Guardian and cousin

Use in the book

Critias identifies Charmides as his cousin at 154b. Socrates then says that even if Charmides were younger there would be nothing improper in his conversing with the adults in Critias' presence, since Critias is simultaneously guardian and cousin. The juxtaposition legitimates the proposed association in social terms. The conversation is public and supervised, not presented as a clandestine removal from the household.

At the end, the guardian's role becomes an explicit ground for obedience. Critias commands Charmides to let Socrates charm him and to remain with him. Charmides says that he would act terribly if he did not obey his guardian and do what he orders. This supplies a practical direction after the inquiry has failed to establish a definition. Yet it also brings together compliance with education and the threatened coercion of the educator: the command is invoked to justify force if Socrates resists.

The word therefore belongs to both the opening's reassuring propriety and the ending's ambiguous authority. It need not imply that the dialogue provides a full description of Athenian guardianship law, Charmides' legal age, or management of his inheritance. None is stated. Nor should epitropos be confused with phylax, a guard, or with the metaphor of temperance “standing guard” over knowledge: the social office here is specific.

Places to read

1. 154bThe cousin relationship is explicitly identified
2. 155aGuardian and cousin are named together as grounds for propriety
3. 176b–cCritias’ command and Charmides’ expressed duty of obedience

Translation in this edition

“Guardian” is preferable here to a generic “supervisor,” because it preserves the personal and familial relation. The edition keeps the pairing with “cousin” and the return of “guardian” at the close.

ἀκόλουθος

Attested: ἀκόλουθον (akolouthon). An attendant who is told to summon Charmides; distinct from the philosophic following at the close. References: 155b. Lexical identification: lemma: ἀκόλουθος. See Guardian and cousin.

ἀνεψιός

Attested: ἀνεψιόν / ἀνεψιοῦ (anepsion / anepsiou). Cousin; the stated family relationship of Charmides and Critias, distinct from guardianship. References: 154b, 155a. Lexical identification: lemma: ἀνεψιός. See Guardian and cousin.

ἐπίτροπος

Attested: ἐπιτρόπου / ἐπιτρόπῳ (epitropou / epitropōi). Guardian, someone entrusted with responsibility; specifies Critias’ authority over Charmides. References: 155a, 176c. Lexical identification: lemma: ἐπίτροπος. See Guardian and cousin.

θεῖος

Attested: θείου (theiou). Uncle; the kinship noun identifies Glaucon as Critias’ uncle and Charmides’ father, not as a “divine” man. References: 154b. Lexical identification: lemma: θεῖος. See Guardian and cousin.

ἐναντίον (enantion)

In the presence of; Socrates says that even a younger boy could properly converse with them while his guardian and cousin was present. References: 155a. Lemma: ἐναντίον. See Guardian and cousin.

θείου (theiou)

Uncle; here a kinship noun, not the adjective meaning divine. References: 154b. Lemma: θεῖος. See Guardian and cousin.