Damocles

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Richard Westalls The Sword of Damocles

According to legend, Damocles was a favorite of the tyrant Dionysius I or Dionysius II of Syracuse in the first half of the 4th century BC. The anecdote of the sword of Damocles has come down to us from Ciceros tusculanae disputationes 5: 61–62 .

Life

It is not certain whether Damocles actually lived. He is described as a courtier who was dissatisfied with his life. He envied the tyrant's power and wealth and always emphasized his merits in his flatteries. Dionysius therefore decided to use the sword of Damocles to illustrate the impermanence of Damocles, especially that of his position. The ruler invited Damocles to a feast and offered him to sit at the royal table. Before that, however, he had a large sword hung above Damocles' square, which was only held by a horsehair .

When Damocles noticed the sword above his head, he was unable to enjoy the luxury on offer and eventually asked to be allowed to forego the amenities (and the threat that came with them). Damocles had received his lesson that wealth and power do not protect against danger, but cause it.

This teaching was recorded in numerous pictures and lyrical works, for example by Horace as a hint in the carmina 3.1 . The sword of Damocles is still used today as a metaphor of the existing danger in a seemingly comfortable situation. In his parable of Damocles, however, Cicero also points out that because of this omnipresent threat, Dionysius was forced to secure his power through oppression.

Namesake

reception

Web links

Commons : Sword of Damocles  - Collection of images, videos and audio files
Wikisource: Damocles  - Sources and full texts

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  1. Original text (Latin.)
  2. Horace: carmina, liber tertius