The Unity of the Gorgias

This thesis aims to provide an interpretation of the Gorgias such that it can genuinely be grasped as a unity. That is, it will show that the formal structure of the dialogue is essentially related to the dialogue’s content, that every section of the dialogue can be seen to have a logical and necessary place within the whole, and also that every aspect of the dialogue, literary and argumentative, also has such a place. The fact that Plato has made the notion of a development or process central to every aspect of the dialogue – as, for example, we see a development from Gorgias through Polus to Callicles – must play an important role in our understanding of the work. From this perspective, many aspects of the Gorgias can be seen in a new light, so that this thesis presents an alternative view of the role of shame in the work; a new account of the place of Socrates within it, who does not receive an altogether flattering portrait from Plato; Callicles’ failure as a touchstone; a new account of the reason for Socrates’ failure to convince in this work; a new look at the role played by many of the arguments; and a new account of the way in which Plato speaks to the reader in this dialogue