himself, who is a hybrid character, since he established connection with different regions of the ancient world. In this research we will dedicate our attention to Plutarch's trajectory, which for us, presents itself as a guiding compass on his performance in Roman Principate context. In our view, Plutarch exerted a relative autonomy in the face of the prevailing order of the social world to which he was inserted, and for this reason his role goes beyond the dimension of a cultural intermediary, presenting himself as a powerful spokesman of political desires. Finally, we emphasize that we intend to problematize Plutarch's influential capacity the political field of his time, through the elaboration of his writings about Alexander, a character who, in our view, was chosen by the Querer to synthesize an ideal example of political leadership skilled and diplomatic, a true mainstay for the Roman Princeps.