From the book
Theages
Plato · Diotimos Editions · 2026
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At a Glance
- The wordSkōptein is to mock or tease; paizein is to play or joke.
- In TheagesSocrates' mock reproach makes the father seem culpable for not furnishing a tyrant-teacher.
- In this edition“Rascal” follows the supplied tone rather than converting the vocative into a serious religious charge.
- A place to readὮ μιαρέ — The rebuke introduces the tyrant-teacher joke.
Meaning
Skōptein is to mock or tease; paizein is to play or joke. Miaros can mean polluted or vile, but the vocative at 124e is rendered “You rascal!” in the teasing exchange. Spoudazein means to be earnest or serious about something. The words mark contrasts of manner and commitment; they do not determine by themselves whether a particular proposition is true.
Use in the book
Socrates' mock reproach makes the father seem culpable for not furnishing a tyrant-teacher. The comic accusation reverses the opening complaint: a supposedly obstructive father now appears to be withholding a manifestly alarming education. Demodocus joins the proposal to deliberate, but Socrates delays the practical decision until the boy's desire has been examined more thoroughly (125a–b).
Callicrite prompts Theages' explicit complaint that Socrates has long been mocking and joking with him (125e). The response is not merely wounded pride. Theages gives the missing qualification: he wants leadership over willing citizens rather than force. Comedy has exposed an ambiguity in “rule all the people”. The lexicon should explain the ambiguity instead of treating the joke as proof that the boy secretly seeks the political program of a tyrant.
At 128b–c2 Theages again attributes joking to Socrates, this time because he does not accept the avowal of ignorance and thinks Socrates is unwilling to spend time with him. Socrates responds with the daimonic account. This second accusation of joking introduces information the boy has overlooked, rather than leading to a straightforward admission that the disclaimer was false.
The father's earnestness receives explicit recognition at 127d. Socrates says he does not wonder that a sensible father takes his son's improvement seriously. Comic surface and genuine educational concern therefore coexist. Assigning everything to irony would erase the work's sustained inquiry into how such concern can be responsibly acted upon.
Places to read
- 124eὮ μιαρέ — The rebuke introduces the tyrant-teacher joke
- 125eσκώπτεις καὶ παίζεις πρός με — Theages explicitly names mockery and play
- 127dτὸ μὲν ἐσπουδακέναι σε οὐ θαυμάζω — Socrates acknowledges the father's seriousness
- 128cἀλλὰ ταῦτα παίζων πρὸς ἡμᾶς λέγει — Theages interprets the disclaimer as joking
Translation in this edition
“Rascal” follows the supplied tone rather than converting the vocative into a serious religious charge. “Joking” is kept for paizein. The broader label “Socratic irony” can help describe the scene, but the noun eirōneia is not printed here and the interpretation should not be mistaken for an attested lemma.
Be earnest — σπουδάζειν (spoudazein)
σπουδάζειν (spoudazein)
Be earnest. The seriousness of Demodocus' concern for his son's improvement, which Socrates expressly acknowledges. Attested: ἐσπουδακέναι (127d). Joking mockery and serious clarification.
Joke — παίζειν (paizein)
παίζειν (paizein)
Joke. Play or joke with someone; named alongside mockery rather than a formal technical theory of irony. Attested: παίζεις (125e). Joking mockery and serious clarification.
Mock — σκώπτειν (skōptein)
σκώπτειν (skōptein)
Mock. The teasing Theages explicitly attributes to Socrates after the Callicrite comparison. Attested: σκώπτεις (125e). Joking mockery and serious clarification.
Rascal — μιαρός (miaros)
μιαρός (miaros)
Rascal. The vocative rebuke introducing the tyrant-teacher joke; the edition reads its tone as teasing. Attested: μιαρέ (124e). Joking mockery and serious clarification.