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TheMenexenus (/məˈnɛksənəs/;Greek:Μενέξενος) is aSocratic dialogue ofPlato, traditionally included in the seventh tetralogy along with theGreater andLesser Hippias and theIon. The speakers areSocrates and Menexenus, who is not to be confused with Socrates' sonMenexenus. The Menexenus of Plato's dialogue appears also in theLysis, where he is identified as the "son of Demophon",^[1] as well as thePhaedo.

TheMenexenus consists mainly of a lengthy funeraloration, referencingthe one given byPericles inThucydides'account of thePeloponnesian War. Socrates here delivers to Menexenus a speech that he claims to have learned fromAspasia, a consort of Pericles and prominent femaleAthenian philosopher.

Menexenus is unique among the Platonic dialogues in that the actual 'dialogue' serves primarily as exposition for the oration. For this reason, perhaps, theMenexenus has come under some suspicion of illegitimacy, althoughAristotle's invocation of the text on multiple occasions seems to reinforce its authenticity.^[2] Much of the interest in theMenexenus stems from the fact that it is one of the few extant sources on the practice of Athenianfuneral oratory, even though it parodies the medium.

Socrates encounters Menexenus, who was coming fromAthens' Council Chamber, and asks him what had transpired there. Menexenus replies that the Council was arranging for the burial of those fallen in battle and was about to select someone to make the funeral oration, but he is afraid that the orators are not well prepared (235c). Socrates asserts that a speech like this one should not be difficult to compose, and that evenhe could have done it, having been instructed in these matters byAspasia herself, who according to Socrates, and probably with a sense of irony, has taught the best orator of them all,Pericles (235e). In fact, Socrates claims that Aspasia had prepared a whole speech which she had entrusted him with. In all probability, Socrates' claim is a literary device that Plato uses, as some of the events that will be mentioned in the speech happened after Aspasia’s death.^[3] Menexenus is eager to listen but Socrates is reluctant at first, as he believes that Aspasia might become angry at him for publishing her speech. He finally consents and begins the delivery.

LikePericles' Funeral Oration that her speech is supposed to be mimicking, Aspasia's oration is composed of a eulogy to the city of Athens. It begins by affirming the noble birth of the fallen together with their purity of blood. The speech also affirms the peculiar concept ofautochthony (237b), by which Athenians never came from elsewhere but had “sprung from the very ground” of their city.^[4] The speech continues by recountingAthens' defence of Europe against the Persian Empire, first atMarathon and then atSalamis, proving to the rest of the Greeks that the Persians could be beaten. After displaying such bravery however, Athens became an object of envy, and so the city had to fight against her former allies (242a-b). As thePeloponnesian War broke out, Athens proved her character yet again atSphacteria when it refused to kill the Spartan captives (242c).

Finally, the speech ends by claiming to deliververbatim to the new generations the final words of those who had previously risked their lives for freedom (246d). They were: to live bravely, for neither money nor beauty is good without virtue, and to strive to exceed their forefathers, who would happily be "defeated" in this noble manner. The ancient saying"nothing overmuch" (μηδὲν ἄγαν) is wise indeed, and true character is shown by those who neither rejoice in excess when fortunate nor grieve too much in misfortune (248a). These were their ancestors' words.

Menexenus finds the speech to be marvellous and wonders ever more to the claim that it was composed by a woman. Yet, knowing Aspasia's quality, he is convinced (249e), and says that he will keep Socrates' secret of having shared her with him.

• Plato,Appendix, Introduction, & English translation byBenjamin Jowett (~1892), – Project Gutenberg EBook(in English) — SameMenexenus  – viaWikisource.
• Plato,Annotated English translation by Walter Rangeley Maitland Lamb,Plato in Twelve Volumes, Vol. 9 (1925), Cambridge, MA, Harvard University Press; London, William Heinemann Ltd. – Perseus Digital Library, Tufts University(in English)
• Plato,Computer Generated Audio Book(s) – English translation byBenjamin Jowett, – Internet Archive, Community Audio, mp3 (64kp/128kp/Ogg Vorbis)(in English)
• Plato,Ancient Greek, – Poesia Latina, Greco interattivo(in Ancient Greek)
• Schofield, Malcolm (edt); translations by Tom Griffith (2009).Plato:Gorgias,Menexenus,Protagoras (Cambridge Texts in the History of Political Thought). Cambridge University Press. p. 264.ISBN 978-0-521-83729-3.

• Collins, Susan D.; Stauffer, Devin (1999). "The Challenge of Plato'sMenexenus".The Review of Politics.61 (1):85–115.doi:10.1017/S003467050002814X.
• Coventry, Lucinda (1989). "Philosophy and Rhetoric in theMenexenus".Journal of Hellenic Studies.109. The Society for the Promotion of Hellenic Studies:1–15.doi:10.2307/632028.JSTOR 632028.
• Kahn, Charles H. (1963). "Plato's Funeral Oration: The Motive of theMenexenus".Classical Philology.58 (4):220–234.doi:10.1086/364821.
• LeMoine, Rebecca (2017). "Foreigners as Liberators: Education and Cultural Diversity in Plato's Menexenus".American Political Science Review.111 (3):471–483.doi:10.1017/S0003055417000016.
• Monoson, S. Sara (1998). "Remembering Pericles: The Political and Theoretical Import of Plato'sMenexenus".Political Theory.26 (4):489–513.doi:10.1177/0090591798026004003.
• Rosenstock, Bruce (1994). "Socrates as Revenant: A Reading of theMenexenus".Phoenix.48 (4). Classical Association of Canada:331–347.doi:10.2307/1192572.JSTOR 1192572.
• Engels, David (2012). "Irony and Plato's Menexenus".Antiquité Classique.81:13–30.doi:10.3406/antiq.2012.3808.
• Pappas, Nickolas; Zelcer, Mark (2015).Politics and Philosophy in Plato'sMenexenus: Education and Rhetoric, Myth and History. Routledge. p. 236.ISBN 978-1-84465-820-6.

• Works related toMenexenus at Wikisource
• Menexenus, in a collection of Plato's Dialogues atStandard Ebooks
• Text ofMenexenus at Gutenberg
• Menexenus public domain audiobook atLibriVox

• Dialogues of Plato
• Funeral orations
• Ancient Greek orations

• Articles with short description
• Short description matches Wikidata
• Articles containing Greek-language text
• Articles with Ancient Greek-language sources (grc)
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