“It is necessary to dry (δέον αὐχμεῖν) the emotions” (Rep. 606d). Challenges from/to Plato

Keywords:

emotion, Republic, theater, rhetoric

Abstract

This article investigates a few passages from Plato’s Republic in order to uncover certain assumptions and consequences of the philosopher’s argument about the status of emotions, which culminates in the incisive and radical statement in book X, “It is necessary to dry the emotions” (Rep.606d). According to Plato, emotions lead men to act irrationally and in a cowardly manner, especially citizens who become accustomed to poetry, particularly drama, which arouses the passions. Rather than analyzing the philosopher’s criticism of the value of theater and the expression of pain (such as lamentation and crying), I shall examine a contemporary case: the funeral of actor Jean-Paul Belmondo which was held by the French government amidst the SARSCoV-2 pandemic crisis. Through this approach I shall reassess the role of emotion in the education of citizens and the political strengthening of a city or a group.

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Author Biography

Maria C. de Miranda Nogueira Coelho, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais

Profesora asociada del Departamento de Filosofía de la Universidad Federal de Minas Gerais y Doctora en Letras Clásicas por la Universidad de São Paulo (con pasantía doctoral en la Universidad de Brown). Sus áreas de investigación son la retórica, la sofística en el periodo clásico griego, la tragedia euripidea y la recepción de la literatura griega en el cine y en los sermones de Antonio Vieira. Fue Presidenta de la Sociedad Brasileña de Retórica (2010-2012) y de la Asociación Latinoamericana de Retórica (2015-2018); actualmente es Presidenta de Honor de la Sociedad Brasileña de Estudios Clásicos (2022-2023) y representante en América Latina de la Sociedad Internacional de Estudios Socráticos (2018-2022). Investigadora y/o profesora visitante en varias universidades, como la Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata, la Universidad de Cambridge, Kings College/Londres, Universidad de Cádiz y Universidad de Brown.

Published

2022-11-17

How to Cite

Nogueira Coelho, M. C. de M. (2022). “It is necessary to dry (δέον αὐχμεῖν) the emotions” (Rep. 606d). Challenges from/to Plato. Circe De clásicos Y Modernos, 26(2), 75–91. Retrieved from https://cerac.unlpam.edu.ar/index.php/circe/article/view/7124