The Sword Of Damocles

I've always enjoyed the idea of the Sword of Damocles. It comes from a Greek legend about King Dionysius II of Syracuse. Damocles told the king that he was very fortunate and wished to change places and have the power.  The king agreed, but had a sword suspended over his throne by a single horse hair. Damocles quickly recanted his desire, since he was far too terrified of the sword falling and killing him to enjoy the luxuries.

The moral at its simplest is that when you are under constant fear, you cannot truly enjoy any luxury.  It's a fairly simple concept on face value, but it is so much deeper when you apply it more deeply. Kings and other rulers are constantly in danger. At any given moment, something can make the people restless or furious. Something could make the whole system come crumbling down. Jobs with more responsibilities tend to have greater compensation because the risks are significantly higher for screwing up.

There is also the idea of the Sword representing a looming threat. When people know that the Sword of Damocles is teetering above them, they know that their demise is imminent unless something changes. Anybody who doesn't make things change will eventually feel their downfall.

As a literary technique, it is an amazing tool of suspense. We set up very early on that a catastrophic event will happen. The entirety of the story is waiting for it to happen.

The sword of Damocles can do so much, say so much, mean so much. It is a marvelous metaphor, and it's fun to say. It is wins all around. I invite you to experiment with it.