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Symbolic illustration of Phaedrus in the Prokopton42.com Library

Work

Phaedrus

Plato

Beside the Ilissus, Socrates and Phaedrus move from rival speeches on love to inquiry into soul, rhetoric, and writing. Inspired madness and the myth of the winged chariot connect desire, memory, and knowledge.

Composition
c. 370-360 BCE
Sources and precision

The internal chronology remains disputed. This range is a qualified reference point, not a certain year.

Confidence C · probable range

Period
Antiquity
Languages
Ancient Greek · English · French
Extent
53 passages · 23,263 words

Before reading

What you will learn

Compare the three speeches on love, interpret the winged chariot, and connect dialectic, knowledge of soul, and criticism of writing.

Short summary

Beside the Ilissus, Socrates and Phaedrus move from rival speeches on love to inquiry into soul, rhetoric, and writing. Inspired madness and the myth of the winged chariot connect desire, memory, and knowledge.

Long summary

Socrates first answers a speech attributed to Lysias with criticism of the lover, then recants in a palinode presenting philosophical love as recollection of intelligible beauty. The soul’s motion appears through a charioteer and two horses.

The final section requires a good speaker to divide subjects and know kinds of soul. The myth of Theuth criticizes writing unable to answer questions. Yet that criticism occurs in a written dialogue, making the text an examination of its own medium.

Inside this work

The table of contents follows the divisions actually carried by the corpus.

Work › Stephanus page

  1. Passage 227
  2. Passage 228
  3. Passage 229
  4. Passage 230
  5. Passage 231
  6. Passage 232
  7. Passage 233
  8. Passage 234
  9. Passage 235
  10. Passage 236
  11. Passage 237
  12. Passage 238
  13. Passage 239
  14. Passage 240
  15. Passage 241
  16. Passage 242
  17. Passage 243
  18. Passage 244
  19. Passage 245
  20. Passage 246
  21. Passage 247
  22. Passage 248
  23. Passage 249
  24. Passage 250
  25. Passage 251
  26. Passage 252
  27. Passage 253
  28. Passage 254
  29. Passage 255
  30. Passage 256
  31. Passage 257
  32. Passage 258
  33. Passage 259
  34. Passage 260
  35. Passage 261
  36. Passage 262
  37. Passage 263
  38. Passage 264
  39. Passage 265
  40. Passage 266
  41. Passage 267
  42. Passage 268
  43. Passage 269
  44. Passage 270
  45. Passage 271
  46. Passage 272
  47. Passage 273
  48. Passage 274
  49. Passage 275
  50. Passage 276
  51. Passage 277
  52. Passage 278
  53. Passage 279

Concepts covered

Historical context

The world around the text

The corpus manifests do not yet establish the precise place and circumstances of composition. The images below document the author’s world or the text’s transmission. They do not claim to show the exact scene of writing.

These are modern reconstructions. They situate a documented place, practice, or transmission and are not period documents.

Modern reconstruction of Syracuse for Phaedrus on Prokopton42.com
SyracuseThree Sicilian journeys are traditional; details depend partly on disputed letters. The generated scene uses Syracuse and c. 387, 367 and 361 BCE as its documented anchors.Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy: Plato
Modern reconstruction of Material world: technology, science, and care, 508 BCE for Phaedrus on Prokopton42.com
Material world: technology, science, and care, 508 BCECleisthenes’ reforms reorganize Athenian civic life and help establish its democracy. The image situates Phaedrus without claiming to show its scene of composition.
Modern reconstruction of Material world: womens mens clothing, 490–479 BCE for Phaedrus on Prokopton42.com
Material world: womens mens clothing, 490–479 BCEThe Persian Wars put the Greek city-states against two Achaemenid invasions. The image situates Phaedrus without claiming to show its scene of composition.

What the world looked like

Classical Greek world, 5th century BCE

Modern reconstruction of the material world around Phaedrus: Technology, science, and care
Technology, science, and careBronze, iron, pottery, simple cranes, and shipbuilding sustain cities. Power still comes mainly from people, animals, wind, and water. Geometry, astronomy, inquiry into nature, and rational argument advance without modern measuring instruments or standardized experiments. Practitioners observe symptoms, diet, and seasons; healing sanctuaries and ritual treatment also remain common.
Modern reconstruction of the material world around Phaedrus: Travel and communication
Travel and communicationWalking and animals dominate on land. Sailing ships and triremes connect islands, ports, and colonies. Public speech, messengers, and handwritten letters carry news. Theatre, the civic square, and the banquet are major social media.
Modern reconstruction of the material world around Phaedrus: Farming and food
Farming and foodSmall farms, grain, vines, olives, goats, and sheep shape the diet; harvests remain vulnerable to weather and war.
Modern reconstruction of the material world around Phaedrus: Clothing, women and men
Clothing, women and menWomen and men drape wool or linen as chitons, peploi, and cloaks. Garments are pinned, belted, and shaped by status rather than tailored like modern clothes.
State of technology
Bronze, iron, pottery, simple cranes, and shipbuilding sustain cities. Power still comes mainly from people, animals, wind, and water.
Science and knowledge
Geometry, astronomy, inquiry into nature, and rational argument advance without modern measuring instruments or standardized experiments.
Medicine and care
Practitioners observe symptoms, diet, and seasons; healing sanctuaries and ritual treatment also remain common.
Transport
Walking and animals dominate on land. Sailing ships and triremes connect islands, ports, and colonies.
Agriculture and food
Small farms, grain, vines, olives, goats, and sheep shape the diet; harvests remain vulnerable to weather and war.
Communication
Public speech, messengers, and handwritten letters carry news. Theatre, the civic square, and the banquet are major social media.
Clothing and fashion
Women and men drape wool or linen as chitons, peploi, and cloaks. Garments are pinned, belted, and shaped by status rather than tailored like modern clothes.

Editions, translations, and provenance

The following carriers represent the text. They do not create new passage identities.

  • Ancient Greekoriginal
  • Englishhistorical_translation
  • French AI-generated translation, non-officialCodex gpt-5.6-sol · Non-official working translation · 2026-09-11
  • Frenchhistorical_translation
  • English AI-generated translation, non-officialCodex gpt-5.6-sol · Non-official working translation · 2026-09-11

Source manifests: plato.phaedrus, plato.phaedrus_fr_carrier

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Before reading

What you will learn

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