Face and bodily appearance · Lexicon

From the book

Charmides

Plato · Diotimos Editions · 2026

Orientation

At a Glance

The wordEuprosōpos means fair-faced; aprosōpos literally without a face.
In the CharmidesChaerephon asks Socrates whether Charmides has a beautiful face, then says that if he undressed he would seem faceless, because his whole bodily figure is so beautiful.
In this edition“Figure” and “looks” are appropriately concrete renderings of eidos and idea in this context.
A place to readStature, face, bodily form, and the proposal to inspect soul first.

Meaning

Euprosōpos means fair-faced; aprosōpos literally without a face. Eidos and idea here name visible form, figure, or appearance. Megethos is size or stature. These local uses of eidos and idea must not automatically become references to separately existing Platonic Forms.

Use in the book

Chaerephon asks Socrates whether Charmides has a beautiful face, then says that if he undressed he would seem faceless, because his whole bodily figure is so beautiful. Aprosōpos is comic comparative hyperbole: the admired body would eclipse an already extraordinary face. It is not a report of deformity. Socrates has also been struck by the boy's stature, and the combined effect is affirmed by the reaction of adults and children.

The vocabulary then supports a contrast between visible and nonvisible excellence. Socrates wants to inspect the soul before the figure, and later distinguishes the observed qualities of Charmides' appearance from the alleged temperance and other virtues still to be tested. Critias' confidence that the youth excels “not only in appearance” is a claim, not an evidential bridge from one domain to the other.

At 175d Socrates again brings together the youth's appearance and supposed temperance of soul. The framing returns the abstract inquiry to a person whom everyone can see and admire, while acknowledging that the relevant virtue remains uncertain. Physical evidence has been richly supplied; the corresponding moral and intellectual judgment cannot simply be read off it.

Places to read

154b–e2Stature, face, bodily form, and the proposal to inspect soul first
157d–158b2Critias’ praise and Socrates’ distinction between visible looks and alleged inner excellence
175d–eThe final lament again joins appearance and the claimed temperance of soul

Translation in this edition

“Figure” and “looks” are appropriately concrete renderings of eidos and idea in this context. Capitalizing them as “Form” or “Idea” would suggest a metaphysical doctrine the local grammar and scene do not state.

ἀπρόσωπος

Attested: ἀπρόσωπος (aprosōpos). Literally ‘without a face’; hyperbolically says that Charmides’ face would become insignificant beside his undressed body. References: 154d. Lexical identification: lemma: ἀπρόσωπος. See Face and bodily appearance.

εἶδος

Attested: εἶδος / εἴδους (eidos / eidous). Visible bodily form or figure; Charmides’ body is praised, and Socrates proposes examining his soul before looking at that bodily appearance. References: 154d, 154e. Lexical identification: lemma: εἶδος. See Face and bodily appearance.

εὐπρόσωπος

Attested: εὐπρόσωπος (euprosōpos). Fair-faced or handsome of face; Chaerephon praises Charmides’ face before saying the beauty of his body would eclipse it. References: 154d. Lexical identification: lemma: εὐπρόσωπος. See Face and bodily appearance.

ἰδέα

Attested: ἰδέᾳ / ἰδέας / ἰδέαν (ideai / ideas / idean). Visible form or appearance; refers to Charmides’ bodily looks rather than a separately existing metaphysical Form. References: 157d, 158b, 175d. Lexical identification: lemma: ἰδέα. See Face and bodily appearance.

πάγκαλος

Attested: πάγκαλός (pankalos). Beautiful in every respect, or altogether beautiful; Chaerephon says Charmides’ bodily form is so fine that it would eclipse even his face. References: 154d. Lexical identification: lemma: πάγκαλος. See Face and bodily appearance.