37 pages • 1 hour read
PlatoPhaedrus
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Summary
Prelude (227-230)
The Speech of Lysias (231-234)
Interlude—Socrates’s First Speech (234-241)
Interlude—Socrates’s Second Speech (242-245)
The Myth. The Allegory of the Charioteer and His Horses—Love Is the Regrowth of the Wings of the Soul—The Charioteer Allegory Resumed (246-257)
Introduction to the Discussion of Rhetoric—The Myth of the Cicadas (258-259)
The Necessity of Knowledge for a True Art of Rhetoric—The Speeches of Socrates Illustrate a New Philosophical Method (258-269)
A Review of the Devices and Technical Terms of Contemporary Rhetoric—Rhetoric as Philosophy—The Inferiority of the Written to the Spoken Word (269-277)
Recapitulation and Conclusion (277-279)
Key Figures
Themes
Symbols & Motifs
Important Quotes
Essay Topics
Essay Topics
What, in your opinion, does Socrates actually believe about love? Does the fact that he argues both for and against love weaken or strengthen his arguments?
Does Socrates’s use of myths and fables make his arguments more compelling? Are they meant to be seen more as entertainment? Support your reasoning by contrasting his first speech with one of his later speeches.
How would you characterize Socrates’s description of his “scientific” method? Does it come from a genuine desire for clarity and knowledge, or is it simply a way of praising his own reasoning while invalidating that of Lysias and others?
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