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Audiobook edition · 1 h 8 minPaperback · 6 × 9 in · printing soonHardcover · 6 × 9 in · printing soonAbout this book
When a city praises its fallen soldiers, does it honor the dead—or flatter the living?
In Plato’s Menexenus, Socrates meets a young man with political ambitions, fresh from the council chamber in Athens. The city must choose someone to speak at a public funeral for citizens killed in war. Menexenus asks whether Socrates could deliver such a speech himself.
Socrates answers with a long funeral oration he says he learned from Aspasia, the partner of Pericles. It praises Athenian birth, upbringing, and deeds. But its purpose remains a puzzle: sincere tribute or pointed parody? Behind the praise lies Plato’s concern about speakers who please a crowd without caring for truth.
What you’ll discover
- Praise and political ambition Meet Menexenus as public mourning becomes a question of who gets to speak.
- Socrates in an unfamiliar role Hear the philosopher deliver an extended speech rather than pursue his usual questions.
- A city praising itself Follow an oration that turns Athenian origins and wartime deeds into public glory.
- Words for grieving families Encounter the speech’s imagined voices of the dead addressing their children and parents.
- A puzzle of tone Weigh tribute against parody, and ask where moving words leave room for truth.
Who will love it
This is for readers who enjoy ancient Athens, Socrates in a playful mood, and the craft of public speaking. It suits anyone curious about how cities remember their war dead.
What’s inside
The key ideas, in the 15-minute summary
- Public praise enchants its own audience
- Aspasia stands behind the borrowed speech
- Shared birth becomes an argument for equality
- Victories place Athens at the center
- Defeat becomes another reason for praise
- The dead turn mourning toward duty
- Tenderness and mockery remain in tension
- Listen beyond the pleasure of praise
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Menexenus
by Plato
Socrates recites a funeral speech he credits to Aspasia, saying orators’ praise enchants him for over three days.
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In short
What if a speech could make you feel taller, nobler and wiser for days, even though you know it is only words? Socrates says that is what happens to him whenever an orator praises the Athenian dead.
Menexenus at a glance
- Reading time
- About 35 min25 min fast, 40 min slow
- Length
- 7,960 words
- Library level
- Challenging long sentences, a rich vocabulary
- First published
- about 380 BCby Plato
Reading time at 238 words a minute (fast 300, slow 200). How long the classics take to read · Updated
From the 15-minute summary · Key idea 1
Praise aimed at a crowd can enchant it
Plato opens with a simple question. Where have you been, Socrates asks Menexenus, and the young man answers that he has been at the Council. The city is about to choose a speaker for the public funeral of men killed in war.
Then Socrates tells what funeral speeches do to him. A dead man gets a splendid burial, even if he was poor. A learned speaker praises him, though the man may not have been good for much. The speakers praise the city, the ancestors and the living who stand listening. Socrates feels enchanted and imagines himself greater and finer than he was.
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- 15-minute summary
- The key ideas of the whole book in about 13 minutes. A good first look, or a refresher.
Details
- Language
- English
- Reading time
- 40 min
- Level
- Challenging
Cite this edition
Plato. Menexenus. Library of Alexandria, 2026, libraryofalexandria.com/products/menexenus.
Plato. (2026). Menexenus. Library of Alexandria. https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/menexenus (Original work published ca. 380 B.C.E.)
Plato. Menexenus. Library of Alexandria, 2026. https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/menexenus.
@book{plato2026menexenus,
author = {Plato},
title = {Menexenus},
publisher = {Library of Alexandria},
year = {2026},
url = {https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/menexenus},
note = {First published ca. 380 BCE}
}
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What is Menexenus about?
Menexenus is a short dialogue in which Socrates tells a young man about the spell of funeral speeches, then recites one he says Aspasia composed. It praises Athens and its war dead and consoles their families.
Who is Aspasia in Menexenus?
Aspasia is the woman Socrates names as his teacher of rhetoric and as the teacher of Pericles. In the dialogue she is the supposed author of the funeral oration Socrates recites from memory.
Is the funeral speech in Menexenus serious or a parody?
Readers disagree. Some see a sincere model oration, others see playful mimicry of orators, and others see a warning about flattering a city. The light frame and the speech's boasts support each reading.
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