James Adam, The Republic of Plato

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οἷον κτλ.: “qui vigilans talis est, qualem finximus supra (571 C, D, E) somniantem” (Stallbaum). The Oxford editors, with D. and V., and apparently also Schneider, translate ‘He is the man who in reality is such as we imagined him in our dream.’ The Greek is perhaps a little simpler if we take this view, but I agree with Bosanquet in preferring Stallbaum's, partly because such a statement could scarcely be called a κεφάλαιον, and partly on account of 574 E οἷος ὀλιγάκις ἐγίγνετο ὄναρ, ὕπαρ τοιοῦτος ἀεὶ γενόμενος — a striking observation which would be at once recalled to Adimantus' mind, although the strong antithesis between ὄναρ and ὕπαρ is alone sufficient to suggest the meaning. We expect brevity and compression in a summary description of this kind. For the purposes of grammatical explanation we should supply εἶναι after διήλθομεν (‘as we described a man to be in dreams’). The ellipse is easy because of ᾖ: for ὃς—ᾖ is logically antecedent to οἷον—διήλθομεν.

οὗτος γίγνεται . οὗτος is in the predicate. For γίγνεται see on VIII 562 A.

διαδεξάμενος κτλ. We have now finished our account of depraved cities and individuals, and the change of interlocutors shews that we are about to enter on a new stage in the discussion: cf. VI 487 A, 506 D al. Aristotle blames Plato for not saying what is to follow tyranny (Pol. E 12. 1316^{a} 25 ff.). In reply, Plato would, I think, first point out that he is not required to touch on this subject either by the main thesis of the Republic or by the special aim which he has in view throughout Books VIII and IX (see VIII 543 A note). He might afterwards observe that, since the best hope of founding the perfect city lies in imbuing an absolute ruler or one of his descendants with a love of genuine philosophy (VI 499 B—502 C), the deepest darkness perhaps contained a promise of the dawn. See especially the striking passage in Laws 709 E—712 A. Aristotle seems to have understood him to mean this (ἐπεὶ κατ᾽ ἐκεῖνον δεῖ εἰς τὴν πρώτην καὶ τὴν ἀρίστην: οὕτως γὰρ ἂν ἐγίνετο συνεχὲς καὶ κύκλος l.c.), and criticises him accordingly from the facts of experience; but the succession of polities in the Republic is not intended to be in all respects, or even primarily and chiefly, historical (VIII 543 A note).

576B - 577B What shall we say then about the happiness or unhappiness of the individual who is most depraved? As is the city, so will the individual be in point of happiness as well as virtue. And the city in which a tyrant rules is of all cities the worst and most unhappy. What of the tyrannical man? He that has lived with a tyrant, and is himself moreover capable of judging, will best decide. Let us pretend, says Socrates, that we ourselves possess these qualifications.