Aspasia

Aspasia (ăspā`shə, -zhə), fl. mid-5th cent. B.C., Athenian courtesan. A woman of great beauty and intelligence, she became the mistress and, according to some poets, adviser of Pericles after he divorced (445 B.C.) his wife. She is the chief figure in Aspasia, a dialogue by Aeschines the Socratic, in which she criticizes the training of women. She also appears in the Menexnus, probably written by Plato, and in the writings of Xenophon, who wrote favorably of her.

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Aspasia

(flourished 5th century BC) Mistress of Pericles and a vivid figure in Athenian society. Originally from Miletus, she lived with Pericles from c. 445 BC until his death in 429. Because she was not a citizen, their son was initially denied civic rights. Though an intellectual admired by Socrates, she endured public attacks, especially in comic theatre, for her private life and her supposed influence on Pericles' foreign policy.

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Aspasia

mistress of Pericles; byword for cultured courtesan. [Gk. Hist.: Benét, 58]

See : Courtesanship

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Aspasia

pathetic figure bearing fate with fortitude. [Br. Lit.: The Maid’s Tragedy]

See : Longsuffering