Dialogues · Character

Polus

The eager young rhetorician who steps in when Gorgias tires, confident that experience and cleverness can outmatch Socrates in any argument.

supporting

Also known as the youthful Polus, noble Polus, Socrates Polus, Whereupon Polus

First appearance: Gorgias

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Polus is the youthful understudy in Callicles' house, quick to volunteer when Gorgias has spoken long enough, certain his own answers will satisfy. He mistakes rhetorical skill for wisdom and treats argument as performance, which is precisely the opening Socrates exploits. His impatience to score points against the older man makes him the first casualty of the dialogue's long examination of what rhetoric actually is.

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Extended Cast of Dialogues
Philosophers and Interlocutors
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See Polus in Gorgias