Alcibiades Essays

Alcibiades: A Patron For Whom? Alcibiades was a talented and flamboyant Athenian statesman and general whose treachery during the Peloponnesian War in the 5th century BCE gave him a reputation for being cunning and manipulative . He was very handsome and rich and was notorious for his extravagant lifestyle and loose morals. He had many enemies, as well as many admirers. Because of how many times he switched sides, the question is, Who was he really a Patron for? “Theophrastus

In the Iliad, Achilles is responding to Odysseus’s speech attempting to convince him to return to the war. Achilles’ main argument against returning is his incalculable rage against Agamemnon for “the prize of honor / The warlord Agamemnon gave me / And in his insulting arrogance took back” which is not only an insult to Achilles’ status, but also to his honor as a warrior (Il. 9.378-379). In addition to focusing on the main argument of Achilles’ speech, it is worth noting the contradictions present

The tendency of the mind is described as follows: "For him who has conquered the mind, the mind is the best of friends; but for one who has failed to do so, his mind will remain the greatest enemy." This goes on to explain that the greatest strategists are who they are because of their controlled mind, since strategies have existed ever since the human mind was known. The word “strategy” originates from the Greek word “strategos” which means “a general”, “army”, “lead” or “plan of destruction of

Socrates in the dialogue Alcibiades written by Plato provides an argument as to why the self is the soul rather than the body. In this dialogue Alcibiades and Socrates get into a discussion on how to cultivate the self which they both mutually agree is the soul, and how to make the soul better by properly taking care of it. One way Socrates describes the relationship between the soul and the body is by analogy of user and instrument, the former being the entity which has the power to affect the latter

Minh Nguyen. Forms of Love. First rotation essay. Seminar leader: Marcella Perrett. 28-2-2015 Question :1. What is the significance of Alcibiades and his speech in the Symposium as a whole? Make sure to support your interpretation with evidence from the text. Alcibiades´s speech is an important part of the Symposium, because it serves as a companion to Socrates´s speech that precedes it, which is the Ladder of Love. The Ladder of Love is a highly complex, abstract treatise about beauty, which bring

To continue the argument about what is just and what is unjust, Alcibiades states that he learned what justice is from many people. Socrates then responds by saying that people rarely agree on what is just and unjust, so how is it possible to be taught by many since they all do not have the same opinions? This means that it would be impossible to learn what is just and unjust from the people in general. He needs to learn it from someone who truly knows what justice is. Socrates then says that he

interesting how the plot twists; Alcibiades opts out praising Eros, and instead, he expresses his reverence towards Socrates. For this politician and playboy, Socrates seems as the perfect personification of Eros, and therefore, deserves the most cordial and sincere admiration. Alcibiades begins his speech with praising Socrates’ skills of a true philosopher and a distinguished speaker. However, Socrates’ reproach for others’ unjustified praise cannot be applied to Alcibiades’ one. “…I’m going to tell you

Symposium, Alcibiades asserts that Socrates is the only man who has made him feel shame. Alcibiades’ shame seems to indicate that he has reflected on his actions and has learned something from Socrates. However, I believe that he is not ascending towards the beautiful nor has he learn anything from Socrates as his desire takes precedent over love for Beauty. This essay will first analyze the role of shame as self-awareness in the Ladder of Love. Next, through two accounts recalled by Alcibiades in the

In Protagoras, at first, the preliminary scenes appear to have little in common with the dialogue. However, they introduce the basic themes of the Protagoras. That Socrates is distracted from his seduction of Alcibiades creates an opportunity (an opening in, or a cessation of, his desire) in which philosophy can take root. Philosophical thought, therefore, requires the adoption of a different attitude to everyday concerns, and must even displace these concerns—Alcibiades's attractiveness, for instance—to

the two most powerful city-states, Athens and Sparta. Military commander and politician, Alcibiades, son of Clinias, was well-born and wealthy. He was, on one hand, the most handsome, a great orator, patient, hard-working, skilled, and generous man; however, he was lustful, of bad moral character, and easily angered (Nepos, Alcibiades, (Albert Fleckeisen, 1886), chapter 1). During the Peloponnesian War, Alcibiades led the Athenians, but once he was convicted of defacing the Hermae, he fled to Sparta

of the Hermae statues in the city were mutilated. The crime was regarded by some as being unlucky for the coming expedition and by others as a plot to put an end to democracy. For the campaign against Syracuse, the people elected three generals; Alcibiades, Nicias and Lamachus. The men were given sole influence and power over all affairs concerning the war while many citizens donated money and enrolled in the military forces to show their interest in the coming conflict. After the mutilation of the

the most violent and murderous of all those among the Thirty Tyrants, while Alcibiades became, for his part, the most irresponsible and high-handed and arrogant of all those in the democracy” (9). This was significant because as mentioned before the Athenians had grown to be fearful of another trying to tear down their long built government system. It was a fact that Socrates admitted to never directly teaching Alcibiades and Critias, however, he never denied communicating with them, therefore this

Alcibiades is the most responsible for the defeat of Athens in the Peloponnesian War over Pericles, Lysander, and Nicias. Due to Alcibiades inability to remain loyal to a single nation, his selfish desires, and his repeated manipulation to maneuver situations into his favor, Alcibiades tactics made detrimental impact on the outcome of the Peloponnesian War. Pericles was seen as incorruptible and as a virtuous leader (Plut. Pericles 2). Nicias was hesitant to endanger men’s lives and was not one

In this paper, I will explain the deeper meaning of the passage of the Symposium in which Alcibiades crashes the party by explaining how it fits into the broader themes of the entire dialogue. As known, one of the most important theme of this dialogue is love. As I was reading the dialogue, I know right from the beginning of Phaedrus proposal that it is going to be not only entertaining but interesting. Indeed it was interesting reading what all of them has to says about what love is, what its

Adraint Bereal UGS 302: First Draft Term Essay Spring 2017 Carusi The Modern-Day Alcibiades, Steve Jobs George Santayana, a notable historian, once said that history repeats itself. This is seen true to this day comparing two great leaders that have shaped societies and the way they function. Alcibiades and Steve Jobs had similar paths in which they took throughout their careers that led to their inevitable downfalls and successful endeavors. I will be exploring their paths and making note of the

the introduction of Alcibiades. Prior to Alcibiades entrance, it is Eryximachus who sets the tone of the piece in regards to drinking preaching about holding oneself to a standard of moderation. Of course this is all abandoned when Alcibiades comes in. Besides their contrasting views on alcohol, it is Eryximachus’ and Alcibiades’ views on how one should pursue love that set them apart from each other. Eryximachus’ idea of moderation carries over to love as well, while Alcibiades comes to reveal the

Alcibiades (450-404 BC) was an Athenian politician and military commander. He was wealthy and born to the statesman Pericles. Alcibiades was one of the main reasons that Athens had lost the Peloponnesian War to Sparta. He was a general during the time of this war occurrence. He acted as a military commander, a politician and a strategic advisor in total. Alcibiades was also a pupil of Socrates. By the time Alcibiades was 30 he had given up the intellectual integrity that Socrates had given him for

In Thucydides’ On Justice, Power, and Human Nature, Alcibiades proves himself to be a persuasive orator. He capitalizes on his mastery of Athenian rhetoric by using his oration skills to sway the Athenian masses in favor of embarking on the Sicilian expedition. Additionally, he utilizes his skills to persuade the Spartans to accept and trust him even though he had just betrayed Athens. Alcibiades is able to manipulate both the Athenians and Spartans; two different cultures with opposing stances on

democratic city state because of the thirty tyrants and the betrayal by Alcibiades were all associates with Socrates, who was used as a scapegoat by the suspicious and conservative citizens of Athens who disliked his annoying habit of questioning others and democracy. Socrates was put to death because he

that it was a statement against tyranny and for democracy, the story caused them to be fearful of anything involving tyranny and oligarchy. The fear that this story caused is what led to the massive paranoia surrounding the Herms and Mysteries. Alcibiades enemies used the accusation against him as a way to suggest he was conspiring against Athenian democracy. The Athenian misunderstanding of the history that led to their fear of tyrants is the same as their current misunderstanding of the truth in