The Classical Quarterly· 2026Q2
NEW SEXUAL PUNS IN PLATO’S SYMPOSIUM : HICCUPS, SNEEZES AND PAUSANIAS
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- 2026year
Short summary
Plato's Symposium passages on sneezing and hiccups contain unsuspected medical and name puns with vulgar, sexual significance.
AI-generated from the title and abstract; the full text is not read.
Key points
- Plato's Symposium passages (185d2–e5, 189a1–c1) on sneezing and hiccups contain previously unrecognized puns.
- These puns have both medical and name-based origins.
- The puns carry vulgar, sexual significance.
- New evidence from the Hippocratic Corpus and Aristophanes' plays supports these findings.
AI-generated from the title and abstract; the full text is not read.
Abstract
Abstract No consensus has been reached about the humorous banter in the sneezing and hiccups passages in Plato’s Symposium (185d2–e5, 189a1–c1). Drawing on the work of Craik, Henderson and others, as well as new evidence from the Hippocratic Corpus and Aristophanes’ plays, this article shows they involve unsuspected medical puns and name puns with vulgar, sexual significance.
The authors' abstract, as published at the source. The Classical Quarterly, 2026 · DOI ↗
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Field: Philosophy
PhilosophyArts and Humanities