From the book
Lysis
Plato · Diotimos Editions · 2026
Browse this book’s lexicon →Orientation
At a Glance
- The wordKēleō means charm, enchant, captivate.
- In LysisΚηλεῖν is the desirable effect of speeches and songs in Socrates’ criticism of Hippothales.
- Reading contextA song can fail through what it produces in its audience, even while expressing intense admiration.
- A place to readThe Greek example means “not to charm but to make wild.”
- English renderings
- Charm, enchant, captivate
Meaning
Charm, enchant, captivate.
Grammatical category: verb.
Use in the book
Κηλεῖν is the desirable effect of speeches and songs in Socrates’ criticism of Hippothales. It is sharply opposed to ἐξαγριαίνειν, making the listener wild or hostile. The hunter comparison has already explained why frightening the pursued object defeats the pursuer’s purpose.
The verb gives speech and music an affective power. Here that power is assessed through courtship rather than offered as a general account of rational persuasion. A song can fail through what it produces in its audience, even while expressing intense admiration.
Places to read
- 206bμὴ κηλεῖν ἀλλ’ ἐξαγριαίνειν — not to charm but to make wild.