Sophrosyne an important topic for Plato. It is main subject of the dialogue "Charmides", wherein several definitions are proposed but no conclusion reached; however the dramatic context connotes moral purity and innocence. An etymological meaning of sophrosyne as "moral sanity" is proposed in "Cratylus" 411e. Plato's view of sophrosyne is related to Pythagorean "harmonia" ("Republic" 430e−432a, 442c) and closely linked with Plato’s tripartite division of the soul: "sophrosyne" is the harmonious moderation of the appetitive and spirited parts of the soul by the rational part (e.g., "Phaedrus" 237c−238e). For the Stoic, Zeno of Citium, "sophrosyne" is one of the four chief
Ancient Greek literature from ancient Greek literature. These ideas were later, in turn, adopted by other western European writers and literary critics. Ancient Greek literature especially influenced later Greek literature. For instance, the Greek novels influenced the later work "Hero and Leander", written by Musaeus Grammaticus. Ancient Roman writers were acutely aware of the ancient Greek literary legacy and many deliberately emulated the style and formula of Greek classics in their own works. The Roman poet Vergil, for instance, modeled his epic poem "The Aeneid" on "The Iliad" and "The Odyssey". During the Middle Ages, ancient Greek literature was largely forgotten in Western