The Wife of Ischomachus and the Two Aspasia in Xenophon’s Oeconomicus
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Etienne Helmer
Abstract
The purpose of this paper is to make sense of the enigmatic mention of Aspasia in Xenophon’s Oeconomicus (3.14), my claim being that it is decisive to understand the status of Ischomachus’ wife. Since the 1980s, the main interpretations of Ischomachus’ wife have been characterized by their feminist approach, and their polarization between a radical position and a more moderate one. According to the former, Ischomachus’ wife is described as subordinate to her husband and bound to interior domestic tasks without access to political life outside the oikos. According to the latter, Xenophon represents this woman as endowed with a certain power within the domestic sphere, as well as a certain autonomy of judgment for being able to mock Ischomachus, to criticize him and sue him.
In the wake of this latter reading, my alternative hypothesis is that the enigmatic reference to Aspasia in the Oeconomicus serves to convey agency to Ischomachus’ wife, making her a female Socratic character within the oikos, that is, a female character endowed with virtues and skills typical of the portrait of Socrates by Xenophon, and that are required to be a good domestic administrator. More exactly, I suggest that Aspasia refers both to that concubine of Pericles who shares similarities with Socrates in terms of pairing things and commitment to truth, and to a possible, although much more hypothetical, reference to a concubine of Cyrus known for her virtue.
Abstract
The purpose of this paper is to make sense of the enigmatic mention of Aspasia in Xenophon’s Oeconomicus (3.14), my claim being that it is decisive to understand the status of Ischomachus’ wife. Since the 1980s, the main interpretations of Ischomachus’ wife have been characterized by their feminist approach, and their polarization between a radical position and a more moderate one. According to the former, Ischomachus’ wife is described as subordinate to her husband and bound to interior domestic tasks without access to political life outside the oikos. According to the latter, Xenophon represents this woman as endowed with a certain power within the domestic sphere, as well as a certain autonomy of judgment for being able to mock Ischomachus, to criticize him and sue him.
In the wake of this latter reading, my alternative hypothesis is that the enigmatic reference to Aspasia in the Oeconomicus serves to convey agency to Ischomachus’ wife, making her a female Socratic character within the oikos, that is, a female character endowed with virtues and skills typical of the portrait of Socrates by Xenophon, and that are required to be a good domestic administrator. More exactly, I suggest that Aspasia refers both to that concubine of Pericles who shares similarities with Socrates in terms of pairing things and commitment to truth, and to a possible, although much more hypothetical, reference to a concubine of Cyrus known for her virtue.
Chapters in this book
- Frontmatter I
- Acknowledgments
- Contents VII
- Abbreviations
- Frontmatter XVII
- Introduction 1
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Part I: Socratic Women
- Rhodogyne and the Tradition of the Amazon Type 13
- Panthea’s Portrait in Xenophon’s Cyropaedia: Kalokagathia, Philia, Eros, and Leadership 37
- Aspasia’s Eidolon in Plato’s Menexenus 59
- Xanthippe’s Harshness: At the Root of Socrates’ Endurance and Paideutic Mission 79
- The Myrto Enigma: A Wife on the Side? 103
- The Wife of Ischomachus and the Two Aspasia in Xenophon’s Oeconomicus 145
- Theodote and Socrates’ Other Girlfriends 161
- Hipparchia’s Philosophical Contributions and Her Originality 181
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Part II: Socratics on Women
- Women in Antisthenes 203
- Xenophon’s Women: Women’s Virtue and Women’s Body 225
- Aristippus’ View of Women: Misogyny or Theoretical Tension? 245
- Plato’s Women: Extending the Socratic Insight 271
- Undermining Elite Self-Conceptions: Aspasia in the Platonic Menexenus and Theodote in Xenophon’s Memorabilia 299
- Women in Common: The Socratic Debate 321
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Part III: Socratic Philosophy as a Woman
- Was Socrates a Woman? 347
- Socrates, Hestia, and the Hearth of the City 371
- Female Container-Metaphors in Plato and Xenophon: The Chōra and the Oikos 391
- Female and Feminine in Plato’s Symposium 407
- The Pregnant Soul and Labor Pains: Female Medical Imagery in Plato 431
- The Mother and Her Child: The Paradoxes of a Socratic Metaphor 453
- About the Authors
- Index Nominum
- Index Locorum
Chapters in this book
- Frontmatter I
- Acknowledgments
- Contents VII
- Abbreviations
- Frontmatter XVII
- Introduction 1
-
Part I: Socratic Women
- Rhodogyne and the Tradition of the Amazon Type 13
- Panthea’s Portrait in Xenophon’s Cyropaedia: Kalokagathia, Philia, Eros, and Leadership 37
- Aspasia’s Eidolon in Plato’s Menexenus 59
- Xanthippe’s Harshness: At the Root of Socrates’ Endurance and Paideutic Mission 79
- The Myrto Enigma: A Wife on the Side? 103
- The Wife of Ischomachus and the Two Aspasia in Xenophon’s Oeconomicus 145
- Theodote and Socrates’ Other Girlfriends 161
- Hipparchia’s Philosophical Contributions and Her Originality 181
-
Part II: Socratics on Women
- Women in Antisthenes 203
- Xenophon’s Women: Women’s Virtue and Women’s Body 225
- Aristippus’ View of Women: Misogyny or Theoretical Tension? 245
- Plato’s Women: Extending the Socratic Insight 271
- Undermining Elite Self-Conceptions: Aspasia in the Platonic Menexenus and Theodote in Xenophon’s Memorabilia 299
- Women in Common: The Socratic Debate 321
-
Part III: Socratic Philosophy as a Woman
- Was Socrates a Woman? 347
- Socrates, Hestia, and the Hearth of the City 371
- Female Container-Metaphors in Plato and Xenophon: The Chōra and the Oikos 391
- Female and Feminine in Plato’s Symposium 407
- The Pregnant Soul and Labor Pains: Female Medical Imagery in Plato 431
- The Mother and Her Child: The Paradoxes of a Socratic Metaphor 453
- About the Authors
- Index Nominum
- Index Locorum
