Citation

Carrasco Martínez A. Atalanta 2017; 5(2): 19-56.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2017)

DOI

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PMID

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Abstract

Cato the Younger's suicide was a powerful political and moral symbol. The last champion of the Roman Republic against Caesar's tyranny turned into a republican hero and an exemplary stoic sage by Cicero, Seneca, Plutarch and other writers, even though all of these did not hide political and ethical contradictions of his behavior. This complex Cato is taken up by Montaigne, who opened a discussion which extended along Baroque age. Was he a moral hero or an unsuccessful statesman? Was Cato a mirror to European nobilities performance? This intense debate was vanished during the Enlightment, since Addison's play Cato. A tragedy, which redefined Cato's myth to provide a strong model to American patriots and French jacobins.

Language: es

Keywords

Baroque stoicism; Cato the Younger; Michel de Montaigne; Political myths