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Facing Pages · Branch 20 of 65
Alcibiades I · 112e–113c
Ancient Greek
p. 34ΑΛ. Ἑνί.
ΣΩ. Πότερος οὖν ἡμῶν ὁ λέγων ὅτι τὰ δύο τοῦ ἑνὸς ἑνὶ πλείω;
ΑΛ. Ἐγώ.
ΣΩ. Οὐκοῦν ἐγὼ μὲν ἠρώτων, σὺ δ’ ἀπεκρίνου;
ΑΛ. Ναί.
113aΣΩ. Περὶ δὴ τούτων μῶν ἐγὼ φαίνομαι λέγων ὁ ἐρωτῶν, ἢ σὺ ὁ ἀποκρινόμενος;
ΑΛ. Ἐγώ.
ΣΩ. Τί δ’ ἂν ἐγὼ μὲν ἔρωμαι ποῖα γράμματα Σωκράτους, σὺ δ’ εἴπῃς, πότερος ὁ λέγων;
ΑΛ. Ἐγώ.
ΣΩ. Ἴθι δή, ἑνὶ λόγῳ εἰπέ· ὅταν ἐρώτησίς τε καὶ ἀπόκρισις γίγνηται, πότερος ὁ λέγων, ὁ ἐρωτῶν ἢ ὁ ἀποκρινόμενος;
ΑΛ. Ὁ ἀποκρινόμενος, ἔμοιγε δοκεῖ, ὦ Σώκρατες.
113bΣΩ. Οὐκοῦν ἄρτι διὰ παντὸς ἐγὼ μὲν ἦ ὁ ἐρωτῶν;
ΑΛ. Ναί.
ΣΩ. Σὺ δ’ ὁ ἀποκρινόμενος;
ΑΛ. Πάνυ γε.
ΣΩ. Τί οὖν; τὰ λεχθέντα πότερος ἡμῶν εἴρηκεν;
ΑΛ. Φαίνομαι μέν, ὦ Σώκρατες, ἐκ τῶν ὡμολογημένων ἐγώ.
ΣΩ. Οὐκοῦν ἐλέχθη περὶ δικαίων καὶ ἀδίκων ὅτι Ἀλκιβιάδης ὁ καλὸς ὁ Κλεινίου οὐκ ἐπίσταιτο, οἴοιτο δέ, καὶ μέλλοι εἰς ἐκκλησίαν ἐλθὼν συμβουλεύσειν Ἀθηναίοις περὶ ὧν οὐδὲν οἶδεν; οὐ ταῦτ’ ἦν;
113cΑΛ. Φαίνεται.
ΣΩ. Τὸ τοῦ Εὐριπίδου ἄρα συμβαίνει, ὦ Ἀλκιβιάδη· σοῦ τάδε κινδυνεύεις, οὐκ ἐμοῦ ἀκηκοέναι, οὐδ’ ἐγώ εἰμι ὁ
Alcibiades I
p. 35Alc. By one.
Soc. Then which of us is the one saying that two is more than one by one?
Alc. I am.
Soc. And wasn’t I asking, and you answering?
Alc. Yes.
Soc. 113a Then about these things, surely it isn’t I, the one asking, who appear to be saying them? Or is it you, the one answering?
Alc. I am.
Soc. And what if I ask what letters make “Socrates”, and you tell me: which of us is the one saying it?
Alc. I am.
Soc. Come, then, tell me in a word: when there is question and answer, which is the one saying, the one asking or the one answering?
Alc. The one answering, I think, Socrates.
Soc. 113b And just now, all the way through, wasn’t I the one asking?
Alc. Yes.
Soc. And you the one answering?
Alc. Certainly.
Soc. Well then: which of us has said what was said?
Alc. I do appear to be the one, Socrates, from what has been agreed.
Soc. And wasn’t it said, about what is just and unjust, that Alcibiades the beautiful, son of Cleinias, did not know, but thought he did, and was about to go into the Assembly and advise the Athenians on things he knows nothing about? Wasn’t that it?
Alc. 113c So it appears.
Soc. Then it is as in Euripides, Alcibiades: you have heard this, it seems, from yourself, not from me,1 and it is not I who am
Socrates
Reading Alcibiades I · Alcibiades I · 112e–113c
Ask about a concept, passage, contradiction, or connection.
Socrates will begin with this book and its sources.About This Reading Edition
Socrates and Alcibiades examine political ambition, education, justice, and the care of the soul. Their inquiry turns on what it means to know oneself. This complete revised edition presents the dialogue, 103a–135e, across fifty-eight Greek–English page pairs, with an introduction, Key Words of the Dialogue, an outline, glossary, critical apparatus, and translator’s notes. The dialogue is transmitted among Plato’s works; its authorship remains disputed.
Historical Text and Translation
The Greek follows John Burnet’s Platonis Opera, volume II (Oxford, 1901), in a later Oxford impression printed by John Johnson and published by Humphrey Milford. The words were taken from the Perseus Digital Library transcription and checked against the supplied printed pages. Burnet’s lineation and critical apparatus are retained, including the extended mirror passage at 133c. The supplied PDF preserves the complete printed layout.
About Diotimos Editions
Diotimos Editions prepared and revised this independent English translation directly from the Greek, preserving the argument’s distinctions, consistent key terms, Socrates’ humor, and the quick exchanges with Alcibiades. Each English dialogue page translates the Greek page opposite it. Translator’s notes accompany their passages. The introduction and Key Words of the Dialogue precede the text; the Outline, Editorial Note, Glossary of Key Terms, and Note on this Edition follow it. Introductory and concluding matter reflows for the screen.
Rights
The ancient Greek work and Burnet’s printed edition are in the public domain. The Perseus digital Greek transcription and its modifications are attributed to the Perseus Digital Library, Tufts University, and reused under CC BY-SA 4.0. The independent English translation and Diotimos editorial matter are © 2026 Diotimos Editions.