ODYSSEUS’ CHOICE OF LIFE IN THE MYTH OF ER: EURIPIDEAN PRECEDENT AND OLIGARCHIC LANGUAGE

Abstract At the climax of the Myth of Er in Plato’s Republic , the soul of Odysseus chooses to be reincarnated as an ἀπράγμων ἰδιώτης , breaking with Homer’s characterization of Ithaca’s king (620c–d). Previous treatments of Odysseus’ choice have linked it to Socrates’ suggestion that the best course for a philosopher in an imperfect political context is to retreat from his society, as if taking shelter beside a wall (496d). They have also linked it to the discussion of how the philosopher who returns to the cave after gazing on the forms in a society not ready for him to rule will be reviled (517a) despite being the best leader for a city based on justice. This article builds on these intratextual connections by proposing that Plato also exploits the marked language of disaffected fifth-century elites and a pertinent intertext: the Odysseus of the prologue of Euripides’ Philoctetes . Euripides’ Odysseus uses language resembling Plato’s to express his dissatisfaction with how honour is allocated in society, which evokes contemporary debates about rewards and punishments for democracy’s successes and failures. Plato exploits the resonance of this language, but subordinates it to his philosophical purpose. Instead of finding the ἀπράγμων life attractive because of frustration with the distribution of honour, Plato’s Odysseus recognizes the inadequacy of φιλοτιμία more broadly. This signals that the quiet life should be chosen for philosophically sound reasons. The example is intended to inspire Socrates’ ambitious interlocutor during the Myth of Er, Plato’s brother Glaucon.