Note to The Merchant of Venice, 1.2.49 "weeping philosopher"


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The Merchant of Venice,
Act 1, Scene 2, line 49.

weeping philosopher: i.e., Heraclitus of Ephesus, a melancholic and retiring philosopher from around 500 BCE, often contrasted with Democritus, the "laughing philosopher."

Heraclitus and Democritus disputing metaphysics on the road from Athens.
Image Source: philosophynow.org