Rhetoric In Plato's Phaedrus

In the classical Greek philosopher Plato’s late dialogue, Phaedrus, he examines the problem of love through philosophical reasoning, characterizations, and plot developments. Through the entirety of this somewhat informal and arguably flirtatious conversation between the Greek philosopher Socrates and the aspiring orator Phaedrus, I attempt to illustrate how Plato establishes his theory of a true art of rhetoric. The Phaedrus begins with Socrates encountering Phaedrus in Athens, where Phaedrus remarks that the famed rhetorician Lysias wrote a speech on favoring a relationship with a non-lover as opposed to a lover. Doubly stricken by the opportunity to accompany Phaedrus and hear a speech, Socrates accompanies Phaedrus on a stroll outside the city walls in search of a quiet spot to read, soon arriving at a tall plane tree along the countryside. Their arrival elicits a short conversation regarding the mythic tale of the abduction of Oreithyia by Boreas and the chorus of the cicadas.
In regards to plot development, this seemingly minor note of cicadas actually foreshadows Socrates, as G. R. F. Ferrari notes, to “forget his intention simply to listen to a speech” and inspire him to “deliver speeches himself, and speeches of unusual intensity at that” (3). As the whole of the work is through conversation, the only insight the reader has is through what Socrates and Phaedrus directly describe. Interestingly, the Phaedrus’ fixation on setting is what distinguishes it from many of Plato’s other dialogues, as the background goes beyond its usual function as a set piece: Ferrari believes “it becomes a prominent topic of discussion and a direct cause of the conversational action rather than, as one would expect, at