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Theophrastus

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

Aristotle’s successor who wrote “Characters,” a collection of moral portraits of human types.

Detailed Definition
Theophrastus’ “Characters” became the prototype for poetic typology—each portrait a distilled archetype of vice or virtue, inspiring verse that captures human folly and dignity in miniature, turning observation into moral art.
Example
Example in poetry:
Theophrastus, successor to Aristotle, studies plants and character: "Theophrastus wrote Characters—sketches of hypocrisy, flattery, arrogance"; A satirical poem: "The stingy man: leaves lamps unlit, fears smoke cost—Theophrastus’ timeless type"; A botanical line: "He named plants by traits—Theophrastus, father of botany"; A legacy: "Led Lyceum fifty years—Theophrastus, who broadened Aristotle’s scope"
Additional Notes
Theophrastus wrote “Characters,” moral portraits of human types; his observational realism influenced Renaissance satire and modern character poetry, where the poet becomes a psychologist of the mundane, capturing personality through subtle detail, as in Browning’s dramatic monologues or contemporary confessional verse.
Also Known As
Theophrastus of Eresos Theophrastus the Successor
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