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Plutarch · Comparison of Theseus and Romulus §3.1-3.2

Comparison of Anger and Faults Toward Relatives

Passage 3 of 6 · Greek

Summary

The author compares the errors of anger committed by Romulus and Theseus against their relatives, focusing on the extenuating causes and the resulting consequences. Since Theseus's anger was provoked by his wife's deception and stopped at a curse rather than actual violence, the vote is cast in his favor.

§3.1εἰ δὲ δεῖ καὶ τὰ δυστυχηθέντα μὴ παντάπασι ποιεῖσθαι δαίμονος, ἀλλʼ ἠθικὰς καὶ παθητικὰς ζητεῖν ἐν αὐτοῖς διαφοράς, θυμοῦ μὲν ἀλογίστου καὶ τάχος ἐχούσης ἄβουλον ὀργῆς μήτε τις ἐκεῖνον ἐν τοῖς πρὸς τὸν ἀδελφὸν ἀπολυέτω μήτε τοῦτον ἐν τοῖς πρὸς τὸν υἱόν ἡ δὲ κινήσασα τὸν θυμὸν ἀρχὴ μᾶλλον παραιτεῖται τὸν ὑπὸ μείζονος αἰτίας ὥσπερ ὑπὸ πληγῆς χαλεπωτέρας ἀνατραπέντα. §3.2Ῥωμύλῳ μὲν γὰρ ἐκ βουλῆς καὶ σκέψεως περὶ κοινῶν συμφερόντων διαφορᾶς γενομένης οὐκ ἄν ἠξίωσέ τις ἄφνω τὴν διάνοιαν ἐν τηλικούτῳ πάθει γενέσθαι·
If, however, we must not attribute these misfortunes entirely to fate, but must rather look for differences of character and passion in them, then, in the matter of irrational anger and hasty, thoughtless wrath, let no one acquit either the former in his conduct toward his brother or the latter in his conduct toward his son; yet the origin that aroused the anger rather pleads for the one who was overthrown by a greater cause, as if by a heavier blow. For in the case of Romulus, since the dispute arose from deliberation and consideration concerning the common interest, no one would think it right that his mind should suddenly fall into so great a passion; whereas Theseus was tripped up in his conduct toward his son by love, jealousy, and the slanderous accusations of a woman—things which very few living men have entirely escaped.
Θησέα δὲ πρὸς τὸν υἱόν, ἃ πάμπαν ὀλίγοι τῶν ὄντων διαπεφεύγασιν, ἔρως καὶ ζηλοτυπία καὶ διαβολαὶ γυναικὸς ἔσφηλαν. ὃ δὲ μεῖζόν ἐστιν, ὁ μὲν Ῥωμύλου θυμὸς εἰς ἔργον ἐξέπεσε καὶ πρᾶξιν οὐκ εὐτυχὲς ἔχουσαν τέλος, ἡ δὲ Θησέως ὀργὴ μέχρι λόγου καὶ βλασφημίας καὶ κατάρας πρεσβυτικῆς προῆλθε, τὰ δʼ ἄλλα φαίνεται τῇ τύχῃ χρήσασθαι τὸ μειράκιον.
And what is greater, the wrath of Romulus broke out into deed and action that had an unhappy end, while the anger of Theseus went no further than words, abuse, and an old man's curse, and in other respects the youth seems to have met with ill fortune.
ὥστε ταύτας μὲν ἄν τις ἀποδοίη τῷ Θησεῖ τὰς ψήφους·
Therefore, one would award these votes to Theseus.

Notes

  1. §3.1ποιεῖσθαι δαίμονος — The middle verb ποιεῖσθαι ('to make/consider') with the genitive δαίμονος ('of a deity/fate') is used to mean 'to attribute to fate' or 'to regard as belonging to fortune'. The genitive denotes possession or origin.
  2. §3.1θυμού μὲν ἀλογίστου καὶ τάχος ἐχούσης ἄβουλον ὀργῆς — These genitives placed at the beginning of the clause depend on the subsequent verb ἀπολυέτω ('to acquit/free from') as a genitive of cause or charge. The accusatives ἐκεῖνον and τοῦτον are the direct objects, and the genitives represent the irrational anger from which they are to be acquitted.
  3. §3.2ἃ πάμπαν ὀλίγοι τῶν ὄντων διαπεφεύγασιν — The relative pronoun ἃ (neuter plural) has as its antecedents the three following nouns of different genders: ἔρως (masculine), ζηλοτυπία (feminine), and διαβολαὶ (feminine). Since the antecedents are abstract concepts of mixed genders, the relative pronoun is put in the neuter plural.
  4. §3.2φαίνεται τῇ τύχῃ χρήσασθαι τὸ μειράκιον — The verb φαίνεται with the infinitive χρήσασθαι (and its subject accusative τὸ μειράκιον) expresses a seeming or appearance ('seems to have met'), as opposed to φαίνεται with a participle, which asserts a clear and obvious fact ('is clearly...').

Cite this passage

Plutarch, Comparison of Theseus and Romulus §3.1-3.2. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0007.tlg003.humanitext-grc2:3.1-3.2

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