Lyric Quotation in Plato [Paperback]

In this book, Marian Demos demonstrates the significance of three famous lyric quotations within their respective contexts in the dialogues of Plato. Demos reminds us that familiarity with the lyric poets was part of the educational background of Plato and his audience; therefore, she argues, Socrates is portrayed in the Platonic dialogues not only as a philosopher but also as someone with poetic sensibilities. Demos first investigates the Simonides poem in the Protagoras, showing that Plato has Socrates provide a fundamentally sound interpretation of the meaning of Simonides' words. She then argues that a purposeful misquotation of Pindar placed in the mouth of Callicles by Plato is not altogether implausible in light of the quotation's context in the Gorgias. Finally, Demos discusses Socrates' quotation of Stesichorus' palinode in the Phaedrus. Demos' analysis of the important role played by lyric quotation in Platonic dialogues will be of great interest to students and scholars of Plato and ancient lyric poetry.Chapter 1 Foreword Chapter 2 Introduction Chapter 3 Simonides' Ode to Scopas in the Protagoras Chapter 4 Callicles' Quotation of Pindar in the Gorgias Chapter 5 Stesichorus' Palinode in the Phaedrus Chapter 6 Conclusion Chapter 7 Bibliography Chapter 8 IndexMarian Demos is associate professor in the humanities program (classics track) at Florida International University. Her articles have been published in Harvard Studies in Classical Philology, Transactions of the American Philological Association, Classical World, and American Journal of Archaeology.