From the book
Alcibiades II
Plato · Diotimos Editions · 2026
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At a Glance
- The wordAlcmaeon is named beside Orestes as a figure said to have committed the same act toward his mother.
- In Alcibiades IISocrates denies that Alcibiades would wish to have done what these men did.
- In this editionNote 16 supplies the mother, father and necklace story.
- A place to readThe name appears in the denial that Alcibiades would be willing to commit matricide.
Meaning
Alcmaeon is named beside Orestes as a figure said to have committed the same act toward his mother. Unlike Orestes, he does not receive a separate counterfactual analysis. His brief appearance strengthens the initial category of shocking actions rather than contributing an independent argument.
Use in the book
Socrates denies that Alcibiades would wish to have done what these men did. The plural example makes the denial broader than one unusually familiar tale. Alcibiades reacts by demanding auspicious speech, and Socrates answers that the denial is precisely the reassuring proposition, however disturbing the act mentioned may be.
The ensuing argument singles out Orestes to test knowledge of the best, and later failure of recognition. Alcmaeon should therefore not be credited with a narrated attempt, a hypothetical failure to recognize his mother or a judgement of his own in this dialogue. His contribution is the recognition of a class of dreadful deeds against which Alcibiades’ response can be elicited.
The edition’s note explains that Alcmaeon killed Eriphyle, who had sent Amphiaraus to his death in the Theban war in return for a necklace. This background makes the name intelligible and offers a possible resonance with the later discussion of gifts. The dialogue itself does not draw that connection, so it remains a reader’s association rather than a stated argument about bribery.
Places to read
- 143c–143dThe name appears in the denial that Alcibiades would be willing to commit matricide.
Translation in this edition
Note 16 supplies the mother, father and necklace story. No independent Greek wording for those absent names is entered here as though quoted from the dialogue. The article’s scope reflects the name’s single occurrence.