| Abstract |
This thesis investigates the meaning and importance of melos in the Platonic
dialogues, a question which forms part of the broader discussion of Plato’s treatment
of poetry and mousikê. More specifically, the main purpose of the dissertation is to
single out and discuss a specific slice of mousikê in Plato. In pursuit of the place of
melos in the Platonic musical world, my investigation deals firstly with the meaning
of the term and the association of melos with distinct kinds of poetry, such as epos, as
well as with various arts and subjects, such as the art of rhetoric and the theme of
love. Moreover the close association between melos and dance – the combination of
which is the essence of choreia – is of vital importance for the interpretation of its
meaning and significance within Plato’s thought.
A key issue I am focusing on is the transition from melos to the various kinds
(genres) of melic poetry, which are discussed by Plato in his dialogues. This issue
aims at deepening our understanding of Plato’s treatment of melic poetry compared
with that of epic and dramatic poetry. Plato’s attitude towards melos, basically as
song, across his oeuvre, the way he (re)shapes the identity of each genre and he plays
with the established traditions of song and the boundaries of the existing song culture
are further important questions, the illumination of which can afford us an insight into
Plato’s agenda on the broader subject of melos.
In order to widen the perspective of my research I pass from the text to the
interpretation of the context. Therefore, I explore the locations where the Platonic
dialogues take place, thus the contexts of the philosophical discussions, and the
“adaptation” these places – which traditionally included song and dance activities,
such as symposium, festival in honor of a god, theoric travel, locus amoenus –
undergo in order to “host” philosophy that unexpectedly intrudes. The final focus of
the thesis ends up, though, as quite the reverse: the adaptation of melos in order to
meet Plato’s philosophical needs. Thus, the emphasis is directed towards the
reformation and reintegration of melos in the Platonic dialogues.
The thesis argues that melos, inextricably connected with mousikê, and hence
with paideia, is central to Plato’s philosophy. His constant struggle and play with its
meaning and form reveals melos as a major philosophical and philological challenge.
Indeed, melos is defined, redefined, reshaped and expanded, illuminating the nature of
the Platonic philosophy itself.
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Melos in Plato
