Republic (Barnes & Noble Classics Series) (76 page)

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Authors: Plato

BOOK: Republic (Barnes & Noble Classics Series)
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ie
Anacharsis apparently traveled widely in Greece in the early sixth century B.C.E.; he was credited by some with the invention of the anchor and the potter’s wheel.
if
The Pythagoreans were known for their asceticism.
ig
Rhapsodes were professional (often itinerant) performers of epic poetry; see note 5 on 1.334a.
ih
Compare 4.439c-441c.
ii
Compare 3.387d-e.
ij
Compare 10.608a and also 9.577a.
ik
That is, poetry, which is referred to by feminine pronouns through Jowett’s translation of this passage. In subsequent pages, Jowett also uses feminine pronouns when referring to the soul (
psyche
in Greek) and justice
(dikaiosynê) .
il
The sources of these sayings are unknown.
im
Jowett’s translation is less than literal; literally translated, the Greek reads, “This entire time, from childhood to old age, would be something slight compared to everything [that is, the whole of time].”
in
Eye inflammation.
io
Fisherman who was transformed into a sea-god.
ip
That is, at the soul’s “philosophy.”
iq
That is, material goods, including wealth, fame, and prestige.
ir
The dog-skin “cap of Hades,” which provides invisibility, is mentioned in Iliad 5.844.
is
Literally, “the prizes of victory which it [that is, justice] acquires through reputation and confers on those who possess it [that is, individuals who are just]”; compare “the palms of victory which the gods give the just,” at 10.613b.
it
See 1.352b.
iu
The “goal” is in the mid-course turning point. Both foot and chariot races were typically run in two segments, the first going to and the second returning from a turning point (or post).
iv
Compare 10.608c.
iw
Compare
Phaedrus
249b.
ix
A fictional figure.
iy
Compare
Gorgias
525c-d.
iz
That is, Tartarus, the lowest place in the underworld. Compare
Gorgias
523b and
Phaedo
112a-b.[p. 000]
ja
Warship with three banks of oars.
jb
Various “pre-Socratic philosophers,” such as Empedocles and Parmenides, conceived of “Necessity” as a cosmic principle. The personification of Necessity in this passage is in keeping with traditional poetic practices.
jc
That is, the weight on the end of a spindle that keeps it twirling.
jd
The sirens in Odyssey 12 are singers whose alluring song dangerously distracts passing seafarers. In contrast, Socrates envisions them simply as immortal singers.
je
In sources dating to the archaic period, the Fates
(Moirai,
or “Apportioners”) are identified as daughters of the goddess Night, or of Zeus and Themis; they are traditionally conceived of as spinners who spin and cut threads that determine the courses of individual human lives. Clotho means “Spinner”; Lachesis, “Getting-by-Lot”; and Atropos, “Irresistible.”
jf
That is, “guardian spirit”
(daimon).
jg
Swans were thought to sing when they were about to die; Orpheus was supposed to have been killed by Maenads (female worshipers of Dionysus).
jh
Thamyras was a legendary Thracian singer who was punished for challenging the Muses to a contest; the songs of nightingales were considered sweet but mournful.
ji
Ajax (in Greek, Aias) was a Greek chieftain (from the island Salamis) at Troy who figures prominently in
Iliad.
According to various traditions, Ajax committed suicide after the armor of the dead Achilles was awarded to Odysseus.
jj
Legendary Arcadian maiden and huntress who, since she was unwilling to marry, challenged all her suitors to footraces. ∥Epeus (also spelled Epeius) was the architect of the Trojan horse; see
Odyssey
8.493.
jk
A commoner in the Greek army at Troy who dares to criticize Agamemnon and is beaten by Odysseus; compare
Iliad
2.211-277.
jl
Also mentioned as a feature of the underworld in Aristophanes,
Frogs
186 (produced in 405 B.C.E.).

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