Abstract

This dissertation explores connections between the design and the content of the Protagoras, as the relation between what Plato depicts and what he displays, especially through the figures of Socrates and his central interlocutor, Protagoras. Assuming that the philosophical discussion in the Protagoras occurs within a dramatic setting, I argue that the dramatic elements of the dialogue have been frequently overlooked or, at best, treated as merely aesthetic additions to the dialogue's philosophic interest. In considering the dialogue's narrative design, and the dramatic and "epexegetic" elements within the narrative, I provide further evidence to support some standing philosophical interpretations, suggest some new interpretive directions, and further emphasize Plato's artistry. I argue that Plato shows Socrates exhibiting a forward-looking moral and pedagogic vision, while Protagoras displays moral and pedagogic hindsight. I argue for reading the dialogue as unequivocally asserting the moral and intellectual superiority of Socrates over Protagoras. Where their discussion focuses on how the virtues are interrelated, Socrates' repeated displays of forethought reveal a paradoxical mingling of courage and ignorance, while Protagoras' excessive caution to preserve his reputation links his brand of wisdom with an absence of courage. I argue further that in the very structuring of this dialogue, Plato displays a forward-looking thoughtfulness toward his audience similar to the forethought Socrates displays toward Hippocrates. Plato thus uses dramatic form to support philosophic content. ;Plato repeatedly trains our attention on Socrates' demonstrations of forethought. I pay particular attention to Plato's comparison of Socrates to Prometheus. Prometheus failed to exercise forethought by not supervising the foolish but eager Epimetheus, and his negligence nearly extinguishes humankind altogether. Reshaping that story, Plato shows Socrates assuming a supervisory role over the naively enthusiastic Hippocrates, about to jeopardize his soul by submitting it to the care of a sophist. Plato rehabilitates Prometheus in the person of Socrates: steadfastly exercising forethought, not for the sake of preserving his reputation , but to protect and educate his own soul and the soul of the young Hippocrates. Plato thus links the drama of the dialogue to the debate the drama depicts