ALLEGORY AND NARRATIVE IN PLATO

Abstract

My main objective is to clarify the platonic perspective about the narratives which present a allegorical character. The question arises from the fact that the philosopher systematically avoids using the terms ????????? and ???????????, usually translated as narrative and narrate, to designate the allegories in his works. His refusal is odd, because his use of the terms covers a heterogeneous group of narratives and apparently there is no reason that prevents them from designating the allegorical passages. My proposal for a solution is develop a analysis of the occurrences of ????????? and ??????????? in corpus platonicum, which aims to promote a more detailed characterization of the meaning of the terms. To understand one of the aspects found in this survey, the concept of testimony, I follow the interpretation of Luc Brisson in his work Platon les mots et les mythes (1994). Finally, based on Brisson's thesis, I try to explain why the philosopher avoids the terms ????????? and ??????????? to refer to the allegorical narratives.