I. Answer the following questions. 1. Why did most people in Sicily envy Dionysius? 2. What offer did king Dionysius place before his friend Damocle? 3. What luxury did Damocle enjoy when he was made king for a day? 4. What did Damocle see when he raised a glass of wine to his lips? 5. What did the sword hanging from a single horse hair signify?
Answers
1) Dionysius I or Dionysius the Elder (c. 432-367 BC) was a Greek tyrant of Syracuse, in Sicily. He conquered several cities in Sicily and southern Italy, opposed Carthage's influence in Sicily and made Syracuse the most powerful of the Western Greek colonies.
2) Sword of Damocles
In response, Dionysius offered to switch places with Damocles for one day so that Damocles could taste that very fortune firsthand.
3) He was treated to succulent cuts of meat and lavished with scented perfumes and ointments. Damocles couldn't believe his luck, but just as he was starting to enjoy the life of a king, he noticed that Dionysius had also hung a razor-sharp sword from the ceiling.
4) The smile faded from the lips of Damocles. His face became ashy pale. His hands trembled. He wanted no more food; he could drink no more wine; he took no more delight in the music. He longed to be out of the palace, and away, he cared not where.
5) Dionysius decreed that a sword be suspended over the throne by a single horse hair, so that Damocles would always know the peril of being king. Since then the Sword of Damocles has come to represent a threat of doom that could strike without warning.