Leading the party, leading the city: the symposiarch as politikos

Abstract

Plutarch’s outline of the aims and duties of the symposiarch at Quaest. Conv. 1.4 (620A- 622B) and the conversations he reports offer many similarities to the political program of his Precepts for Politicians, notably his focus on concord and the obstacles to it. This paper explores the implications of these parallels for Plutarch’s thinking on the polis and on leadership. The symposium as a community of friends is a kind of idealized polis, but nevertheless the host and symposiarch must be alert at all times to the potential for divisiveness and ill-feeling. Wine may reveal both good and bad qualities in the members of the party, which will need to be guided and harmonized by the leader. Even seating or the distribution of food at the dinner preceding may be a cause of ill-will, and the most innocent-seeming topics inflame the spirits of the participants. In the Precepts, Plutarch outlines the goals of political activity, the means a leader should use, and the obstacles he will encounter. The chief goal is civic concord; the chief obstacle rivalry among the city’s elite, prompted by ambition, competitiveness, and greed. The potential for discord at the symposium mimics in a restricted situation the potential discord of the polis. In both cases the leader must use great skill in facilitating an atmosphere of good will and harmony.