
Phaedrus
by Plato
- First published
- 369 BC
- Reading level
- Fairly demanding
- Price
- Free
About the book
"Phaedrus" by Plato is a dialogue written around 370 BC. Socrates encounters the young Phaedrus outside Athens, who has just heard a speech about love. What begins as a countryside stroll becomes an intricate philosophical exploration of love, rhetoric, and the human soul. Through three competing speeches, Socrates and Phaedrus debate whether it's better to favor a lover or a non-lover, ultimately revealing deeper questions about divine madness, the soul's nature, and the proper practice of persuasive speech.
- Classical literature
- Socrates, 470 BC-399 BC
- Rhetoric
- Love
- Rhetoric, Ancient
- Soul
Updated September 2026. Public domain in the USA. Text and summary from Project Gutenberg eBook #1636. Phaedrus on Wikipedia.











