Abstract
Just as the artist gives perceptible form to the otherwise intangible nature of the soul, Parmenides and Plato used mythic imagery to explain their concepts of being and the soul. In the proem of his philosophically didactic poem On Nature, Parmenides depicts the image of a charioteer who is pulled by two horses and begins a journey to learn the truth about the nature of the universe. Similarly, in the Phaedrus, Plato employs the allegory of a charioteer pulled by two horses to explicate metaphorically his concept of the tripartite division of the soul, first expressed in the Republic. Like Parmenides, Plato fashions a mythical narrative rich with symbolism and imagery to explain his vision of the soul.
The image of the charioteer in the Phaedrus draws not only upon the design developed by Parmenides, but also upon customary depictions of the horse and chariot motif found in artistic iconography. This thesis considers the influence of the surrounding cultural milieu of imagery on Plato’s construction of the soul. Through an examination of the motifs of the horse and chariot, as well as birds, and other traditional Greek representations for the soul, I aim to bring to light the skillful method by which Plato crafts his metaphor. Furthermore, I consider the language with which Plato develops this image, comparing it to a language of artistic practice, in order to demonstrate Plato’s role as an “artist of language” who paints vibrant images to elucidate his philosophical concepts, namely, that of the soul as a winged charioteer.
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