Print portraying Socrates and Xanthippe.

Xanthippe (Gr. Ξανθίππη) was the wife of Socrates. There are far more stories about her than there are facts. She is believed to have been much younger than the philosopher, perhaps by as much as forty years. She was famed for her sharp tongue and is said to have been the only person to ever have beaten Socrates in a discussion. After one particular quarrel, she was supposed to have emptied a chamber pot on Socrates's head, causing him to remark, "After thunder there generally falls rain." Image File history File links Size of this preview: 482 × 599 pixel Image in higher resolution (491 × 610 pixel, file size: 154 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) Xanthippe empties the chamber-pot over the head of Socrates. ... Image File history File links Size of this preview: 482 × 599 pixel Image in higher resolution (491 × 610 pixel, file size: 154 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) Xanthippe empties the chamber-pot over the head of Socrates. ... Socrates (Greek: , invariably anglicized as , SÇ’cratÄ“s; circa 470–399 BC) was an ancient Greek philosopher who is widely credited for laying the foundation for Western philosophy. ...

Xanthippe means "yellow horse", from greek "ksanthos" (yellow) and "hippos" (horse). Her name now means any nagging scolding person, especially a shrewish wife. According to some sources, Socrates later remarried. Socrates' saying "Marry or marry not, in any case you'll regret it" was supposedly in contemplation of his wife.

The following clerihew was written about her in the 20th century: A Clerihew (or clerihew) is a very specific kind of humorous verse, typically with the following properties: The first line consists solely (or almost solely) of a well-known persons name The verse is humorous and usually whimsical, showing the subject from an unusual point of view; but it...

Whenever Xanthippe

Wasn't feeling too chippy

She would say to Socrates:

"Why can't you have been Hippocrates?"

Hippocrates of Cos II or Hippokrates of Kos (ca. ...

Literary references

In Shakespeare's Taming of the Shrew, Petruchio compares Katherina "As Socrates' Xanthippe or a worse" in Act 1 Scene 2. (Read here) Shakespeare redirects here. ... The Taming of the Shrew is a comedy by William Shakespeare. ...

The novelist Henry Fielding describes the shrewish Mrs. Partridge thus: Henry Fielding (April 22, 1707 – October 8, 1754) was an English novelist and dramatist known for his rich earthy humor and satirical prowess and as the author of the novel Tom Jones. ...

The History of Tom Jones, a Foundling, Book II, Chapters iii & iv.

The English Victorian poet Amy Levy wrote a dramatic monologue called "Xantippe"[1]. The History of Tom Jones, a Foundling (often known simply as Tom Jones) is a comic novel by Henry Fielding. ... Amy Levy (1861 – 1889) was a British poet and novelist. ...

"Puttermesser and Xanthippe" is the title of one of the chapters of American Jewish novelist Cynthia Ozick's 1997 novel The Puttermesser Papers, a National Book Award finalist. The word Jew ( Hebrew: יהודי) is used in a wide number of ways, but generally refers to a follower of the Jewish faith, a child of a Jewish mother, or someone of Jewish descent with a connection to Jewish culture or ethnicity and often a combination... Cynthia Ozick (b. ... 1997 (MCMXCVII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The Puttermesser Papers is a fictional novel written by Cynthia Ozick. ... The National Book Award is one of the most important literary prizes in the United States, presented annually for the best books by living U.S. citizens published in the U.S. The awards have been presented since 1950 in at least one category, and are presently awarded in each...

In Michelle Cliff's poem "The Garden," the speaker wears a t-shirt that reads "Xantippe."

External links

• Stories of Xantippe