Emotion in Plato's Trial of Socrates

Author

Thomas W. Moody, The Graduate Center, City University of New YorkFollow

Date of Degree

2-2022

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Ph.D.

Program

Classics

Advisor

Peter Simpson

Committee Members

David Schur

David Konstan

Gerald A. Press

Subject Categories

Ancient Philosophy | Classical Literature and Philology

Keywords

emotion, Plato, Socrates, trial of Socrates, death of Socrates

Abstract

My dissertation argues that Plato composed the figure of Socrates as a three-dimensional literary character who experiences and confronts emotions in ways that other studies have overlooked. By adopting a dramatic, non-dogmatic mode of reading the dialogues and emphasizing the literary elements of the texts and their dramatic connections, this dissertation offers a new and compelling portrait of Socrates in the dialogues that relate his finals weeks of life: Theaetetus, Euthyphro, Apology, Crito, and Phaedo. This study in turn provides new insights into the genre of Plato’s texts and demonstrates how he exploited the dramatic nature of the prose dialogue to capture social-historical realities surrounding the trial and execution of Socrates. By emphasizing emotional and interpersonal aspects of Plato’s texts, my dissertation shows that Plato’s dialogues are profitably read through a literary lens to recover their complex reconstruction of Socrates’ place and time in history.

Recommended Citation

Moody, Thomas W., "Emotion in Plato's Trial of Socrates" (2022). CUNY Academic Works.
https://academicworks.cuny.edu/gc_etds/4702