Plutarch's Lives: Alcibiades

Throughout the tumultuous political life of Golden Age Athens, the Athenians were highly suspicious of politicians who demonstrated any sort of tendency towards favoring an oligarchical or monarchial government. And yet, the most successful Athenian politicians learned that they could rule like an aristocrat while mouthing the platitudes of democracy. Pericles was the master of this, but Alcibiades was the most opportunistic and kingly, even as he professed to act on behalf of the People. In fact, with his arisocratic airs, lavish lifestyle, and decadent personal life, Alcibiades was nearly a proto-type for the emperors of Rome. The Athenians, for their part, would come to regret their choice of Alcibiades. Not only did he lead them into some of their worst disasters in the Pelopponesian Wars, he even betrayed Athens itself.

Alcibiades was born into a wealthy family that claimed to be descended from Ajax. His father was famous for outfitting a galley and dying heroically in battle. From an early age, Alcibiades was a man of wild contradictions. He was one of the wealthiest men in the city, and never let anyone else forget this, often using his money to humiliate his rivals. He also had an obnoxious personality and was personally cruel to many around him (Plutarch tells the story of Alcibiades cutting off his dog's tail, which adds to the portrait of a malicious young man). However, Alcibiades also had rare gifts that drew people to him. Pericles took a special interest in him, as did Socrates. In fact, Socrates took it upon himself to act as a sort of mentor to Alcibiades, a relationship that Alcibiades apparently sought out. The two served together in battle, and even saved each other's lives.

While Alcibiades was cruel, spoiled, and obnoxious, his skills as an orator, military man, and politician led him to the front rank of Athens' political class. Alcibiades also had a way of appealing to the Athenians' baser instincts. He never failed to expend large sums on public spectacles. More important, Alcibiades indulged the Athenians' thirst for foreign conquest, something that Pericles' had to use all of his fomidable skills to dissuade. Alcibiades, in his favorite role of playing to the crowd, became Athens' leading politician by promising to lead an expedition against the city-state of Syracuse on Scicily, an ambitious undertaking for a city the size of Athens. The invasion of Syracuse was as much a distracton from the struggles of the Pelopponesian War, as anything else. Moreover, there was a large faction that was dead set against it.

Regardless, Alcibiades set out with a large fleet and army on an expedition that would prove ruinous to Athens. The invasion was not just expensive and far-flung. Syracuse was a Greek colony and a democracy, so Athens was in the position of attacking fellow Greeks and democrats, a position that lowered its standing in the Greek world. Further, the Athenian leadership was split into two parts with alcibiasdes at the head and Nicias as second in command. Nicias had actually led the opposition to the war, but the Athenians sent him as a compromise candidate to act as a check on Alcibiades, another disastrous decision. As it turned out, Alcibiades was recalled to Athens, leaving Nicias in charge of the doomed mission.

Once back in Athens, Alcibiades was put on trial for blasphemy, a charge Plutarch indicates was pure politics in action. Alcibiades was found guilty and ostraciszed. In doing this, the Athenians were exiling their best military commander at the height of a two-front war. Whatever his personal failings, the athenians would quickly regret his loss. Alcibiades traveled to Sparta itself, where he threw in with the Spartan side in the Greek civil war. During his time in Sparta, he impressed his new friends by living like a Spartan, playing up his chameleon nature which allowed him to ingratiate himself with whomever he was trying to impress. He also managed to seduce and father a child with his Spartan benefactor's wife. And he assisted the Spartans in their war against Athens.

Having seduced and abandoned the queen of Sparta, Alcibiades was forced to flee. After traveling around Greece, he returned to Athens, where he immediately took command of a naval squadron and quickly earned credit for himself by leading the athenian navy to victory in a minor battle. Alcibiades, it seemed, was back on top. However, his time - and that of Athens - was nearly at an end. A Spartan fleet led by Lysander defeated the once-proud Athenian navy, bringing the Pelopponesian War and the Golden Age of Athens to an end. Alcibiades escapsed capture, but Lysander ordered him hunted down and killed. Alcibiades was tracked to his mistress' house where he died in a hail of darts.