Plato's Phaedrus: A Commentary for Greek Readers
Composed in the fourth century b.c., the Phaedrus—a dialogue between Phaedrus and Socrates—deals ostensibly with love but develops into a wide-ranging discussion of such subjects as the pursuit of beauty, the nature of humanity, the immortality of the soul, and the attainment of truth, ending with an in-depth discussion of the principles of rhetoric. This erudite commentary, which also includes the original Greek text, is designed to help intermediate-level students of Greek read, understand, and enjoy Plato’s magnificent work.

Drawing on his extensive classroom experience and linguistic expertise, Paul Ryan offers a commentary that is both rich in detail and—in contrast to earlier, more austere commentaries on the Phaedrus—fully engaging. Line by line, he explains subtle points of language, explicates difficulties of syntax, and brings out nuances of tone and meaning that students might not otherwise notice or understand. Ryan sections his commentary into units of convenient length for classroom use, with short summaries at the head of each section to orient the reader.

Never straying far from the text itself, Ryan provides useful historical glosses and annotations for the student, introducing information ranging from the architecture of the Lyceum to Athenian politics. Further historical and philosophical context is provided in the introduction by Mary Louise Gill, who outlines the issues addressed in the Phaedrus and situates it in relation to Plato’s other dialogues.
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Plato's Phaedrus: A Commentary for Greek Readers
Composed in the fourth century b.c., the Phaedrus—a dialogue between Phaedrus and Socrates—deals ostensibly with love but develops into a wide-ranging discussion of such subjects as the pursuit of beauty, the nature of humanity, the immortality of the soul, and the attainment of truth, ending with an in-depth discussion of the principles of rhetoric. This erudite commentary, which also includes the original Greek text, is designed to help intermediate-level students of Greek read, understand, and enjoy Plato’s magnificent work.

Drawing on his extensive classroom experience and linguistic expertise, Paul Ryan offers a commentary that is both rich in detail and—in contrast to earlier, more austere commentaries on the Phaedrus—fully engaging. Line by line, he explains subtle points of language, explicates difficulties of syntax, and brings out nuances of tone and meaning that students might not otherwise notice or understand. Ryan sections his commentary into units of convenient length for classroom use, with short summaries at the head of each section to orient the reader.

Never straying far from the text itself, Ryan provides useful historical glosses and annotations for the student, introducing information ranging from the architecture of the Lyceum to Athenian politics. Further historical and philosophical context is provided in the introduction by Mary Louise Gill, who outlines the issues addressed in the Phaedrus and situates it in relation to Plato’s other dialogues.
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Plato's Phaedrus: A Commentary for Greek Readers

Plato's Phaedrus: A Commentary for Greek Readers

Plato's Phaedrus: A Commentary for Greek Readers

Plato's Phaedrus: A Commentary for Greek Readers

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Overview

Composed in the fourth century b.c., the Phaedrus—a dialogue between Phaedrus and Socrates—deals ostensibly with love but develops into a wide-ranging discussion of such subjects as the pursuit of beauty, the nature of humanity, the immortality of the soul, and the attainment of truth, ending with an in-depth discussion of the principles of rhetoric. This erudite commentary, which also includes the original Greek text, is designed to help intermediate-level students of Greek read, understand, and enjoy Plato’s magnificent work.

Drawing on his extensive classroom experience and linguistic expertise, Paul Ryan offers a commentary that is both rich in detail and—in contrast to earlier, more austere commentaries on the Phaedrus—fully engaging. Line by line, he explains subtle points of language, explicates difficulties of syntax, and brings out nuances of tone and meaning that students might not otherwise notice or understand. Ryan sections his commentary into units of convenient length for classroom use, with short summaries at the head of each section to orient the reader.

Never straying far from the text itself, Ryan provides useful historical glosses and annotations for the student, introducing information ranging from the architecture of the Lyceum to Athenian politics. Further historical and philosophical context is provided in the introduction by Mary Louise Gill, who outlines the issues addressed in the Phaedrus and situates it in relation to Plato’s other dialogues.

Product Details

ISBN-13: 9780806142593
Publisher: University of Oklahoma Press
Publication date: 09/05/2012
Series: Oklahoma Series in Classical Culture , #47
Pages: 384
Product dimensions: 6.00(w) x 9.10(h) x 1.00(d)

About the Author

About The Author
Paul Ryan, an independent scholar and translator of Plato’s Menexenus, has taught Classics at Bowdoin College and Tufts University.


Mary Louise Gill is Professor of Philosophy and Classics at Brown University and the author of Philosophos: Plato’s Missing Dialogue. Ryan and Gill have collaborated on a translation of Plato’s Parmenides.

Table of Contents

Preface vii

Abbreviations ix

Works Cited xi

Introduction, by Mary Louise Gill xv

Plato's Phaedrus 3

Commentary

Part I The Nonlover Has His Day

The Walk 79

The Speech of Lysias 108

The First Interlude 122

The First Speech of Socrates 136

The Second Interlude 158

Part II The Palinode

The Kinds of Madness 171

The Soul in Deduction and Similitude 180

The Hyperuranian Experience 188

The Struggle and the Prize 194

The Soul Falls in Love 202

The Soul in Love 211

Part III Toward an Art of Speaking

In the Heat of the Day 237

Knowledge, Truth, and Rhetoric 248

Definition, Collection, and Division 260

Handbooks and Devices 276

Toward an Art of Speaking 292

Two Cheers for the Written Word 311

Epilogue 328

Index of Greek Terms 333

Index of English Terms 339

Index of Proper Terms 343

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