The Republic by Plato [PDF]
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Plato's dialogue on the ideal city starts on a street in the Piraeus, where a friend sends his servant to grab Socrates by the cloak and keep him from walking home. The Republic then spends six books arguing about justice before it reaches the allegory of the cave, which opens Book VII.
This version of The Republic in PDF is our own edition from Project Aldus: Benjamin Jowett's complete translation, set so you can go straight to any of the ten books and find the cave or the ring of Gyges again when you want to reread them.
The download is free and needs no sign-up. One click and all ten books are yours, from the walk back from the Piraeus to the tale of Er.
Republic by Plato
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Information: Republic
- Author: Plato.
- Publication Date: Approximately in the year 380 B.C.
- Main Characters:
- Glaucon: Plato's brother and son of Ariston, who goes down to the Piraeus with Socrates and becomes his main partner in the conversation.
- Thrasymachus: Sophist philosopher and critic of Socrates' ideas.
- Brief Summary: In "Republic," Socrates and his companions explore and debate justice, politics, and the nature of man within the context of an ideal city, the "city in words." Through profound dialogues, Plato proposes a utopian vision of society where philosophers would rule, leading to the attainment of perfect justice.
- Thematic Analysis: "Republic" addresses themes such as the nature of justice, education, virtue, political structure, and the role of rulers. Plato examines the relationship between individual justice and justice in society, positing the idea that true justice and social harmony can only be achieved through knowledge and philosophy.
- Historical Context: Plato wrote the Republic in Athens in the first half of the fourth century BC, a few decades after the trial and death of Socrates in 399 BC. He set the conversation in the house of the old Cephalus at the Piraeus, the port of Athens, on the day of the first festival there in honour of Bendis, a Thracian goddess.
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