Hiero

Xenophon, 431 BCE-350？ BCEProject Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

3.7

Word count: 87K words
Chapters: 9

Summary

Project Gutenberg was the first provider of free electronic books, or eBooks. Michael Hart, founder of Project Gutenberg, invented eBooks in 1971 and his memory continues to inspire the creation of eBooks and related technologies today.Hiero by XenophonAuthor: Xenophon, 431 BCE-350? BCE,Language: English, Class: PA: Language and Literatures: Classical Languages and Literature, Release Date: Jan 1, 1998

Editor's review

Hiero is a short political treatise in dialogue form, built around a conversation between a tyrant and a poet that explores the relationship between power, fear, and happiness. Through his characters, Xenophon sets the outward splendor of the tyrant's life against its inner unease, showing readers that power does not automatically bring satisfaction. The text is brief and clearly structured, well suited to being read as an introductory dialogue to classical political thought. Its value lies not in offering institutional proposals but in modeling a way of reflecting on power: through questions and contrasts, it lets readers weigh the ruler's situation for themselves. The English public-domain text from Project Gutenberg is easy to consult at any time and also lends itself to comparative reading alongside dialogues by Plato and others. For readers who want to know how the ancient Greeks talked about tyranny without being intimidated by a bulky volume, this is a light but rewarding text.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Beginning readers interested in classical political philosophy dialogues
Students and teachers who want to learn about discussions of tyranny in ancient Greece
Readers who enjoy short works of thought and are willing to mull them over repeatedly
Those who need English public-domain material for supplementary course reading

Not a good fit for

Readers expecting a full historical narrative or a general history of tyranny
Beginning classics students who need detailed notes and line-by-line commentary
People who only want to read modern political theory and are unwilling to engage with dialogue-form primary texts

Reading tips

On the first read-through, mark the key passages where the poet's and the tyrant's views clash.
On the second read, take notes around "power and happiness," organize both sides' arguments, and then evaluate them.
Read alongside a background article on tyranny in ancient Greece to reduce contextual obstacles.

About the publisher

Project Gutenberg United States · Founded in 1971

Project Gutenberg is a digital publishing project focused on public-domain ebooks. Its publishing direction centers on classic literary works whose copyright has expired, covering genres such as poetry, drama, fiction, and epic. Representative books include Lyrical Ballads by Wordsworth and Coleridge, Proust's Du côté de chez Swann, Shakespeare's Macbeth and The Complete Works of William Shakespeare, Homer's The Iliad, Dante's La Divina Comèdia: Purgatòri, Cervantes's The History of Don Quixote, Volume 2, and Grahame's The Wind in the Willows. Its author resources consist mainly of classic Western writers such as Wordsworth, Proust, Shakespeare, Homer, Dante, Cervantes, Grahame, and Tolstoy. Its publishing feature is the provision of freely accessible ebooks in EPUB and Kindle formats; it is not a traditional publisher, and publicly available information is limited.

FAQ

What is Hiero mainly about?

It is a short dialogue-form treatise built around a conversation between a tyrant and a poet, discussing the fear and insecurity that power brings and whether a ruler can achieve true happiness. The text offers no institutional proposals; it focuses instead on presenting a reflection on power through dialogue.

Is this dialogue suitable for classroom use?

It is short and clearly structured, making it suitable as supplementary classroom material on classical political thought. Teachers can have students read the dialogue aloud in roles and then organize a discussion around "power and happiness," but they should supply historical background to keep students from misreading it for lack of context.

Do I need to know Xenophon's other works before reading?

You do not need to read other works first. This dialogue can be read on its own, though knowing that Xenophon had military and political experience makes it easier to understand his concern with the ruler's situation. A short introduction to the author is enough to begin the text.

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About the author

Xenophon, 431 BCE-350？ BCE Author

Xenophon (c. 431–c. 350 BCE) was an ancient Greek historian, military commander and prose writer. Public information about the details of his life is limited, and his works are the main basis for understanding him and his thought. The collection holds 20 of his works, including Anabasis, Hellenica, Cyropaedia and The Memorabilia. These writings combine historical narrative, military memoir and philosophical dialogue; their style is clear and plain, their narration concrete and vivid, and they are especially notable for firsthand accounts of campaigns he experienced. His works have long circulated as important sources for the study of ancient Greek politics, warfare and thought, and have influenced later historical writing and educational ideas.