Dialogues · Character

Alcibiades

The brilliant, beautiful, and dangerously ambitious Athenian whose entrance at Agathon's symposium upends the evening's orderly praise of love.

supporting

Also known as noble Alcibiades, Alcibiades Good, Alcibiades True, Alcibiades Arithmetic, the fair Alcibiades

First appearance: Symposium

As a supporting figure in Dialogues, Alcibiades is not background color—the story leans on what they do once the chapter opens.

Mentioned as being present and participating in the discussion.

In the storyProtagorasOpen this moment free

See Alcibiades in Protagoras Book page

Free preview opens at this moment — character cards, Character Web, and themes sit beside the text as you read.

Alcibiades arrives late and drunk at the Symposium, a charismatic general whose relationship with Socrates is as charged as it is complicated. He is both admirer and accuser, offering a portrait of Socrates that is intimate, comic, and unsettling. His speech transforms the dialogue from abstract eulogy to lived drama, exposing the tension between philosophy and political ambition that defines his own tragic career.

Continue beside the text

The fuller portrait of Alcibiades sits in Reading Lens — open the free preview to keep reading with notes on the page.

See Alcibiades in Symposium

Character Web

46 connections

A slice of how Alcibiades sits in the book — open the reader for the full interactive map.

Relationship types

Other

Character groups

Philosophers and Interlocutors
Extended Cast of Dialogues

+41 more in the full Character Web

Open in reader

Narrative arc

Story tension across the book.

Setup
Escalation
Breaking point

In this excerpt, the dramatic climax occurs when Erasistratus’s boastful praise of the Syracusan envoy’s immen…

Full beat labels and climax notes unlock in the reader.

Follow the arc while reading

Relationships

Socrates
psychological · ambivalent
Alcibiades is both enamored and frustrated by Socrates, seeking his approval while being… How this plays out →
Socrates
psychological · ambivalent
Alcibiades is both enamored and frustrated by Socrates, seeking his approval while being… How this plays out →
Socrates
psychological · ambivalent
Alcibiades is both enamored and frustrated by Socrates, seeking his approval while being… How this plays out →

Socrates
Alcibiades is both enamored and frustrated by Socrates, seeking his approval while being intellectually and emotionally dominated by him.
Socrates
Alcibiades is both enamored and frustrated by Socrates, seeking his approval while being intellectually and emotionally dominated by him.
Socrates
Alcibiades is both enamored and frustrated by Socrates, seeking his approval while being intellectually and emotionally dominated by him.

Relationship notes

How these ties play out is in the reading companion — open the free preview.

See Alcibiades in Symposium

In the story

Alcibiades appears across 7 companion beats. Open any chapter in the free preview to see the notes beside the text.

Protagoras
Mentioned as being present and participating in the discussion.
Symposium
Arrives late and delivers a speech praising Socrates' virtue and character.
Appendix I
Alcibiades is persuaded by Socrates to seek virtue and education, acknowledging his own ignorance and agreeing to become Socrates' disciple.
First Alcibiades
Alcibiades is shown to be ignorant of the greatest matters (justice, the good, the expedient) and is convinced by Socrates to seek education and reform.
First Alcibiades
The ambitious young Athenian who is persuaded by Socrates that he lacks true wisdom and must take care of his soul before entering politics.
Appendix II
Engages with Socrates, agreeing that a state lacking knowledge of the best is bad, and that the many trust in opinion devoid of intelligence.
Second Alcibiades
The interlocutor who is guided by Socrates to reconsider his assumptions about knowledge and prayer.

Chapter companion notes

Spoil-light check-ins for Alcibiades unlock in the free preview.

See Alcibiades in Symposium

See Alcibiades in Protagoras