Sappho and Anacreon in Plato’s Phaedrus

E.E. PENDER (UNIVERSITY OF LEEDS)

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ABSTRACT: Plato’s praise of the poets Sappho and Anacreon at Phaedrus 235c is a sincere tribute to their vivid presentations of the shock of love. Allusions to the lyric poets in the prologue and Socrates’ narrative of soul support Plato’s exploration of the relationship between mania and self-control. Plato analyses the power-dynamic within a soul experiencing erotic desire and in response to the poets creates an intricate picture of how the force and energy of eros is absorbed, transferred and redirected.
1. Introduction
At Phaedrus 235c Plato names the poets Sappho and Anacreon. Various interpretations of this naming have been offered over the past fifty years and the question of its relation to the rest of the Phaedrus has been judged ‘difficult and controversial’.1 I would like to contribute to this on-going discussion by defending the thesis that Plato names and praises Sappho and Anacreon at 235c in order to acknowledge their influence on his thought on love.2 While respecting the distinction between philosophical and other discourse, I shall argue that the poetry of Sappho and Anacreon provided distinctive and valuable insights that helped to shape Plato’s views and treatment of love. On this reading 235c offers an opaque but nevertheless sincere praise of the poets in order to highlight the influence of their insights. I therefore regard 235c as part of a technique evident in the dialogues at large: Plato’s use of popular or familiar ideas as the departure point for explorations that lead to the production of his own philosophy.

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