Neither death is praised. Demetrius is criticized for allowing himself to be captured and "tamed like a wild beast" in prison. Antony ’s suicide, while deemed "pitiful and ignoble," is slightly preferred only because it prevented him from falling into enemy hands. Why Plutarch Wrote Them

The inclusion of these "blameworthy" lives is a deliberate educational tool. Plutarch argues that just as young flute players are shown both good and bad performers to learn distinction, readers are more eager to imitate the good when they see the disastrous consequences of the bad.

Plutarch distinguishes their collapses: Demetrius was deserted by his soldiers, but Antony deserted his soldiers by fleeing during battle.

Plutarch credits Demetrius for winning his own victories, whereas he notes that many of Antony's greatest triumphs were actually won by his generals in his absence.

A powerful Roman general whose life was defined by his relationship with Cleopatra. Plutarch portrays him as a man of great potential who squandered "the most costly outlay"—time—on luxury and diversion. The Point of Comparison: Synkrisis

The Tragedy of Great Natures: Exploring Plutarch’s Volume IX

Through these two lives, Plutarch illustrates the Platonic concept that "great natures produce great vices as well as virtues". A Study in Excess and Self-Destruction

In the Comparison of Demetrius and Antony that concludes their section, Plutarch makes several biting distinctions: