Socrates was a teacher of teachers, the prototype of the wise man, the philosopher par excellence, and yet his wife was apparently a woman of strong character who often contradicted him. In a polis like Athens, where unlike others like Sparta, women had practically no rights and lived under the authority of men, this case was so notorious as to be reflected in various texts. Join us at to discover who it was Xanthippe, Socrates’ wife. A rebellious wife with a strong personality.
Plato in his dialogues and the historian and philosopher Xenophon, also a disciple of Socrates, in their writings, speak of Xanthippe, Socrates’ wife. The two really knew her unlike other later authors who explained anecdotes centuries after her. The first talks about her, but does not make any reference to her way of being, and the second does refer to her tempestuous and lively character, but not to the fact that she had a bad relationship with Socrates or that he mistreated However, later authors They used the little data they had about her to weave an image that went from rebellion, strength and determination, to an example of a harpy wife.
The strong personality of Xanthippe, wife of Socrates
1. Brief biography of Xanthippe
Xanthippe or Xanthippe was the wife of Socrates. It is believed that he was born in Athens around 430 BC and that He belonged to an aristocratic family. The name Xanthippe comes from «Xanthippe» which means «yellow horse» or «blonde horse.» The word «hipππος”, “horse”, in the given name, was indicative of nobility. Furthermore, the first of the children she had with Socrates did not receive the name that would correspond to him, derived from that of her father, «Sophroniscus», but Lamprocles, and this only happened if the wife’s family was of higher rank than that of the husband. . They had three sons: Lamprocles, Sophronisco and Menexenus.
Xanthippe is believed to have He was almost 40 years younger than Socrates. In the Phaedo, Plato explains that the morning in which he was notified of the death sentence, he went to the cell where the old philosopher who was already 71 years old was, carrying one of his children in his arms. The oldest, Lamprocles was already a teenager at that time who, as Xenophon recounted in one of his works, complained about authority, bad character and maternal scolding.. Socrates himself responded by encouraging him to work on the virtue of gratitude since she loved him by bringing him into the world without having received anything in return, she cared for him when he was sick and prayed to the gods for him. Xanthippe was therefore a good mother, although demanding.
Xanthippe’s way of being, as Socrates’ wife, is reflected in an episode in which the philosopher, after seeing a young acrobat performing with a sword, affirms that women can receive education and training just like men. However, his friend Antisthenes He tells him that he has not been able to educate Xanthippe. Socrates makes a play on the name of his wife and says that just as riders prove their worth with the bravest horses, he has married Xanthippe because, if he can endure her, he can endure the rest. of humanity. Many authors affirm that if Socrates noticed Xanthippe it was surely because He found his rebellion and dialectical ability interesting and stimulating.
Nothing is known about her after the philosopher’s death. Although Xanthippe possibly kept the year of mourning and at the end of it he invited his neighbors and friends to dinner, as was customary. At that meal they remembered the wise man and the woman spoke of the affection she had felt for her husband.
2. Anecdotes related to Xanthippe
As we have seen, in Plato’s descriptions of it in the Phaedo, Xanthippe was a devoted wife, who was at Socrates’ side shortly before his death. The bad reputation that has surrounded it for centuries seems to come from the aforementioned Antisthenes and Claudio Eliano that in his «Varia Historia», written centuries later, describes Socrates’ wife as a «jealous shrew». He explains the anecdote that Xanthippe, out of jealousy, trampled and destroyed a cake that Alcibiades had sent to Socrates.
The most remembered anecdote about Xanthippe, which has been reproduced in numerous works of art, refers to an episode in which it is said that He got so angry with Socrates that he sent him out of the house. and that the philosopher, now older, He sat at the door of his home waiting as always for his anger to go away. Xanthippe took a chamber pot, went to the entrance where her husband was resting and threw the entire contents on him.. Socrates is reported to have simply said, «After the thunder comes the rain.»
3. Xanthippe and posterity
Xanthippe is one of the women most attacked by classical texts and this idea carried over to the 19th century. The name of Socrates’ wife has served as an example to point out wives considered nagging and cunning. All this based on the assumption that her explosive character made her husband’s life impossible.
In «The Canterbury Tales» by Geoffrey Chaucer, in the prologue of one of them, a book is mentioned that explains stories of infamous women and one of them is Xanthippe. Shakespeare also used her in «The Taming of the Shrew» to compare Caterina with Socrates’ wife, saying that she is «like a Xanthippe or worse.» Edgar Allan Poe also mentions Zantippa or Xanthippe in a poem titled «An Acrostic.»
It is said that Xanthippe gave rise to the adjective «unfriendly» due to her actions. Although etymologically it is not true, since «antipathy» comes from «antipathos» where «anti» means «against» and «pathos» means «feeling» or «passion», the phonic similarity between both words can serve as a mnemonic resource. The view of women throughout history has made Xanthippe reflected in literature as the prototype of the «undesirable wife.»
However, possibly His only «defect» was having a strong, rebellious and determined character, something reviled in patriarchal societies.. Did you know who Xanthippe was? Do you know other anecdotes or references to Socrates’ wife? Share it with us! We will be happy to read you. If you want to delve deeper into who Socrates, the Greek philosopher, was, we propose these Phrases by Socrates that will surely interest you.