Aesthetics

A conversation between Socrates and Phaedrus examines love and the art of speaking well. Beside a stream outside Athens, Socrates pictures the soul as a chariot pulled by two very different horses.

2h 38m reading time

Guests at an Athenian drinking party give speeches about love in this philosophical dialogue. Aristophanes tells a strange story of humans split in two, each searching for a missing half.

2h 13m reading time

This short study examines how poetry and plays tell stories, with special attention to tragedy. The story of Oedipus helps explain why a sudden discovery can change the course of a play.

1h 3m reading time