Eighteen ''Epigrams'' are attributed to
Plato
Plato ( ; grc-gre, Πλάτων ; 428/427 or 424/423 – 348/347 BC) was a Greek philosopher born in Athens during the Classical period in Ancient Greece. He founded the Platonist school of thought and the Academy, the first institutio ...
, most of them considered spurious. These are short poems suitable for dedicatory purposes written in the form of
elegiac couplet
The elegiac couplet is a poetic form used by Greek lyric poets for a variety of themes usually of smaller scale than the epic. Roman poets, particularly Catullus, Propertius, Tibullus, and Ovid, adopted the same form in Latin many years later. ...
s.
[John Madison Cooper, D. S. Hutchinson, (1997), ''Plato, Complete works'', page 1742. Hackett Publishing.]
Text
People, places and pantheon
Typically of ancient Greek literature (and regardless of their Platonic authenticity), the Epigrams clearly refer to historical personalities, various places in and around ancient Greece, and specific characters of Greek mythology.
People
* Hecuba: queen of Troy. The Trojan loss of the
Trojan war
In Greek mythology, the Trojan War was waged against the city of Troy by the Achaeans (Greeks) after Paris of Troy took Helen from her husband Menelaus, king of Sparta. The war is one of the most important events in Greek mythology and ha ...
, as described in the
Iliad
The ''Iliad'' (; grc, Ἰλιάς, Iliás, ; "a poem about Ilium") is one of two major ancient Greek epic poems attributed to Homer. It is one of the oldest extant works of literature still widely read by modern audiences. As with the '' Odys ...
, explains the decree of tears for Hecuba and the women of Troy at the hands of the Fates, who represent the harsher inevitabilities of the human condition, such as death and destiny.
* Dion: the political figure of
Syracuse
Syracuse may refer to:
Places Italy
*Syracuse, Sicily, or spelled as ''Siracusa''
*Province of Syracuse
United States
* Syracuse, New York
** East Syracuse, New York
** North Syracuse, New York
* Syracuse, Indiana
*Syracuse, Kansas
*Syracuse, M ...
whose campaign is discussed at length in the Platonic
Epistles
An epistle (; el, ἐπιστολή, ''epistolē,'' "letter") is a writing directed or sent to a person or group of people, usually an elegant and formal didactic letter. The epistle genre of letter-writing was common in ancient Egypt as part ...
, or Letters.
*
Alexis: possibly one of a number of already-named ancient personalities, or else a new personality of the same name altogether.
* Phaedrus: Plato's contemporary; namesake of
the Platonic dialogue of the same name.
* Archeanassa: a possible historical romantic interest of Plato's.
* Agathon: Athenian tragic poet, known for appearing in Plato's
Symposium
In ancient Greece, the symposium ( grc-gre, συμπόσιον ''symposion'' or ''symposio'', from συμπίνειν ''sympinein'', "to drink together") was a part of a banquet that took place after the meal, when drinking for pleasure was acc ...
.
* Xanthippe:
Socrates' wife. The pertinent epigram may therefore represent Socrates' courtship of Xanthippe.
* Laïs: A reference to either of the courtesans
Lais of Corinth
Lais of Corinth ( grc, Λαΐς and Λαΐδα) ( fl. 425 BC) was a famous hetaira or courtesan of ancient Greece, who was probably born in Corinth. She shared a name with the younger hetaira Lais of Hyccara; as ancient authors (in their usually ...
or
Lais of Hyccara
Lais of Hyccara ( grc, Λαΐς and Λαΐδα) (died 340 BC) was a hetaira (courtesan) of Ancient Greece. She was probably born in Hyccara, Sicily (modern Carini) and died in Thessaly. She was a contemporary of another courtesan with the same na ...
, the two being historically confused in ancient literature, and therefore inextricably linked.
* Pindar: lyric poet, whose association with the muses is a compliment of his skill.
* Sappho: female lyric poet, whose skill is likewise complimented by counting her as a tenth muse, a common appellation for Sappho in the ancient historical record.
* Praxiteles: sculptor. The epigram is a poetic compliment of his skill, as in its telling, the (later often-copied) ''Aphrodite of Knidos'' is beheld by Aphrodite herself, and is judged by her to be a perfect likeness.
* Aristophanes: comic playwright. As the Graces represent the happier elements of the human condition, it is fitting that they would be associated with Aristophanes in epigram 18.
Places
Well-known place names mentioned in the Epigrams include Troy, Greece itself, the Aegean Sea, and Athens. More specific references include:
* Colophon: a city of ancient Greece, present day western Turkey.
* Euboea: a large island in central Greece, just off the mainland, near Athens.
* Eretria: a city in Euboea.
* Susa: a city of ancient Persia, present day western Iran.
* Ecbatana: another city of ancient Persia, present day western Iran.
* Lesbos: an island in Eastern Greece, near present-day Turkey, historical home of Sappho.
* Cnidus (Knidos), then a Greek city in present-day southwestern Turkey, site of the aforementioned Aphrodite of Knidos sculpture.
Mythological figures
* The Fates: in their capacity for terrible assignment of destiny to humans, the Fates are mentioned as decreeing tears to Trojan women.
* The Muses: mentioned twice, the Muses are associated with the creative efforts of Pindar and Sappho.
* The Graces: representing the happier elements of the human condition, the Graces are associated with Aristophanes.
* "The Paphian" and "Cypris": both names refer to the goddess Aphrodite who, according to legend,
rose from the sea at
Paphos
Paphos ( el, Πάφος ; tr, Baf) is a coastal city in southwest Cyprus and the capital of Paphos District. In classical antiquity, two locations were called Paphos: Old Paphos, today known as Kouklia, and New Paphos.
The current city of ...
, southwestern
Cyprus
Cyprus ; tr, Kıbrıs (), officially the Republic of Cyprus,, , lit: Republic of Cyprus is an island country located south of the Anatolian Peninsula in the eastern Mediterranean Sea. Its continental position is disputed; while it is ...
. The first "Cypris" of epigram 17 therefore refers to the goddess herself, while the second "Cypris" refers to the famous, lost (though often-copied) statue of her likeness, the ''Aphrodite of Knidos'', which Aphrodite is acknowledging as a perfect likeness.
References
External links
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{{Authority control
Works by Plato
Classical Greek philosophical literature