The Republic · Character

Adeimantus

Glaucon's brother, who presses the harder question: why do the young admire injustice when the poets and elders praise only its rewards?

major

First appearance: persons of the dialogue

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Adeimantus joins Glaucon in refusing to let Socrates off with a clever answer, but his worry is more concrete—he has watched education and reputation reward the appearance of virtue rather than virtue itself. He cites the poets and the common talk of his city to show how easily the young are corrupted by what they hear. His insistence forces Socrates to imagine a city whose guardians are shaped by better stories and better laws.

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Character Web

10 connections

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Relationship types

Friendship
Family
Social
Rivalry

Character groups

Primary Philosophical Interlocutors
Protagonist

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Relationships

Socrates
friendship · positive
Glaucon
family · positive
Polemarchus
social · ambivalent
Thrasymachus
rivalry · negative
Cephalus
social · ambivalent
Socrates
friendship · positive

Socrates
Adeimantus is another key interlocutor of Socrates, often supplementing his brother Glaucon's challenges with practical and poetic objections.
Glaucon
Adeimantus and Glaucon are brothers, and they work together to present a formidable challenge to Socrates about the nature of justice.
Polemarchus
They are fellow participants in the dialogue, acquaintances gathered at Polemarchus's house for the festival and conversation.
Thrasymachus
Adeimantus, like his brother, is philosophically opposed to Thrasymachus's arguments about justice and power.
Cephalus
Adeimantus is a guest in the house of Cephalus, engaging in the conversation after the elder man has retired.
Socrates
Adeimantus is another key interlocutor of Socrates, often supplementing his brother Glaucon's challenges with practical and poetic objections.

Relationship notes

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In the story

Adeimantus appears across 8 companion beats. Open any chapter in the free preview to see the notes beside the text.

Book I
Brother of Glaucon; present with Polemarchus and supports the plan to detain Socrates.
BOOK II
Supports his brother's challenge, arguing that society's praise of justice focuses only on its reputation and rewards, not its intrinsic value.
Book III
Addressed directly by Socrates regarding the dangers of unworthy representations of the gods influencing the youth.
BOOK IV
Interposes the key challenge about guardian happiness and later engages on the dangers of wealth and poverty in war.
BOOK V
Insists Socrates must not be 'let off' and demands a full explanation of the community of women and children, stating its importance for the state.
BOOK VI
Interposes with a practical, worldly objection about the observed uselessness or corruption of most philosophy students, prompting Socrates's extended defense.
BOOK VIII
Mentioned alongside Polemarchus as having contributed to the earlier discussion.
BOOK IX
Interjects to express horror at the tyrant's potential to harm his own parents for the sake of a new desire.

Chapter companion notes

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