Polus
Who was Polus?
5th-century BC Greek rhetorician
Biographical data adapted from Wikipedia’s article on Polus (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Biography
Polus of Acragas, who lived around the 5th century BCE, was an ancient Greek rhetorician and philosopher from Acragas, a well-known Greek colony in southern Sicily. He is mainly remembered not through his own writings, as none have survived, but through his role in Plato's dialogue "Gorgias." In this work, he is portrayed as a bold and confident yet flawed defender of rhetorical power and the life led by a tyrant. The Greek meaning of his name, 'colt,' might have been a trait noted by his peers or just a common name of that time.
Polus studied under Gorgias of Leontini, a renowned orator and sophist. Through Gorgias, Polus learned the techniques and beliefs of sophistic rhetoric, which emphasized persuasion as one of the most important arts, granting significant practical power to those skilled in speech. Polus later became an oratory teacher in Athens, a place where rhetoric was a respected profession and a topic of serious philosophical discussion.
In Plato's "Gorgias," Polus steps in after Gorgias starts struggling with Socrates' questions. Polus defends rhetoric more forcefully than his mentor, claiming that being able to do whatever one wants — like a tyrant — is the highest good. Socrates breaks down his argument, leading Polus to admit that doing wrong is worse than being wronged and that an unjust person who isn't punished is worse off than one who faces justice. The dialogue shows Polus as smart but limited by his reliance on popular opinion rather than true philosophical thought.
Besides the depiction in Plato's work, ancient sources claimed Polus wrote a handbook on rhetoric. Aristotle mentions him briefly, indicating Polus was a known figure in rhetorical education during his time and credited him with creating or popularizing some technical terms related to rhetorical style and composition. If his work survived into later times, it has since been completely lost.
Before Fame
Polus was born in Acragas, a wealthy and culturally active Greek colony in Sicily established in the late 600s BCE. In the fifth century, Acragas was a prosperous city, known for its large temples and its role in Greek intellectual and artistic life. Growing up there, Polus would have been influenced by the ideas from Sicily and mainland Greece, particularly from traveling sophists and orators who offered lessons for a fee.
He gained prominence through his connection with Gorgias of Leontini, another Sicilian Greek who became one of the most influential teachers of rhetoric in ancient times. Studying under Gorgias put Polus at the heart of the sophistic movement, which was transforming Greek education and public life in the latter half of the fifth century. This training gave Polus the skills and knowledge to become a teacher himself, helping spread rhetorical education throughout the Greek world.
Key Achievements
- Studied under Gorgias of Leontini, one of antiquity's foremost orators and sophists
- Became an independent teacher of rhetoric, spreading sophistic oratorical education
- Composed a handbook on rhetoric, representing an early contribution to systematic rhetorical theory
- Introduced or popularized technical terminology in rhetorical analysis, noted by Aristotle
- Secured lasting philosophical recognition through his portrayal as a principal interlocutor in Plato's Gorgias
Did You Know?
- 01.Polus's name literally means 'colt' in ancient Greek, an unusual designation that ancient readers would have immediately recognized as a common word from everyday life.
- 02.In Plato's Gorgias, Polus is made to admit, through Socratic questioning, that tyrants are not truly happy — a concession that directly contradicts the position he began the dialogue defending.
- 03.Aristotle references Polus in his own rhetorical writings, suggesting that Polus introduced or popularized technical vocabulary used in the analysis of prose style.
- 04.Polus is depicted in the Gorgias as appealing to the opinions of the crowd rather than to logical argument, which Socrates uses as a central point of critique against him.
- 05.Although no writings by Polus survive, ancient sources indicate he produced a techne, or rhetorical handbook, making him one of the earliest figures associated with systematic written instruction in oratory.