The expression spada di Damocle was made famous by the Roman orator Cicero, who mentions it in his Tusculanae Disputationes, a work inspired by Stoicism, one of the new philosophical schools of the Hellenistic period. Cicero chooses to explore this story to support his thesis that only moral excellence is the key to happiness.
The Damocles featured in this allegorical tale was an overly obsequious entourage member in the court of Dionysius the Elder, a 4th-century BC tyrant of Syracuse, Sicily. One day, wanting to flatter the king, Damocles made an unwise comment. To his eyes, Dionysius, being a powerful man surrounded by immense privilege and wealth, was extremely lucky. In response to this comment, Dionysius offered Damocles to switch places, so that he could personally experience his “bliss”.
The Damocles featured in this allegorical tale was an overly obsequious entourage member in the court of Dionysius the Elder, a 4th-century BC tyrant of Syracuse, Sicily. One day, wanting to flatter the king, Damocles made an unwise comment. To his eyes, Dionysius, being a powerful man surrounded by immense privilege and wealth, was extremely lucky. In response to this comment, Dionysius offered Damocles to switch places, so that he could personally experience his “bliss”.