Alcibiades - nephew of Pericles and student of Socrates
Francois Vincent. Alcibiades in a lesson with Socrates
Article Cimon, son of Miltiades It was also told about the difficult situation in which Athens found itself during the reign of Pericles. The state, involved in two wars at the same time - against Persia and Sparta, was losing on both fronts. And therefore, Pericles was forced to make a proposal for the early return of his political opponent - the successful commander Cimon, for the expulsion of which he had recently made a lot of efforts.
Returning to Athens, Kimon organized an expedition to Cyprus and died on this island. The death of the commander, on his orders, was hidden from the soldiers, and they, confident that they were being led by the invincible Kimon, defeated the Persians on the way back in sea and land battles. As Fanodemus later wrote, the Greeks returned to Athens “under the command of Cimon, who died thirty days before.”
Now it's time for other heroes. And one of them was the nephew of Pericles Alcibiades - a figure, unlike the impeccable Kimon, is extremely controversial. Cornelius Nepos wrote about him:
“It seems that nature, when creating this man, experienced what it is capable of. It is not for nothing that everyone who wrote about him agrees that no one could compare with him either in vices or in virtues.
Alcibiades, in his words:
“He surpassed all his contemporaries in beauty, was plentiful in mind and capable of any business (both at sea and on land, he proved himself to be a great commander). In the art of speech, he was not inferior to the best speakers - his speech and appearance made such an impression that no one could compete with him in a dispute.
These claims about Alcibiades' eloquence are in conflict with the claims about the burr that his children inherited. However, Plutarch says:
"He even benefited from burr, which gave persuasiveness and rare grace to casual speeches."
Demosthenes also mentions Alcibiades' "extraordinary eloquence" in "Speech Against Media".
Let's continue to quote Cornelius Nepos:
"He (Alcibiades) was also rich and, when circumstances demanded, he was industrious and patient."
It is known that during his stay in Sparta, Alcibiades zealously observed all strict local customs and ate the famous “black stew” along with everyone else, while other foreigners often could not even eat one of her spoons. Plutarch claims that one of the Persian kings, after tasting black stew, said:
"Now I understand why the Spartans are so bravely going to die - they are nicer to death than such food."
Let's go back to Cornelius Nepos:
“He (Alcibiades) was generous, brilliant in everyday life and in the whole way of life, courteous, charming and able to deftly adapt to the occasion. And in his free time, when things did not require spiritual tension, he turned out to be pampered, dissolute, voluptuous and unbridled, so that everyone marveled at how such contradictions and such different natural properties coexist in one person.
Plutarch wrote about the same:
“In Sparta, Alcibiades did not leave the gymnasium, he was unpretentious and gloomy, in Ionia he was pampered, voluptuous, careless, in Thrace he drank soundly, in Thessaly he did not get off his horse, at the court of the satrap Tissaphernes in luxury, arrogance and splendor was not inferior even to the Persians” .
Bust of Alcibiades. Roman copy after a Greek original, Capitoline Museums
Plutarch wrote that Alcibiades was a hostage to his high abilities:
“If there were people who were ruined by their own glory, then, perhaps, this is most clearly seen in the example of Alcibiades. Great was the fame of his valor and intelligence, it was born of everything he accomplished, and therefore any failure aroused suspicion - they were in a hurry to attribute it to negligence, no one wanted to believe that there was something inaccessible to Alcibiades: yes, yes, if only he He will try, he succeeds!”
Aristophanes in the comedy "The Frogs" (405 BC) describes the attitude of the people of Athens towards Alcibiades as follows:
"Desires, hates, wants to have everything."
Later, Alcibiades often said that he lived the life of the Dioscuri: sometimes he dies, then he rises again; when happiness accompanies him, the people exalt him as a god, but when they turn away, he is not much different from a dead man.
The results and consequences of his activities were such that many later repeated after Archestratus (a poet of the XNUMXth century BC) that Greece would not have endured two Alcibiades.
The origin of Alcibiades and the first years of his life
Alcibiades was born around 450 BC. e., and almost all the time of his conscious adult life fell on the period of the cruel and bloody Peloponnesian War (431-404 BC). He died shortly after graduation.
Coming from an ancient aristocratic family, Alcibiades was one of the most distinguished people in the city and from a young age had numerous and influential patrons. At the age of three, the boy was orphaned, since his father Clinius died in a naval battle with the Boeotians at Coroney. The boy's cousin Pericles became the guardian of the boy, and the famous philosopher Socrates was one of the teachers, and Alcibiades became his favorite student.
Bust of Pericles, Roman copy after a Greek original
Lysippos. Bust of Socrates
Socrates in Raphael's "School of Athens"
Alcibiades studied very well, but at music lessons he categorically refused to play the flute, because he considered this art "base and miserable." Plutarch reports:
“Plectra and lyre,” he (Alcibiades) said, do not in the least distort the appearance befitting a free person, while if you blow into the holes of flutes, your face becomes almost unrecognizable even to close friends. In addition, when playing the lyre, they echo it with a word or a song, while the flute shuts up the mouth, blocks the way for voice and speech. Therefore, let the children of Thebans play the flute. They still can't speak."
Plutarch reports that already from a young age "among the many inherent in him (Alcibiades) by nature hot passions, the most ardent was the thirst for primacy and victory."
Two episodes give an idea of his character. Once, while playing money, Alcibiades lay down in front of the cart on the ground to prevent it from passing through the thrown dice. On another occasion, Alcibiades, not wanting to yield to a stronger opponent in the fight, bit him. In response to the accusation that he "bites like a woman," he said:
"No, I bite like a lion."
Wanting to stand out, on his battle shield, contrary to ancient tradition, he ordered to depict not the family coat of arms, but his chosen personal emblem - Eros with a lightning bolt in his hand.
Later, Alcibiades put up at the Olympic Games 416 BC. e. seven chariots and the only time in the whole history won, according to Euripides, immediately the first, second and third places, and Thucydides speaks of the first, second and fourth (prizes were awarded not to the charioteers who drove the chariots, but to their owners).
On the other hand, already from his youth, other traits began to appear in his character. So, one day he hit Hipponicus on a bet on the street - a man no longer young, noble, respected and, by the way, the father of his future wife Hippareta. True, the next day, according to Plutarch, he came to the victim's house with an apology and said that he was ready to endure any beatings from him. But before a certain Anita, whom Plutarch calls another student of Socrates, Alcibiades did not apologize. On his orders, during the feast, the slaves took half of the goblets from Anita's tables. Anit, apparently realizing that “you can’t break a butt with a whip,” said to the guests:
"Alcibiades showed restraint and condescension: after all, he left us this half, while he could take everything."
Alcibiades hit one of the grammar teachers because he did not have Homer's poems. And to his guardian Pericles, who told him that he was busy compiling a report before the assembly, Alcibiades said:
“Wouldn’t it be better to think about not reporting at all?”
Realizing that his reputation is not the best, Alcibiades made a very non-trivial decision: he ordered to cut off the tail of his dog, telling his friends:
"Let the Athenians condemn me, pitying the dog - otherwise they will say something worse about me."
Alcibiades got away with everything, and, according to Plutarch, from a young age "a whole crowd of noble Athenians surrounded him, followed him on his heels, warning all his desires." But the abilities of this young man were such that everyone kept saying that “as soon as he takes up state affairs, he will not only outshine all other military leaders and people’s favorites at once, but he will also surpass Pericles himself in power and glory among the Greeks.”
Aristophanes, in the already cited comedy The Frogs, speaks so allegorically about Alcibiades:
“There is no need to raise a lion cub in the city.
And he grew up - he will have to obey.
And he grew up - he will have to obey.
And in 420 BC. e. Alcibiades began his career as a military and political figure, from that time the Athenians almost annually elected him as a strategist.
Alcibiades and Socrates
Konrad Zartman. Socrates and Alcibiades
As we have already said, Alcibiades was the favorite student of Socrates, whom he greatly respected. The same Plutarch says:
“In the activities of Socrates, Alcibiades saw a genuine service to the gods, aimed at caring for the youth and its salvation; he despised himself and admired the teacher, felt warm gratitude for his benevolence and reverent shame before his virtue.
Socrates' attempts to influence Alcibiades, who was overly fond of orgies with hetaerae, became the plot of many paintings. Here is one of them:
Jean-Baptiste Regnault. "Socrates wrests Alcibiades from the embrace of sensual pleasure"
However, according to Cleanf,
“Socrates held Alcibiades by the ears, leaving his rivals many places convenient for capturing that he himself is inaccessible to - the womb, shame, throat.”
During the first military campaigns, Alcibiades lived in the same tent with Socrates and became in line next to him. In 432 B.C. e. he was saved by a teacher during one of the battles. After 8 years, already 26-year-old Alcibiades saved Socrates. The same Plutarch says:
“As a teenager, Alcibiades participated in the campaign against Potidea, and Socrates was his neighbor in the tent and in the ranks. In one hot fight, both fought with excellent courage, but Alcibiades was wounded, and then Socrates covered him with his body, repulsed the attackers and thus saved both Alcibiades himself and him from enemies. weapon...
Much later, after the battle of Delia, when the Athenians fled, Alcibiades, on horseback, noticed Socrates, who was retreating with several comrades on foot, and did not ride past, but rode alongside, protecting him, although the enemy severely pressed the retreating ones, producing in them ranks of heavy devastation.
Much later, after the battle of Delia, when the Athenians fled, Alcibiades, on horseback, noticed Socrates, who was retreating with several comrades on foot, and did not ride past, but rode alongside, protecting him, although the enemy severely pressed the retreating ones, producing in them ranks of heavy devastation.
In the next article, we will continue the story of Alcibiades. Let's talk about the Peloponnesian War, which Thucydides called much greater, terrible and bloody than the Trojan War, and about the participation of Alcibiades in it. About his exploits and betrayals, ups and downs, about the chronic ingratitude of the Athenians and the tragic death of this hero shortly after the end of the Peloponnesian War.
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