The Handy Dandy SparkNotes Page

Click the chapter prev. for chapter 5.

What You Thought It Meant

Acme: the peak, often in reference to one's life or career.

Agora: central gathering place, marketplace, location for events and political discourse.

Alabastron: type of vase, usually small and for holding fragrances.

Amphora: type of vase, usually with long neck and two handles.

Andron: place for entertaining guests, holding parties. Reserved for men, though hired female entertainers are the exception.

Aulos: wind instrument.

Buskin: type of sandal with lace in the front and hide at the side.

Deiphnon: the evening meal.

Dike: goddess of justice and fairness.

Dionysus: god of wine, merriment, ecstasy, the guy want at your party.

Drachma(e): ancient Greek coins, lit. "a handful" [of obols].

Ekklesia: popular assembly, in which elections are held and legislation are decided.

Eromenos: the youth taken under the wing of an elder mentor, usually also serving as the passive sexual partner.

Euphrosyne: one of the three Graces.

Hoplites: city soldiers, usually spearmen.

Kerameikos: western part of Athens, an artisans corner, near to the center of most action.

*Kylix: shallow wine cup for drinking parties

Magistrate: elected officials for public control and administration. Probably not paid enough.

Metic: immigrants or former slaves, inferior to citizens.

Milion: 1479 meters.

Obols: 6 makes a drachma.

Palaestra: outdoor, public gymnasium. Where to look for the hot guys wrestling.

Plethron: approx. 100 feet.

Psykter: pot used as wine cooler.

Stoic: follower of stoicism, a school of philosophy founded in Athens.

What You Thought They Said

Chapter 1:

Danzou. "monetary generosity can sway my decision … much more use on a common whore.": (He cannot be bought.) Athenians are of a democracy. They believe a man's beliefs, rights, political power, knowledge, and reputation are all priceless. A man who trades these for wealth is a sell-out. Likewise, the man who offers money is implying the offered person is a sell-out. Sasuke, being from a different background, was only being practical and committed a faux-pas without knowing. In proper etiquette, Danzou should be given time to measure Sasuke's skills and intelligence. Then, only after he accepts Sasuke do they negotiate monetary compensation (thus, wealth will have no weight in the decision).

Crowd. "audacity … before Apollo's eyes!": (How dare you commit a crime in broad daylight.) Apollo embodies justice, fairness, and the rights of customs and law. Crimes committed in the day time, when he takes rule, are thought to be especially offensive, because it is pretty much a big screw you, stealing while you know Apollo is watching.

Itachi. "600 lashes alone … satiate your feelings of injustice?" Ancient Greek belief that a man's indignation and anger is proportional to the extent he is wronged. Thus, when a man is no longer angry, then the wrong has been fully compensated.

Itachi. "not the power … bear his punishment." Citizens of Athens may not be dealt corporal punishments, which is considered violence and unethical. However, slaves may be physically punished. If they die in the process, the master can 'sue' and demand payment for the loss of his property from the government. Likewise, a slave may act as substitute of his master, if the prosecutor and jury permit. Using these rules and Sasuke's faulty presumption against him, Itachi frees the potter from financial damage.

Chapter 2:

Potter. "...taken to serve the maiden queen...": Persephone, known as "the maiden" and the queen of the underworld. In other words, fancy way to say the pot's dead [smashed].

Potter. "...figure more beautiful … refined like a blade.": Long, windy description that says Sasuke is in the favor of Zeus, Poisidon, Aeolus, and Apollo, overall encompassing an ideal male figure. The raven speaks of the raven charred by the flames of the sun, meaning Sasuke has had contact with the gods.

Potter. "...lovechild drifted from the sea, a necklace of pearls around your neck.": Children drifted from sea are abandoned children. Pearls are a natural beauty and wealth, a jewel that even the poor may acquire from the sea with the right luck. Aphrodite is the goddess of love who came to shore from the seas, the emerging pearl of a shell. Children of Aphrodite are prostitutes, who were taxed by cities to build temples for Aphrodite. Sea ports were a prominent place where kidnapped children were sold into brothels.

Potter. "chlamys cloak ... wings of an eagle.": Literally, military attire. But the cloak, girdle, and wings attribute to Hermes, saying they were borrowed from the messenger god to reach earth from heaven.

Naruto. "War is upon us … the earth and seas!" Long speech on massacres and revenge and fallen heroes.

Naruto. "Mentors, like maidens, are difficult to match … splinter your assets.": (If it doesn't work out, don't force it.) Doubles as an old dirty joke.

Sasuke. "Your tastes are as incomprehensible as always." Sasuke mocks Naruto for being in love with Sakura, a metic woman. While metics were not given the same rights as citizens, they still can hold considerable wealth and power depending on their standing, so this implies that Naruto must be of a wealthy, high social class to make his choice strange.

Naruto. "Thousands before us have killed for the sake of a lone woman!" Helen.

Chapter 3:

–. "Not a hetaera for pleasure, nor a pallaka for need, nor a gynaeke for children...": [Demosthenes] A courtesan for entertainment, a mistress for sex, a wife for kids and managing the house. Used as a representation of the increasing social hierarchy and difficulty to get: a hetaera is skilled, educated and sophisticated; a pallaka held the key to master's bedchambers and secrets; a gynaeke is absolutely taken by the husband and untouchable to others.

Sasuke. "...wait until he comes back. Serve me, slave.": Legally speaking, Sasuke is trespassing. Even if Itachi granted him permission to come inside, Sasuke would still be trespassing (a home without a master is the same as an empty home). But screw the rules, he has money, and power.

Itachi. "Nothing said, of course.": Itachi is giving a mathematician's answer. Sasuke asks what Itachi insinuates. Itachi answers what is not said. Insinuate, by definition, is what is hinted and left unsaid. So Itachi just gave Sasuke a dictionary definition. Also, what is not said can constitute anything. Negative argumentation is a clever way to answer without answering.

Itachi. "You give me contemplations of a philosopher.": Philosophers spent time debating the beautiful, just, virtuous, and intelligent. "You think yourself clever?" Itachi purposely misinterprets as "Why don't you spend time deeply thinking about your own intelligence, and tell me what conclusions you reach," of which he then denies, "Oh no, slaves don't introspect, you mistaken me for a philosopher." In reality, they both know Sasuke really meant, "stop out-talking me, you pompous asshole."

-. "...swear his name and knock the floor for favors below.": If you hate someone, knock on the floor, summon Hades (who lives below), and have him remove your problem.

Chapter 4:

Naruto. "He chases the Old Virtues.": The cardinal virtues as prescribed by Plato: phronesis, dikaiosyne, sophrosyne, and andreia. Also known as prudence, justice, temperance, and courage.

Naruto. "To those enslaved to their appetites... manipulated your spirit instead.": The tripartite soul as prescribed by Plato. Also doubles as a class system in which the peasant class are enslaved to their appetites, the warrior class are enslaved to their spirit, and the ruling elites are unbound and thus properly guided by reason. Naruto is implying Sasuke may have been rejected because he is more of a fighter (emotional and rash) than a ruler (unaffected and logical).

Chapter 5:

-. "...in richly-dyed robes of the Phoenician style.": Phoenicians were most famous for their Tyrian purple dyes made from the mucus of the murex snail.

Suigetsu. "...to play through a scenario.": The Melian Dialogue by Thucydides, a famous political case study on the negotiations between the Athenian invaders and the rulers of Melos. The rulers of Melos ultimately refused to concede, resulting in the genocide of the Melian people.

-. "Back in its [Thebes'] days of glory, I presume.": Athens and Thebes shared a long history of rivalry and hostility. Thebes was suspected of aiding the Persians during the Persian invasions. Then it sided again with Athen's enemies, the Spartans, in the Peloponnesian Wars.

Sasuke. "...as king of Thebes, he can go bed his mother.": Oedipus.

**if there is still anything unclear, drop me a message, and I'll add to it.**