# Menelaus — Discourses character guide

> Menelaus in Discourses by Epictetus.

**Role:** minor

**First appearance:** 0004-i-of-the-things-which-are-in-our-power-and-not-in-our-power

## Who they are

Spartan king, used in Homeric examples of honor and war.

## Relationships

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

_friendship_

Menelaus is a student or follower of Socrates, engaging in dialectical exchanges that reflect Socratic mentorship.

### [Zeus](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/discourses_se/characters/zeus)

_psychological_

Menelaus appeals to Zeus as a moral arbiter, reflecting a traditional Greek religious dependence.

### [Epicurus](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/discourses_se/characters/epicurus)

_rivalry_

Epicurus and Menelaus represent opposing philosophical schools, with Epicurus critiquing Stoic and Socratic ethics.

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

_friendship_

Menelaus is a student or follower of Socrates, engaging in dialectical exchanges that reflect Socratic mentorship.

### [Epicurus](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/discourses_se/characters/epicurus)

_rivalry_

Epicurus and Menelaus represent opposing philosophical schools, with Epicurus critiquing Stoic and Socratic ethics.

### [Zeus](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/discourses_se/characters/zeus)

_psychological_

Menelaus appeals to Zeus as a moral arbiter, reflecting a traditional Greek religious dependence.

### [Epicurus](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/discourses_se/characters/epicurus)

_rivalry_

Epicurus and Menelaus represent opposing philosophical schools, with Epicurus critiquing Stoic and Socratic ethics.

## In the story

### [XXVIII: That We Ought Not to Be Angry with Men; and What Are the Small and the Great Things Among Men](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/discourses_se/chapters/xxviii-that-we-ought-not-to-be-angry-with-men-and-what-are-the-small-and-the-great-things-among-men)

Mentioned in the hypothetical: if he had seen the loss of Helen as a gain, the Iliad and Odyssey would not exist.

### [On Friendship](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/discourses_se/chapters/xxii-on-friendship)

Mentioned in the context of the Trojan War, where a woman caused conflict between him and Alexander.

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/discourses_se/characters/menelaus
- Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/discourses_se
- All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/discourses_se/characters