At the beginning of book 10, socrates returns to his frontal assault on the status and role of poetry in the ideal state. The republic book ix summary and analysis gradesaver. Readers here should be sure to coordinate platos remarks on poetry with the commentary in book 3, which constitutes the first phase of the discussion. Then they say that the wild, lawlessness of the democratic man needs an advocate, love, and a bodyguard. Platos stated goal was to show that justice is worthwhile even in the absence of the rewards it might confer. The analogies of the sun and the divided line are among the most celebrated parts of the republic, and they will be followed up on shortly, at the beginning of book 7, by the famous allegory of the cave. Also, a discussion of aristocracy, timocracy, oligarchy, democracy, and tyranny. As readers might expect, the tyrant is depicted as a slave to his passions. Does the unjust man who appears just in public live better or worse than the just man who. Book ix, 571a580a under the tyranny of erotic love he has permanently become while awake what he used to become occasionally while asleep.
See important quotations explained book ix opens with a long and psychologically insightful description of the tyrannical man. Platos father ariston descended from codrus, the last king of athens, and his mother perictione had ties to solon, one of the creators of. This free study guide is stuffed with the juicy details and important facts you need to know. These free notes consist of about 79 pages 23,461 words and contain the following sections. The four regimes socrates now names are the cretan or spartan regime, oligarchy, democracy, and. Having discussed the tyrannical constitution of a city, socrates wishes to discuss the tyrannical constitution of a psyche. Get a detailed summary and analysis of every chapter in the book from. Take a quiz about the important details and events in book ix of the republic. In republic book 9, plato argues that the just life is happiermore excellentobjectively better than the unjust liferepublic playlist. Summing up, socrates elicits agreement with the proposition the ideal state, under the guidance of the philosopherking, is at the opposite end of the spectrum from a tyranny. After a religious festival, socrates is invited to the house of a wealthy merchant named cephalus.
It is platos bestknown work, and has proven to be one of the worlds most influential works of philosophy and political theory, both intellectually. Youll get access to all of the platos republic content, as well as access to more than. In book 8 socrates discusses these forms, or political constitutions, in turn. Find out what happens in our book viii summary for the republic by plato. In book v, socrates was about to develop his theories of injustice by arguing examples of injustice, when polemarchus and adeimantus asked him to continue his conversation about the guardians. Find a summary of this and each chapter of the republic. A summary of part x section8 in platos the republic. They are timocracy rule for the sake of honor, oligarchy rule of the few. The myth of er from platos republic, book x conclusi. A summary of part x section9 in platos the republic. The tyrant is the son of the democrat except worse. Before the companions start examining the tyrannical man, they try to sort out the desires. Now in book viii socrates returns to his examples of. Welcome to the litcharts study guide on platos the republic.
Start your 48hour free trial to unlock this platos republic study guide. The cave has a long entrance and there is a fire burning above which gives them light. Earlier in the dialogue, socrates suggested that certain kinds of music and poetry should not be permitted in the curriculum of study for the future rulers of the state because some art did not seem to be morally uplifting, hence perhaps bad for children. Created by the original team behind sparknotes, litcharts are the worlds best literature guides. Book summary the major intent of the debate in the republic is to determine an extended definition of what constitutes justice in a given state, whether or not a concept of justice may be determined by citizens in a given state at the time that plato is writing, and how justice may be accomplished in a given state how laws might be enacted that would serve the citizens of a just state in. The republic summary and analysis of book ix on wrong or right government, and the pleasure of each after exhausting his own funds and. In book x of our dialogue, socrates will argue platonic theory, or conjecture questions of probability.
Litcharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in the republic, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work. Instant downloads of all 1427 litchart pdfs including the republic. Perfect for acing essays, tests, and quizzes, as well as for writing lesson plans. In book ix of platos republic, socrates describes the character of a tyrant. Chapter summary for platos the republic, book 1 summary. By the end of book 1 the discussants seem to have reached an aporia, or dead end.
The republic is one of a series of socratic dialogues, or debates, that embrace a central argument. Find out what happens in our book v summary for the republic by plato. The republic summary, summary of the republic, the republic. It might appear to an immature thinker, or a child, that the tyrant, exercising despotism as he does, is surely a happy man. By entering your email address you agree to receive emails from sparknotes and verify that you are over the age of. Ready to call it a night, theyre intercepted by a whole gang of their acquaintances, who eventually convince them to come hang out at polemarchuss house and have a nice, long chat. Socrates now attempts to describe human nature in both of its states. In this book, socrates begins by sharpening his view of the tyrant as an individual and not merely as a part of the tyrannical state see book viii. At the beginning of book 8 socrates summarizes the main features of the perfect state, and glaucon recalls socrates had previously promised the company to discuss the four principal forms of defective, or lessthanperfect, states. We are now ready for book x of the present dialogue, which presents platos view of the arts and platos theory of the immortality of the soul. The republic study guide literature guide litcharts. The republic study guide contains a biography of plato, literature essays, a complete etext, quiz questions, major themes, characters, and a full summary and analysis. Eventually, the poor will conquer, kill off their enemies and exile the rest. Also, a discussion of art, poetry, tragedy, and the just life.
For example, justice could be defined as paying what is owed or as doing good to friends and harming enemies. Socrates soon proves that cephalus and polemarchus conception of justice as telling the truth and paying what is owed is insufficient, and he likewise. In heaven, i replied, there is laid up a pattern of it, methinks, which he who desires may behold, and beholding, may set his own house in order. Were going to bet youve never had a conversation quite like the one in platos republic. Socrates continues to discuss the content of to death. They come up with a class of wild, terrible, lawless desires which reveal themselves in our sleep. The republic summary, summary of the republic, the. Each of these images seems intended to clarify platos doctrine of the forms or ideas. The free the republic notes include comprehensive information and analysis to help you understand the book. In the first section of book 9 socrates continues his discussion of tyranny, focusing on the tyrannical man. Readers here should be sure to coordinate platos remarks on poetry with the commentary in book 3, which constitutes the first phase of the discussion as the discussion unfolds in book 10, it turns out socratess most forceful charge against poetry is it is. He begins to prove this by saying that normally, a person would give a unique form to each group of things.
For starters, its a conversation so earthshatteringly deep, serious, and lifealtering that it takes up an entire 300page book. Socrates says the tyrant indulges in pleasures in his youth. Socrates is careful to distinguish true philosophers from those philosophers that are familiar to his audience, whom he describes as aesthetes, mere lovers of physical beauty, rather than philosophers. He loses all reason, is overwhelmed by his appetites, and succumbs to a kind of madness.
Teach your students to analyze literature like litcharts does. Find out what happens in our book ix summary for the republic by plato. Under the tyranny of erotic love he has permanently become while awake what he used to become occasionally while asleep. Book x imitation and painting reflecting on their construction of the republic, socrates thinks that the most important thing they did in the city was to not allow. All men, socrates admits, have a lawless and beastly nature.
After socrates challenges his friends to define justice, he demonstrates the inadequacy of a number of the definitions. Glaucon takes the lead, first discoursing on justice as a mean or compromise, whereby men agree laws must intervene in order to prevent the excessive doing or suffering of evil. Having sorted out the classes in the soul, socrates now states that imitation must not be allowed in the city. There, socrates joins a discussion with cephalus, polemarchus, glaucon, adeimantus, and the sophist thrasymachus about the nature of justice. From a general summary to chapter summaries to explanations of famous quotes, the sparknotes the republic study guide has everything you need to ace quizzes, tests, and essays. After summarizing their decisions and the description of the city, socrates returns to his statement that the method used in the governing of this city is good, while there are four others worth discussing that are not good.
The republic book 9 before the companions start examining the tyrannical man, they try to sort out the desires. Now in book viii socrates returns to his examples of unjust societies and unjust men. The concept of the philosopherking dominates the remainder of the republic. Now we may behold the unjust man, who has ruined his own life by denying his reason and feeding to surfeit his bestial appetites. Learn exactly what happened in this chapter, scene, or section of the republic and what it means. The germ of several aspects of the freudian view of dreams, including the characteristic doctrine of the censor, was to be found in plato. Feb 24, 2011 whether you need an overview of the republic or a detailed summary of the book for a college project or just for fun, brings you the book wise summaries of the republic for free. Summary and analysis of book 10 of platos republic.
Despite the inconclusive end of the previous book, glaucon and adeimantus, platos brothers, are eager to pursue the quest for the true nature of justice. Our story begins as socrates and his friend glaucon head home from a festival. A summary of part x section7 in platos the republic. He asks his audience to imagine a cave with prisoners in it. The tyrant cant control his desires and indulges them shamefully. In the republic, greek philosopher plato puts forth the question. Detailed explanations, analysis, and citation info for every important quote on litcharts. This free study guide is stuffed with the juicy details and important facts you need to. The tyrant is a mixture of lust, drunkenness, and madness, evil passions that can exist in anyone as is revealed by ones dreams but which the. For example, he beats his own father and mother, and he is inordinately greedy and concerned with bodily needs. Book x imitation and painting reflecting on their construction of the republic, socrates thinks that the most important thing they did in the city was to not allow any imitative poetry you know, pretty much all poetry. George moore says, paters complaint that platos sentences are long may be regarded as paters single excursion into humor. The republic summary and study guide are also available on the mobile version of the website. As for families, children are spoiled and unfit for any labor, too soft to hold up to any pain, while the parents neglect everything but making money and do not care about excellence at all.
465 1390 991 1597 482 987 272 1110 1537 565 1001 1422 367 528 1282 382 320 1475 365 1604 1457 364 419 701 1575 511 1191 1396 1139 310 583 1089 1499 1386 941 488 1309 6 1521