The first choral ode in Seneca’s “Thyestes” is linked to Horace’s odes 2, 13 and 2, 14, which are themselves interconnected. In all three texts, the motif of missing is prominent: in 2, 13, the falling tree narrowly misses its owner, in 2, 14, Postumus is reminded that his conduct of life misses a point, and in the choral ode, Tantalus famously fails to reach fruit and water. The gesture of failure is not only used as a motif but also (...) as a mode of representation since all three texts point towards an aim but fail to hit it and thus express something by not saying it directly. The comparison of this technique sheds light on the difficult intertextual relations between Horace’s odes and Seneca’s choral ode. (shrink)

In the introductory scene of Plato’s Cratylus a power game takes place that is based on an asymmetrical distribution of knowledge and which determines the dynamics of the communication. Since Cratylus claims to have greater knowledge than Hermogenes, he puts his discussion partner in an inferior position. Hermogenes strives to balance out this power differential by different strategies. One such strategy is that of including Socrates in the discussion. Socrates reacts to the power differential that Cratylus has built up in (...) a different way from Hermogenes: by the fact that he claims no knowledge for himself but even rejects any knowledge, he succeeds in gaining a position superior to Cratylus and Hermogenes. (shrink)