Ennui and Alys: Conceptions of Complex Boredom in Plutarch

This thesis addresses the conceptualisation of boredom in Plutarch through a survey of relevant lexical terms, and analysis of the depiction of character in the 'Moralia' and the 'Lives..'. A distinction is made between the temporary tedium of simple boredom, and the persistent and spiritual dissatisfaction of complex boredom.  The first chapter is composed of a discussion of the context necessary to understand boredom in an ancient context. It discusses relevant psychological theories for understanding emotion, as well as simple and complex forms of boredom. It also establishes the context for discussing ancient emotions. Depictions of simple and complex boredom in the ancient world prior to the work of Plutarch are summarised and addressed. Similar themes in the works of Seneca, Horace, and Lucretius are also discussed.  The second chapter charts the lexical course of words identified by modern scholarship as relating to concepts of boredom. Their occurrence and significance within Plutarch’s oeuvre are discussed. These terms include ἄλυς (boredom), ἀλύω (wandering, to be distraught), ἀκηδία (lassitude), ἄση (surfeit, distress), ἀπληστία (insatiate greed), κόρος (satiety) and πλησμονή (abundance, surfeit). This analysis attempts to identify the underlying semantic field of these terms, and to assess how much these correspond with modern conceptions of boredom. The discussion focusses on the themes of luxury and leisure, revelry, warfare, philosophy, exile, retirement, and dissatisfaction.  The third chapter attempts to contextualise the lexical research through the use of case studies in Plutarch’s works. The paired 'Lives of Pyrrhus' and 'Marius' are analysed in terms of the dissatisfaction and insatiable ambitions of their protagonists. The paired 'Lives of Antonius' and 'Demetrius' are discussed in relation to the themes of dissatisfaction, luxurious excess, and the reversal of fortune. The theme of philosophical satisfaction, and the escape from dissatisfaction, are discussed in the context of the 'On Exile' and 'On Tranquility'.