Against Alcibiades II

Lysias. Lamb, W.R.M., editor. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press; London: William Heinemann Ltd., 1930.

Perseus Digital Library · CC BY-SA 4.0

Cloned and adapted by Humanitext, with ongoing edits.

This work is a courtroom oration prosecuting the younger Alcibiades, the son of the famous Athenian politician, for military desertion and unlawful service in the cavalry. The prosecutor earnestly implores the jurors to reject the improper intervention of the generals, who seek to shield the defendant, and to deliver a just verdict based strictly on the law. Throughout the speech, the speaker criticizes the generals for attempting to abuse their influence and personal favors to subvert the judicial process. He argues that the legal order of the democratic polis must take precedence over the privileges of powerful individuals or the pleas of influential patrons. Ultimately, the oration serves as a powerful appeal for the preservation of democratic principles and the rule of law in Athens through a guilty verdict.