Dialogues · Character
Cleinias
A promising, well-born boy whose blush under questioning becomes the test case for whether philosophy can educate a soul or only embarrass it.
supporting
Also known as Dear Cleinias, O Cleinias, Cleinias Everyone, Cleinias That, Cleinias Most, Cleinias Excellent, Cleinias of Cnosus, the Cretan Cleinias, sweet son of Cleinias and Dinomache
First appearance: Euthydemus
As a supporting figure in Dialogues, Cleinias is not background color—the story leans on what they do once the chapter opens.
A young man who is the target of the sophists' confutations.
Free preview opens at this moment — character cards, Character Web, and themes sit beside the text as you read.
Cleinias is young, well connected, and newly the object of adult hopes: his family fears he will be turned in a wrong direction before his mind is formed. When Euthydemus asks whether the wise or the ignorant learn,…
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The fuller portrait of Cleinias sits in Reading Lens — open the free preview to keep reading with notes on the page.
See Cleinias in EuthydemusCharacter Web
32 connectionsA slice of how Cleinias sits in the book — open the reader for the full interactive map.
Relationship types
- Other
Character groups
- Philosophers and Interlocutors
- Extended Cast of Dialogues
+27 more in the full Character Web
Open in readerNarrative 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…
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Follow the arc while readingRelationships
- Socrates
friendship · positive
Cleinias appears in the Euthydemus as a young man being educated, with Socrates acting as… How this plays out →
- Ion
social · ambivalent
- Megillus
friendship · positive
- Socrates
friendship · positive
Cleinias appears in the Euthydemus as a young man being educated, with Socrates acting as… How this plays out →
- Socrates
friendship · positive
Cleinias appears in the Euthydemus as a young man being educated, with Socrates acting as… How this plays out →
- Ion
social · ambivalent
Relationship notes
How these ties play out is in the reading companion — open the free preview.
See Cleinias in EuthydemusIn the story
Cleinias appears across 17 companion beats. Open any chapter in the free preview to see the notes beside the text.
Chapter companion notes
Spoil-light check-ins for Cleinias unlock in the free preview.
See Cleinias in Euthydemus