Gonzalez Lodge, Commentary on Plato: Gorgias

After this general presentation of his views of philosophy, Callicles now proceeds to make a special application to Socrates' case, with apparent personal good-will, it is true, but still with the condescending mien of the superior man of the world.

2 f.

ὅπερ ὁ Ζῆθος πρὸς τὸν Ἀμφίονα: the omission of πρὸς σέ is hardly felt. Callicles cleverly illustrates his exposition of the opposition between the principles of practical life and this theoretical philosophizing by reference again to the already cited Antiope of Euripides. Antiope had borne to Zeus twin sons, Amphion and Zethus, but was afterwards taken by her uncle Lycus to Thebes, where she suffered for a long time the most cruel treatment at the hands of Ly cus' wife, Dirce. Meanwhile, her sons were being brought up by a herdsman in the forest. Amphion devoted himself entirely to music, while the active and restless Zethus spent his time in hunting and the care of his herds. Finally Antiope escapes from her prison, and hurries to her sons. Dirce pursues, overtakes her, and is just in the act of having her bound to a wild steer, when the sons, who had been informed of their parentage by the herdsman, appear on the scene, rescue their mother from the hands of Dirce, and bind her to the steer instead. Dirce was then changed into a fountain. Amphion and Zethus attain the sovereignty in Thebes, and fortify it with walls. In this work Zethus contributed his great bodily strength, while Amphion's lyre drew after him the stones. This difference in character as related in the myth (Apollod. iii. 5. 5 Ζῆθος μὲν οὖν ἐπεμελεῖτο βουφορβίων, Ἀμφίων δὲ κιθαρῳδίαν ἤσκει) suggested to Euripides a dialogue between the brothers, wherein each praises his own calling to the disparagement of the other's. Callicles applies Euripides' words to the opposition between political and philosophical activity.

5 f. The words of Euripides are given by Nauck. Eur. frag.^{2} 185, as follows:— . . . ἀμελεῖς, ὧν σε φροντίζειν ἐχρῆν: ψυχῆς ἔχων γὰρ ὧδε γενναίαν φύσιν γυναικομίμῳ διαπρέπεις μορφώματι: . . . κοὔτ᾽ ἂν ἀσπίδος κύτει ὀρθῶς ὁμιλήσειας οὔτ̓ ἄλλων ὕπερ νεανικὸν βούλευμα βουλεύσαιό τι. Yet these lines do not contain all that seems poetical in this passage. In place of γυναικομίμῳ Callicles naturally, from his point of view, uses μειρακιώδει, which is quite different from νεανικός in its meaning (boyish).