Phaedrus
Walking beyond the walls of Athens on a summer afternoon, Socrates falls into conversation with the young Phaedrus, who is fresh from hearing a clever speech arguing that it is better to give your affection to someone who does not love you. What follows is one of Plato’s richest dialogues, moving from three competing speeches on love to a searching inquiry into the soul, memory, and the true art of persuasion. Here Plato offers his famous image of the soul as a charioteer driving two winged horses, and closes with a pointed warning about the limits of the written word. A cornerstone of Western thought on rhetoric and desire. Free to download as a PDF or EPUB.
About the Author
Plato (c. 428-348 BC) was an ancient Greek philosopher, student of Socrates and teacher of Aristotle, and founder of the Academy in Athens. His dialogues are among the most influential works in the history of thought.
See all books by Plato →
Listen to Phaedrus Audiobook Free
Listen to Phaedrus by Plato free online. The full audiobook (3 hr 34 min, 14 chapters, read by Martin Geeson) streams free on this page.
Phaedrus (1871) is a public domain work.
| # | Chapter | Length | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 01 - "My dear Phaedrus, whence come you..." | 13:29 | |
| 2 | 02 - "What an incomprehensible being you are..." | 14:55 | |
| 3 | 03 - "Now, Socrates, what do you think?" | 16:15 | |
| 4 | 04 - "And now, dear Phaedrus, I shall pause..." | 15:36 | |
| 5 | 05 - "Your love of discourse, Phaedrus, is superhuman..." | 13:34 | |
| 6 | 06 - "I might tell of many other noble deeds..." | 19:18 | |
| 7 | 07 - "Thus far I have been speaking..." | 23:06 | |
| 8 | 08 - "And so the beloved, who, like a god..." | 19:14 | |
| 9 | 09 - "Shall we discuss the rules of writing...?" | 12:09 | |
| 10 | 10 - "Suppose that you read me the first words..." | 18:36 | |
| 11 | 11 - "Leave the unimportant..." | 13:38 | |
| 12 | 12 - "Oratory is the art of enchanting the soul..." | 10:55 | |
| 13 | 13 - "Enough appears to have been said..." | 11:49 | |
| 14 | 14 - "And now, Phaedrus, having agreed..." | 10:57 |
Prefer reading? Read Phaedrus online free or download the PDF and EPUB above.
