La última prueba del sabio: muerte y coherencia en la biografía antigua

Bruno Daniel Alfonzo

doi:10.36561/20.8

Authors

Bruno Daniel Alfonzo Universidad Nacional de San Martín, Argentina

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.36561/20.8

Keywords:

Ancient biography, Death, Epicurus, Aretē, Consistency, Classical tradition

Abstract

Death occupies a distinctive place in ancient biographical traditions, as the circumstances surrounding the end of a life can retrospectively shape the character and aretē attributed to an individual. This article examines different manifestations of this narrative function, from the consecrating value of death within the heroic paradigm to its reworking in representations of Hermias and Socrates, where the modus moriendi becomes closely associated with excellence and with consistency between thought and conduct. Against this background, the article considers the role of curiosity, play, and invention in ancient biographical writing before focusing on traditions concerning the death of Epicurus. An analysis of the accounts transmitted by Diogenes Laertius, Cicero, and Hermippus shows how the same final episode may be interpreted either as confirmation of a way of life or as grounds for challenging it. The concept of the “exemplary death” is proposed to describe constructions in which the end of a life acquires retrospective significance, turning death into a decisive moment in the posthumous shaping of the sage.

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