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Know Thyself:
Socrates as Storyteller
Anne-Marie Bowery
Though Plato’s expertise as both a philosopher and a dramatic literary
stylist is commonly acknowledged, his skillful use of narrative framing
techniques has not received signifi cant scholarly attention.^1 This omis-
sion is unfortunate because the narrative dimensions of the Platonic
dialogues provide additional depth and complexity to Plato’s character-
ization of Socrates as the paradigmatic philosopher. Narrative analysis
recognizes that Plato writes his dialogues in different ways.^2 He con-
structs enacted dialogues and reported dialogues. In an enacted dia-
logue, like the Gorgias, Euthyphro, Crito, or Laches, the dramatic action is
unmediated by a narrator’s voice. The audience receives the dramatic
action of the dialogue directly. In reported or narrated dialogues, on
the other hand, a narrator relates the central dramatic action to the
audience. The audience receives the dramatic action through the narra-
tor’s fi lter. Plato creates two types of reported dialogues. Either Socrates
narrates the dramatic action or a Socratic disciple narrates the events.^3
When refl ecting on why Plato may have crafted the dialogues in
this way, it is helpful to consider the reading practices of Plato’s origi-
nal audience. To understand ancient reading practices, the contempo-
rary reader must be mindful of several things. First, ancient texts were
generally regarded as records of oral speech.^4 It is not surprising, then,
that “texts were mostly read aloud.”^5 Second, ancient texts did not have
spaces between their words. As a result, the reading process was slower
and more laborious. Jocelyn Small explains: “Reading words that are
all run together dramatically affects the way a reader processes those
words.... You read much more slowly.”^6 Third, for the ancient reader,
reading was a communal activity. H. Gregory Snyder explains: “To be
brought to life, a text required a performer and almost always presumed
the presence of an audience. This audience may have partaken in the
performance to a greater or lesser degree.”^7 While certain evidence sug-