This paper deals with the problem of determining Phaedrus’ age in the
eponymous dialogue. The vocatives ὦ νεανία and ὦ παῖ, in Pl. Phdr. 257c8 and 267c6,
could suggest that Plato depicts him as a teenager. However, most scholars believe that
Phaedrus is an adult and that the vocatives point at his passive and childish character. I
will first summarize the evidence given for supporting the latter thesis. Then, I offer
complementary evidence, showing that those vocatives mockingly compare his
passiveness with that of a young beloved in a homoerotic context
