Glaucon

Use in the book

Critias introduces Charmides as the son of “our uncle Glaucon” and his own cousin. Later Socrates calls the youth “dear son of Glaucon” while completing the praise of his ancestry. Glaucon is not a speaker and is not said to be present. His function is genealogical: his name identifies the branch of the household into which the promising boy was born.

The distinction between generations prevents a common confusion in reading Plato's family network. External biographical tradition makes Charmides the maternal uncle of Plato and his brother Glaucon; the latter therefore bears the name of an older relative. The Charmides does not set out this complete family tree. What it directly establishes is the older Glaucon's relationship to Charmides and Critias. The fact that Critias is guardian need not be embellished into a detailed account of Glaucon's death or the legal arrangements of the estate, neither of which the passage supplies.

Places to read

1. 154bCritias identifies Charmides as Glaucon’s son and his own cousin
2. 158bSocrates addresses Charmides by his father’s name

Translation in this edition

The translation's “our uncle” follows Critias' ἡμετέρου θείου. The plural possessive does not make the older Glaucon Socrates' uncle.

Γλαύκων

Attested: Γλαύκωνος (glaukōnos). Glaucon, Charmides’ father and Critias’ uncle, named to identify the young man’s family. References: 154b. Lexical identification: lemma: Γλαύκων. See Glaucon.

ὑόν (hyon)

Son; the contracted accusative identifies Charmides as Glaucon’s son. References: 154b. Lemma: υἱός. See Glaucon.