Interpreting Plato: The Dialogues as DramaDespite Plato's various warnings not to do so, his dialogues have been studied as systematic philosophy since antiquity. In this innovative and controversial reassessment, James Arieti argues that they should be read primarily as works of drama rather than philosophical discourse. Analyses of 18 of the 28 dialogues allow the reader to see them as integrated dramas, with all the ambiguities and uncertainties that literary works contain. As in plays generally, the arguments of particular characters cannot be seen as the opinions of the author, whose views emerge only from examining each work as a whole. This literary reading shows how much of the debate about Plato's meaning has been misplaced. Instead of demonstrating that an argument is fallacious or valid, we need to ask why Plato has the particular character make the argument. Interpreting Plato achieves what no other work on Plato has attempted: to see the philosophical arguments as serving a dramatic purpose. |
Other editions - View all
Common terms and phrases
Academy Adeimantus Agathon agrees Alcibiades Anytus Apology argues argument Aristophanes Aristotle asks Socrates Athenian Athens Callicles Cambridge Chaerephon claims Classical Quarterly comic Commentary conclusion conversation cosmos courage course Cratylus Critias criticism Crito death definition dialectic dialogue discussion divine dramatic Eros Eryximachus etymology Euthyphro example fallacies Friedländer Glaucon gods Gorgias Greek Guthrie History Hermogenes Homer immortality interlocutors interpretation Isocrates joke justice kind knowledge Laches learned London Lysimachus Lysis matter means Meletus Menexenus Meno's mind myth nature Nicias Paideia Parmenides parody passage perhaps Phaedo Phaedrus philosophy Phronesis Plato Plato's audience play poets Polus possible praise Prodicus Protagoras Protagoras's question readers reason recollection refutation remarks Republic rhetoric says Socrates seems shows Simmias Socrates asks Socrates says sophists soul speaker speech statement suggests surely Symposium teachers teaching tells Theaetetus Theodorus things Timaeus Timaeus's true truth University Press virtue wants wisdom wonder words youth