Which Plato dialogue to read first?

Which Plato dialogue to read first?

Some tips and ideas.

Are you reading Plato in Greek to learn about style or in Greek or English or your own language to learn about philosophy, literature, or ancient culture and history.

If you're lucky your library has a full set of the Loeb classics or several of the Penguin translations perhaps? Or you've had the time to download some of the older translations available on line. You might want to google downloadable Loebs and you can can e-texts and pdfs of older translations from several sites.

I'm fortunate enuff to have a small but good collection that includes Greek originals and Penguin and other translations however I acquired these new and second hand over three decades.

What would I suggest?

Start off with the Phaedrus or  Symposium and the Apology.

Do read the Republic.

Do not fixate on one favorite dialogue.

Read Several!

Read both the major and minor dialogues.

Do not just read one translation.

Different translations may have differing notes or commentaries or introductory essays that can add to your own insights and analysis.

Do not presume Plato is always being serious!

Be aware of the history and politics of Socrates's age.

Even if you are only interested in the philosophical concepts you still need to know about the politics of Athens and Sparta.

Finally whatever your reasons for reading Plato do it with joy and pleasure!

Now go and read some Plato!

Hellenic Heirs

This is an illustration from a 10th century AD Byzantine book.

Notice the use of classical art motifs. A shepherd. Goats Sheep. A rural setting.

I suspect the artist was modelling his style on Greek and Roman frescos.

The naturalism of Classical art didn't just appear overhead into the formal stylizations of Early Christian and Byzantine.

Don't disparage Byzantine culture cos its Christian Greek.

Hellenic culture from the Helladic up to modern times is a continuum or perhaps a river that changes shape and color as tributaries enter it during its journey?

Theta Words Four

Theta Words Four

θρᾶνος bench but so also is θρῆνυς.

θρίδαξ - ακος Lettuce

θρῖναξ - ακος is a trident a spear or fork with three points or prongs

Words beginning with τ often changed to θ.

Remember θ was pronounced /t ^h/ in Classical Greek.

Θρόνος was not just a bench but a chair or throne.

θυγάτηρ daughter. A θυγατριδῆ was a grand-daughter, daughter of a daughter, a θυγατριδοῦς a maternal grandson, and a θυγάτριον a ittle daughter or small girl.

θῡμός is smoke soul breath life passion energy but θύμος is the herb THYME.

Θύννος Tunny Tuna the fsh that rushes Θύνω

Θύω had two meanings or perhaps was two separate verbs that contracted to have the same sound?

The first meaning was to offer or sacrifice to the gods. Remember that meat offerings were usually burnt and cooked with the gods consuming the energy the fumes rising to the skies and humans picnicking on the rest.

The second meaning was to rush dart or race along like a school of fish or a storm through the skies.

Theta Words Three

Theta Words Three

Θήβη Θῆβαι Thebes the name of several cities all possibly named after Thebes in Egypt if you accept the thoery Thebes is a distortion of a Egyptian phrase referring to Waset, Thebes as the place of power. Another name for Thebes as a city state rather than just the city was Θηβαΐς

θήγω sharpen whet a blade or tool also to provoke or irritate.

θηλάζω nurse suckle

θήρ a wild beast a predator a monster hence θηρίον animals that are hunted animals in general

θησαυρός treasure valuables thing splaced in storage because valued

- θι locative affix meaning place at in the fields at home at Troy

θίασος company or group of celebrants or revellers especially of a god like Eros or Dionysios

θλίβω press hard oppress afflict distress hence θλῖψις pressure oppression

θνήσκω die be dying dead

θόλος is a building or chamber with a dome or vault and a round sun hat θολία but θολός is thick dark mud or squid ink and θολερός turbid muddy troubled

The Return of Hephaestus

 Hephaestus 
also spelt Hephaistos
is usually depicted  as a mature man garbed as a smith as in this vase painting.

There is however another theme used in Greek art called the Return of Hephaestus in which Dionysos is persuading a very young Hephaestus to  return to Olympus.

Some scholars believe the prescence of satyrs in these paintings means that there may have been a reactment of the return as part of Dionysiac rituals and that it was a theme for Satyr plays that are now missing.

i am inclined to believe both explanations are plausible.

In an era when there were no photography or print making I can see merchants and other people bringing home from Athens ceramics as gifts and saying ... and the procession looked like this ... while rotating their prize souvenir to show the images.

These elaborate ceramics may have functioned as a memory or educational aid?

 Theta Words Two

θείνω strike dash

θεία aunt and θεῖος uncle Note the accent and that this refers to to a relative on either side of the side unlike Latin which has separate words to indicate if the relative is on the father's or mother's side of a family.

θέλγω enchant charm use magic spell bind cheat

θελκτήρ or θέλκτωρ charmer enchanter θέλκτρον θελκτήριον spell enchantment charm

θέμις the goddess of Justice and Law Note θεσμός

- θεν suffix added to nouns to show Motion FROM a Place

Θερμός heat warmth hot warm boiling

θέτις Sea goddess Nereid mother of Achilles wife of Peleus daughter of Oceanus

θέω run race fly and of things circular like a rim

θεωρέω look AT view behold observe be a spectator contemplate consider

Theta Words One

 Theta Words One

θᾶκος ὁ seat chair θᾱκέω to sit take a seat but θάσσω is to sit but to sit idly lounge about?

θάλαμος inner chamber bedroom dwelling lair den θαλάμιος belonging to the chamber

θάλασσα the sea Attic θάλαττα

θάλλω bloom flourish shoot grow sell be rich abundant prosper

so Θάλεια the Muse of Comedy

θάμνος a bush or shrub

θαρσέω Attic θαρρέω be courageous confident positive note also verb θαρσύνω

θάρσος or θράσος Attic θάρρος τό courage boldness confidence

θάσος an island

θάσσων however is the COMPARATIVE form of ταχύς to be quicker faster swifter

θαῦμα wonder marvel surprise astonishment note also Ionic θῶμα Verb θαυμάζω

Note the similar Verbs θάομαι wonder at admire gaze upon look at see and θεάομαι

so θέᾱτρον a theatre is a place for viewing