Πολέμου καὶ μάχης... (Gorg. 447a1 ff.): War and Virility in the Characterisation of Calicles in Plato’s Gorgias

• Autor: Moreno González, Rafael
• Formato: artículo
• Fecha de Publicación: 2024
• Institución: Pontificia Universidad Católica del Perú
• Repositorio: Revistas - Pontificia Universidad Católica del Perú
• Lenguaje: español
• OAI Identifier: oai:revistaspuc:article/29300
• Enlace del recurso: http://revistas.pucp.edu.pe/index.php/arete/article/view/29300
• Nivel de acceso: acceso abierto
• Materia: Plato; Gorgias; Callicles; Socrates; War; Platón; Calicles; Sócrates; Guerra

The initial words of Plato’s Gorgias constitute an important clue to understanding the literary and philosophical characterizations of the figure of Callicles inside the Platonic dialogue. The fact that Plato begins with a greeting from Callicles in which war and confrontation are explicitly mentioned shows how important these activities are for this figure. The rest of the dialogue has the function of developing this aspect of Callicles’ soul. Calicles makes clear—both through his words and actions in the ensuing conversation—that he defends a way of life defined by honor and public recognition in the political realm, by the subjugation of others, and by the satisfaction of all kinds of appetites and desires—all considered constitutive elements of a happy life. In this sense, the first words of the dialogue offer us a first glimpse of the figure of Callicles which coheres with his characterization throughout the whole dialogue.