Xanthippe The wife of the Greek philosopher Socrates Date of Birth: . Country: Greece

1. Socrates's Wife
2. First Wife: Xanthippe
3. Second Wife: Myrto (Disputed)
4. Xanthippe's Ill-Tempered Reputation
5. Legacy

Socrates's Wife

Socrates, the renowned Greek philosopher, married to fulfill the social duty of establishing a family and continuing his lineage. Though the exact age of his marriage remains unknown, it is believed to have occurred in his 40s, after the Archidamian War, the first phase of the Peloponnesian War.

First Wife: Xanthippe

Socrates's first wife was named Xanthippe. They had three sons: Lamprocles, Sophroniscus, and Menexenus. Greek tradition named the eldest son after the paternal grandfather. Since Socrates's father was also named Sophroniscus, it is possible that Lamprocles was named after Xanthippe's father, indicating her family's more prominent social status than Socrates's.

Xanthippe's name itself suggests a noble lineage, as it is derived from the Greek roots "xanthos" (golden, fair-haired, red-haired) and "hippos" (horse). The latter element frequently occurred in aristocratic Greek names. The significant age difference between Xanthippe and Socrates (around 40 years) is evident from Plato's account, which mentions that Lamprocles was an adolescent at the time of Socrates's execution, while the younger sons were still children. Socrates was approximately 70 years old at the time.

Second Wife: Myrto (Disputed)

There is some debate regarding whether Socrates married twice or only once. Plato and Xenophon mention only Xanthippe. However, Diogenes Laertius and Plutarch suggest the existence of a second wife named Myrto, claiming that she may have been the first wife and Xanthippe the second.

The justification for Socrates's alleged second marriage was the devastation caused by the Peloponnesian War and the plague, which left Athens depopulated. To repopulate the city, a decree was reportedly issued permitting citizens to have two wives, with the children of both marriages considered legitimate. It was said that Socrates, always seeking to benefit the state, obeyed this law and married a widowed woman in need. However, the historicity of this decree remains uncertain. Plutarch also suggests that Socrates provided financial support to an impoverished widow, but this does not necessarily imply a marital relationship.

Xanthippe's Ill-Tempered Reputation

Xanthippe's name has become synonymous with that of a nagging and quarrelsome wife. Whether she truly was so is unclear. Plato does not mention any such behavior or marital discord.

The myth of Xanthippe's exceptional bad temper likely originated in Xenophon's "Symposium," which used Xanthippe as a foil and antithesis to Socrates's wisdom. After the publication of this work, a popular theme in Greek philosophical schools became comparative characterizations of Socrates and Xanthippe. These exercises required students to imagine dialogues between them, further distorting the image of Socrates's actual wife.

Legacy

In recognition of Xanthippe, an asteroid (156) Xanthippe was named after her upon its discovery in 1875.