Fenomen Platońskiego „Meneksenosa”
The Phenomenon of Plato’s “Menexenus”

Summary/Abstract: The aim of the article is to revise views on the parodic nature of Plato’s funeral speech (epitaphios logos) entitled “Menexenus.” By demonstrating Plato’s literary virtuosity in the funeral speech and conveying his opinions regarding the social policies of democratic Athens, the author of the article seeks to challenge previous interpretations of the parodic nature of epitaphios logos in the “Menexenus.” Since Plato was writing during a period of establishing and asserting the authority of literary prose in opposition to the hitherto educative role played by poetry, the article also addresses the question of Plato himself establishing his authority through a symbiosis of philosophy and rhetoric. The author of the article draws attention to Plato’s significant contribution to revising views on the art of rhetoric by discussing it exhaustively and extensively in his dialogues, including the “Menexenus.”

• Details
• Contents