© 1996, 2005 Bernard SUZANNE Last updated September 18, 2005
Plato and his dialogues : Home - Biography - Works and links to them - History of interpretation - New hypotheses - Map of dialogues : table version or non tabular version. Tools : Index of persons and locations - Detailed and synoptic chronologies - Maps of Ancient Greek World. Site information : About the author.
Tetralogies : 1st tetralogy : The start of the Quest - 2nd tetralogy : The Sophists - 3rd tetralogy : Socrates' Trial - 4th tetralogy : The Soul - 5th tetralogy : Speech (logos) - 6th tetralogy : Dialectic - 7th tetralogy : Man in the World
Plato's Tetralogies

The array below presents the suggested organization of the dialogues in seven tetralogy, one by line of the array. For each tetralogy, the first column lists the "introductory" dialogue, and the next three colums list the associated trilogy. From there, you can get to a general comment on the organization of the tetralogies (Overview of Tetralogies), or to comments on individual tetralogies or dialogues.

Note: in this array, only the tetralogies and dialoguess for which a comment is currently available, in full or in part, show up as links. As new comments are made available, all titles should eventually become links.

(If the list of dialogues below doesn't show as a table, click here to get to a HTML2 compatible version of it)

Overview
of tetralogies		 a i t i a
(cause) 		epithumiai (desires)
 
phusis (nature) 		thumos (will)
krisis (judgment)
èthos (behavior) 		logos (reason)
kosmos (order)
 
Tetralogy 1 :
The start of the quest
what is man ? 		ALCIBIADES
man
  		LYSIS
friendship
(philo-) 		LACHES
manhood
(andreia) 		CHARMIDES
wisdom
(-sophos)
Tetralogy 2 :
The sophists
eikasia (conjecture) 		  PROTAGORAS  
relativism
  		  HIPPIAS Major  
illusion of
beauty 		GORGIAS
illusion of
justice 		  HIPPIAS Minor  
illusion of
science
Tetralogy 3 :
Socrates' trial
 
pistis (true belief) 		MENO
pragmatism
 
  		EUTHYPHRO

letter of the
law 		THE APOLOGY
OF SOCRATES
law
in action 		CRITO

spirit of the
law
Tetralogy 4 :
The soul
 
psuchè 		 THE SYMPOSIUM 
the driving
force :
eros 		PHÆDRUS
nature of
the soul :
erôs<=>logos 		 THE REPUBLIC 
behaviour of
the soul :
justice 		PHÆDO
destiny of
the soul :
being
Tetralogy 5 :
Speech (logos)
dianoia (knowledge) 		CRATYLUS
the words of
speech 		ION
logos of the
poet 		  EUTHYDEMUS  
logos of the
sophist 		MENEXENUS
logos of the
politician
Tetralogy 6 :
Dialectic
epistèmè (science) 		PARMENIDES
the traps of
reason 		THEÆTETUS
the limits of
reason 		THE SOPHIST
the laws of
reason 		  THE STATESMAN 
the goals of
reason
Tetralogy 7 :
Man in the world
kosmos (order) 		PHILEBUS
the good of
man 		TIMÆUS
contemplating
(theôria) 		CRITIAS
deciding
(krisis) 		THE LAWS
acting
(erga)

Plato and his dialogues : Home - Biography - Works and links to them - History of interpretation - New hypotheses - Map of dialogues : table version or non tabular version. Tools : Index of persons and locations - Detailed and synoptic chronologies - Maps of Ancient Greek World. Site information : About the author.
Tetralogies : 1st tetralogy : The start of the Quest - 2nd tetralogy : The Sophists - 3rd tetralogy : Socrates' Trial - 4th tetralogy : The Soul - 5th tetralogy : Speech (logos) - 6th tetralogy : Dialectic - 7th tetralogy : Man in the World

First published May 16, 1996 - Last updated September 18, 2005
© 1996, 2005 Bernard SUZANNE (click on name to send your comments via e-mail)
Quotations from theses pages are authorized provided they mention the author's name and source of quotation (including date of last update). Copies of these pages must not alter the text and must leave this copyright mention visible in full.