Complete Summary of The Case of Xanthippe

Summary of The Case for Xanthippe 

Characters in The case for Xanthippe

Socrates

He was a very famous Greek philosopher from Athens. He was known as the founder of western philosophy. He is also known as ‘the father of philosophy’. His blind love for philosophy and proving everyone wrong brought a huge gap in his relationship with his wife. He is the main character of the essay.

Xanthippe 

She was an ancient Athenian and widely known as the wife of Socrates. She is very famous for her high temper and behavior to argue. In Greek history, she is often described as a strange and hysterical woman. She is also the main character of the essay.

Setting of the essay The case for Xanthippe

The incidents of the essay titled ‘The case for Xanthippe’ took place in Greece. 

Theme of The case for Xanthippe

This essay offers a defense to Xanthippe who could not understand his husband’s greatness and also Socrates and his wisdom.

Summary in one sentence of the essay The case for Xanthippe

This essay started when some of the Greek philosophers proved the myth irrational or unreasonable and they chose Socrates as their hero and master. The essay mainly focuses on Socrates philosophy and explores more about people of ancient times living in Greece.

Detailed summary of The case for Xanthippe

“The Case for Xanthippe” is an essay written by Robert graves who was born on 24th July 1895 and died on 7th December 1985. Robert graves was an English poet, historical novelist, critic, and classicist. The case of Xanthippe is a journal essay that shows some of the events related to Socrates and his wife. It also shows some of his philosophies such as the difference between rational and reasonable. It also serves as a defense for Xanthippe who is considered a bad person. The writing also tells how Roberts realized things about poets, poems, science, religion, etc.

‘Reasoning’ and ‘rationality' have the same meaning but the feelings we get from them is different. ‘Reasoning’ has warm human vibes whereas ‘rationality’ gives positively cruel ones. While doing something a person should always check intuition with reasons first. It prevents the person from coming to a suitable conclusion. 

Poets are reasonable people who use their intuitions to write poems. When a poet philosophizes about mankind he loses his uniqueness thus doing damage to his work. Mankind as a whole doesn’t show individual characteristics and uniqueness. That is also why philosophies are said to be anti-poetic.

Reasoning is the technique of separating facts from guesses into causes and effects. It used to be used in different things. For example, people used to use reasoning to separate lands and that’s how geometry started.

Later in history, people started proving things both rationally and reasonably. They started calling it abstract reasoning. Abstract reasoning then started to become very popular. It was also used in other fields besides math and physics. It was used more than practical reasoning. It also started spreading to other countries.

Shortly before the Christian era began the Romans also took philosophy and rationalized their politics which ended in the death of three million people. It changed to the point of a new order by making god people’s special rights.

Socrates was a very wise person. He was also chosen as a hero by many of the philosophers. He had many philosophies. The relationship between Socrates and his wife Xanthippe was very complicated. Xanthippe always used to complain and criticize her husband's theories. She was scolded throughout history as an ill-tempered woman because she couldn’t understand her husband’s wisdom. But no one tried to understand her. Her intuitions were sensible because she foresaw that his metaphysical theories would bring their family into disgrace. 

Further Graves also wrote ‘organized entertainment rests on a pseudoscience of audience reaction’ encouraging everyone to consider avoiding rationalization to protect ourselves. This journal essay serves as a defense for the hate towards Xanthippe.