πολλὴν ἐπίδοσιν ἔχουσα. Hug supposes an astral allusion—“like a quicklyrising star.” This, however, is not necessarily conveyed by the term ἐπίδοσις, for which cp. Theaet. 146 B ἡ νεότης εἰς πᾶν ἐπίδοσιν ἔχει, and the intrans. use of ἐπιδιδόναι, Prot. 318 A, Theaet. 150 D, etc.
οὕτω σφόδρα κτλ. Notice the ironical tone—exaggeration coupled with a purple patch of poetic diction: “shone out with such dazzling splendour before the eyes of three myriads of Greek spectators.”
Ὑβριστὴς εἶ. “What a scoffer you are!” Observe that ὕβρις is one of the main charges laid against Socr. by Alcibiades also (219 C, etc.); cp. Introd. § II. B.
ταῦτα...διαδικασόμεθα. “We will formally plead our claims in regard to these heads.” “Technically diadicasia denotes the proceedings in a contest for preference between two or more rival parties either as to the possession of property or as to exemption from personal or pecuniary liabilities....The essential difference between diadicasia and the ordinary δίκαι is, that all claimants are similarly situated with respect to the subject of dispute, and no longer classified as plaintiffs and defendants” (Smith, D. A. I. 620^{b}). περὶ τῆς σοφίας, added loosely as an afterthought, serves to define ταῦτα: Teuffel, as against Jahn, rightly defends the words; and they serve to strike one of the keynotes of the dialogue.
δικαστῇ...τῷ Διονύσῳ. Dionysus is an appropriate choice since it was under his auspices that Agathon (πρῴην) had engaged in an ἀγών and won a prize for poetic σοφία. There may also lie in the words (as Wolf and Rettig suppose) a jocular allusion to the σοφία which is ars bibendi, wherein also Agathon was δυνατώτατος (176 C). Compare also the pastoral pipe-contests of Theocritus, and Theognis 993 ff. εἰ...ἆθλον... | σοί τ᾽ εἴη καὶ ἐμοὶ σοφίης πέρι θηρισάντοιν, | γνοίης χ᾽ ὅσσον ὄνων κρέσσονες ἡμίονοι. Cp. Introd. § II. B.
