The use and abuse of Critias: Conflicting portraits in Plato and Xenophon

Classical Quarterly 64 (2):507-524 (2014)
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Abstract

This paper aims to explain the very sharp contrast between the portraits of Critias found in Plato and Xenophon. While depicted as a monster in Xenophon's Hellenica, Critias is described with at most mild criticism in Plato's writings. Each of these portraits is eccentric in its own way, and these eccentricities can be explained by considering the apologetic and polemic aims each author pursued. In doing so, I hope to shed light not only on the relations between these portraits and the works that contain them, but also on the personal relations between Plato and Xenophon and their manner of expressing them in literary productions.

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Gabriel Danzig
Bar-Ilan University, Ramat Gan

Citations of this work

Philosophical Breakdowns and Divine Intervention.Thomas Slabon - 2023 - Ancient Philosophy 43 (1):89-118.
Finding Moderation in Plato’s Republic.Laura Rabinowitz - 2023 - The European Legacy 28 (3):236-254.

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References found in this work

Paideia: The Ideals of Greek Culture.Werner Jaeger - 1939 - Philosophy 14 (55):364-366.
Die Fragmente der Vorsokratiker. [REVIEW]A. L. Hilliard - 1952 - Journal of Philosophy 49 (6):191-192.

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