Gonzalez Lodge, Commentary on Plato: Gorgias

ὁρᾶς κτἑ.: expression of joy that Socrates, with whom Callicles has had so often to agree unwillingly and under protest, now speaks quite to his liking. This view is the one thought of his life. Cf. 475 a.

σκόπει... λανγ̂γρεεκ>ἐάν σοι δοκῶ κτἑ.: for the construction with σκόπει see H. 1016 c, and on 452 c. Cf. above in a. ‘What is worth noticing upon this usage is that ἐάν gives a different shade of meaning from the more usual εἰ. The question submitted is represented by it as a perfectly open one; whereas εἰ would limit the speaker's foregone conclusion, and give a certain appearance of positiveness. ἐάν is therefore chosen for the sake of expressing more perfect courtesy, in contexts such as this, which relate to the conduct of a dialogue.’ Rid. § 64.

ἕκαστος ἑκάστῳ: does not de note an unlimited reciprocality, but a restricted one, as is shown by the following ὁ ὁμοῖος τῷ ὁμοίῳ.

ὅνπερ . . . λέγουσιν: which the wise men of old mean when they say (λέγουσιν). The following proverb occurs very early, i.e. in Homer ρ 218 ὡς αἰεὶ τὸν ὁμοῖον ἄγει θεὸς ὡς τὸν ὁμοῖον. Plato often employs it, e.g. Prot. 337 d τὸ γὰρ ὁμοῖον τῷ ὁμοίῳ φύσει συγγενές ἐστιν, Symp. 195 b ὁ γὰρ παλαιὸς λόγος εὖ ἔχει, ὡς ὁμοῖον ὁμοίῳ ἀεὶ πελάζει, Lys. 214 b τὸ ὁμοῖον τῷ ὁμοίῳ ἀνάγκη ἀεὶ φίλον εἶναι. Of kindred import is the well-known verse ἧλιξ ἥλικα τέρπε, γέρων δέ τε τέρπε γέροντα, alluded to in Phaedr. 240 c.

ὅπου τύραννός κτἑ.: ‘where a savage and illiterate ruler is lord and master.’ Cope. In what follows, τούτου refers to τύραννος, τούτῳ through αὐτόν to the τὶς.