# Adeimantus — The Republic character guide

> Adeimantus in The Republic by Plato.

**Role:** major

**First appearance:** 0005-persons-of-the-dialogue

## Snapshot

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

## Who they are

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.

## Relationships

### [Socrates](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/1497/characters/socrates)

_friendship_

Adeimantus is another key interlocutor of Socrates, often supplementing his brother Glaucon's challenges with practical and poetic objections.

### [Glaucon](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/1497/characters/glaucon)

_family_

Adeimantus and Glaucon are brothers, and they work together to present a formidable challenge to Socrates about the nature of justice.

### [Polemarchus](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/1497/characters/polemarchus)

_social_

They are fellow participants in the dialogue, acquaintances gathered at Polemarchus's house for the festival and conversation.

### [Thrasymachus](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/1497/characters/thrasymachus)

_rivalry_

Adeimantus, like his brother, is philosophically opposed to Thrasymachus's arguments about justice and power.

### [Cephalus](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/1497/characters/cephalus)

_social_

Adeimantus is a guest in the house of Cephalus, engaging in the conversation after the elder man has retired.

### [Socrates](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/1497/characters/socrates)

_friendship_

Adeimantus is another key interlocutor of Socrates, often supplementing his brother Glaucon's challenges with practical and poetic objections.

## In the story

### [Book I](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/1497/chapters/book-i)

Brother of Glaucon; present with Polemarchus and supports the plan to detain Socrates.

### [BOOK II](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/1497/chapters/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](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/1497/chapters/book-iii)

Addressed directly by Socrates regarding the dangers of unworthy representations of the gods influencing the youth.

### [BOOK IV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/1497/chapters/book-iv)

Interposes the key challenge about guardian happiness and later engages on the dangers of wealth and poverty in war.

### [BOOK V](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/1497/chapters/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](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/1497/chapters/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](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/1497/chapters/book-viii)

Mentioned alongside Polemarchus as having contributed to the earlier discussion.

### [BOOK IX](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/1497/chapters/book-ix)

Interjects to express horror at the tyrant's potential to harm his own parents for the sake of a new desire.

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/1497/characters/adeimantus
- Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/1497
- All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/1497/characters