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Candaules

Historical Figure
Pronunciation

Understanding ARPABET Pronunciation

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The pronunciation guide uses the ARPABET phonetic system—the same system used in speech recognition and text-to-speech applications.

Vowel Examples:
AE1 = cat, bat
EH1 = bed, head
IY1 = see, me
OW1 = go, boat
UW1 = boot, do
Stress Numbers:
0 = no stress (unstressed)
1 = primary stress (loud)
2 = secondary stress (medium)
Example:
AH0 TH IY1 N AH0
= a-THEE-na (Athena)

The stressed syllable (marked with 1) is pronounced louder and clearer than others.

Quick Definition

Lydian king whose wife’s beauty led to his downfall through hubris and voyeurism

Detailed Definition
Candaules, per Herodotus, showed his wife naked to his bodyguard Gyges, who then usurped the throne. His tale warns against pride and violation of privacy. Poets cite him to explore themes of shame, power, and the fatal consequences of objectifying others.
Example
Example in poetry:
Candaules appears in Herodotus-inspired poetry as the king who exposed his wife’s beauty; Poets use Candaules to explore themes of voyeurism, shame, and hubris; In neoclassical verse, his story warns against violating privacy and trust; Modern psychological poetry references Candaules to examine objectification; His assassination by Gyges becomes a cautionary tale of misplaced confidence; Poets contrast Candaules’s folly with Gyges’s ambition.
Additional Notes
Candaules, king of Lydia (7th century BCE), appears in Herodotus’s tale where he insists his bodyguard Gyges view his wife naked, leading to his murder and Gyges’s usurpation; the story explores voyeurism, honor, and fate; in poetry, Candaules symbolizes hubris, the dangers of exposing the private, or the fragility of power—referenced by poets like Heine and in ekphrastic works on the theme of the gaze (e.g., inspired by paintings of the scene).
Also Known As
Candaules of Lydia King Candaules
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