The most important literary work of Plutarch is by common consensus the "Parallel Lives," that is, paired biographies of a Greek and a Roman politician or general, totaling 48, of which 46 have survived. He also wrote the "Moralia," countless treatises on topics such as virtue, theology, religion, politics, and the role of philosophy in shaping character, especially that of public men, whose choices and actions have always determined the lives of those governed.

However, it seems that with his "Moralia," he did not feel he was achieving his objective of influencing the people of his time and turning them towards the path of virtue, during an era when the Roman Empire had peaked and was heading towards an inevitable decline. Thus, he turned to the biographies of great politicians and generals of the past, to provide more tangible and human examples—models to emulate for their great moments or to avoid their unlawful actions.

At the forefront of his choices are Solon with Poplicola, Themistocles with Camillus, Aristeides with Cato, Pericles with Fabius Maximus, Alcibiades with Marcius, Pelopidas with Marcellus, Alexander with Caesar, Agesilaus with Pompey, Demetrius with Antony, among others. In his "Parallel Lives," Plutarch clearly states that he is neither writing history nor focusing his interest on recording their most prominent deeds, but through real characters and true situations, he X-rays their psychological world and offers readers the necessary historical material to understand the personalities of the eponymous men and their moral behavior.

Thus, in a masterful way, Plutarch reflects and marries his knowledge of the past with the need for the moral upliftment of peoples and rulers, in a time strongly marked by symptoms of decline.

Plutarch (c. 46–119 AD) was born in Chaeronea, Boeotia. He was an important historian, biographer, and philosopher. His work had great influence and contributed significantly to the development of the essay, biography, and historiography in Europe in later centuries.

Among the approximately 227 works attributed to him, listed in Lamprias’ catalog, the best-known are the Parallel Lives and the Moralia. In the Parallel Lives, Plutarch narrates the heroic deeds and describes the characters of Greek and Roman military leaders, legislators, orators, and politicians.