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Polynikes is a pitiless warrior, a knight, and a famed Olympic champion. He is a nephew of Leonidas. Polynikes has always had a grudge against Alexandros and treated him brutally while Alexandros was in training. He also resents Dienekes’s beloved status in Sparta. Polynikes is arrogant and loves glory and warfare. After the horrors of Thermopylae’s first day of battle, however, Polynikes is humbled. He even gains respect for Alexandros and asks his forgiveness. He dies at Thermopylae.
Polynikes Quotes in Gates of Fire
The Gates of Fire quotes below are all either spoken by Polynikes or refer to Polynikes. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
).
Chapter 12
Quotes
“Mankind as it is constituted,” Polynikes said, “is a boil and a canker […] Fortunately God in his mercy has provided a counterpoise to our species’ innate depravity. That gift, my young friend, is war.
War, not peace, produces virtue. War, not peace, purges vice. War, and preparation for war, call forth all that is noble and honorable in a man. It unites him with his brothers and binds them in selfless love, eradicating in the crucible of necessity all which is base and ignoble. There in the holy mill of murder the meanest of men may seek and find that part of himself, concealed beneath the corrupt, which shines forth brilliant and virtuous, worthy of honor before the gods. Do not despise war, my young friend, nor delude yourself that mercy and compassion are virtues superior to andreia, to manly valor.”
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Polynikes Quotes in Gates of Fire
The Gates of Fire quotes below are all either spoken by Polynikes or refer to Polynikes. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
).
Chapter 12
Quotes
“Mankind as it is constituted,” Polynikes said, “is a boil and a canker […] Fortunately God in his mercy has provided a counterpoise to our species’ innate depravity. That gift, my young friend, is war.
War, not peace, produces virtue. War, not peace, purges vice. War, and preparation for war, call forth all that is noble and honorable in a man. It unites him with his brothers and binds them in selfless love, eradicating in the crucible of necessity all which is base and ignoble. There in the holy mill of murder the meanest of men may seek and find that part of himself, concealed beneath the corrupt, which shines forth brilliant and virtuous, worthy of honor before the gods. Do not despise war, my young friend, nor delude yourself that mercy and compassion are virtues superior to andreia, to manly valor.”
Related Characters:
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
