Plato Phaido - 83c/5 and 84a/5

Specific Text Questions
1

Hi!

I am reading Phaido but I’ m stuck on a few sentences.

  1. 83c/5. line - ὅτι ψυχὴ παντὸς ἀνθρώπου ἀναγκάζεται ἅμα τε ἡσθῆναι σφόδρα ἢ λυπηθῆναι ἐπί τῳ καὶ ἡγεῖσθαι περὶ ὃ ἂν μάλιστα τοῦτο πάσχῃ - I don’t understand why are ἡσθῆναι and λυπηθῆναι in infitive. And what do you mean περὶ ὃ ἂν μάλιστα τοῦτο πάσχῃ?
  2. 84/5 line - καὶ ἀνήνυτον ἔργον πράττειν Πηνελόπης τινὰ ἐναντίως ἱστὸν μεταχειριζομένης - What do you mean Πηνελόπης τινὰ ἐναντίως ἱστὸν μεταχειριζομένης? It is not understandable for me.

Thanks for the help.

2

1. “That every person’s soul is forced both to be intensely pleased or pained over something and to think, about that which he feels this emotion most intensely, that this is both most clear and most true.”

ἡσθῆναι and λυπηθῆναι are governed by ἀναγκάζεται.

περὶ ὃ ἂν μάλιστα τοῦτο πάσχῃ: that’s to say he feels this (pleasure or pain) most intensely about something, and he considers that this feeling about that thing (whatever it may be) is both very clear and very true.

  1. lit. “and to do an endless task of Penelope taking in hand some weaving in the opposite way.” The reference is to Penelope’s constantly putting off her suitors by undoing each day’s weaving at night.