Phaedrus

Main Characters and Their Development

• Socrates: The main character of the dialogue, a philosopher who engages in conversation with Phaedrus. Socrates explores the nature of love, rhetoric, and the soul, using his characteristic methods of dialectic and irony. Throughout the dialogue, he reveals his ideas on divine madness and true rhetoric, which should be based on knowledge of the truth.
• Phaedrus: A young Athenian, a student of Lysias, and Socrates' interlocutor. He brings Lysias' speech on love and discusses it with Socrates. Phaedrus plays the role of listener and opponent, helping Socrates develop his ideas. During the dialogue, Phaedrus also learns to distinguish true rhetoric from false.