What Does Sophrosyne Mean

Sophrosyne, the Greek value of modest living, simplified the lives of the Greeks by deterring desire and indulgence through the idea that less is more than enough. The virtue of sophrosyne is portrayed best in Greek culture through the writings of the Greek romance novels. Just because sophrosyne was a virtue of the Greeks, it was not always taken seriously. This can be seen through the contrasting views towards sophrosyne as seen by the characters in Callirhoe by Chariton of Aphrodiasis and Achilles Tatius’ Leucippe and Clitophon,

To show the contrasting use of sophrosyne between the novels of Chariton of Aphrodiasis and Achilles Tatius, one must understand what sophrosyne is. First described, by Plato in his Charmides, sophrosyne can best be described as a Greek virtue that dictates how one should react to temptation through respect and self-awareness. In Charmides, the subject of temptation is Socrates, who is infatuated by a young,

In fact, he is the exact opposite of that nature. This is shown in the novel when Clitophon cannot control himself talking or thinking about sex. For example, his entire exchange between himself and Melenaus about vulgar and heavenly love shows that Clitophon has had sexual encounters with “venal love-affairs” (Leucippe and Clitophon, 229), or prostitutes, portrays Clitophon as somewhat of a sexual deviant. His language of his sexual experience expresses this lack of self-control, the tone of his language showing his excitement just talking about sex and women to Melenaus; “What ecstasy is felt in pressing her breasts!” or “her frenzy of pleasure impels her so ardently that she is maddened with its force” (Leucippe and Clitophon, 231). These are just two of many examples where Clitophon shows a lack of self-control, modesty, and