Magister vitae, patronus causae
oratory and Platonic philosophy in Apuleius’ Apology
Keywords:
Apuleius, Apology, Plato, rhetoric, philosophyAbstract
The Apology is a defense speech written by Apuleius (124?-170?AD) as a response to the accusation of having used magic to seduce his wife. In view of the fact that all the other remaining works by this Roman author of the Antonine period are either about Platonism or allude to Plato’s works indirectly, this study attempts to determine how and with which effects the Apology can also be said to have been informed by Plato’s works. It is specially noticeable that Apuleius creates a rhetorical persona based on the image of a philosopher persecuted by ignorant accusers. Moreover, in other to better appreciate such a philosophical persona, the use of the Platonic dialogues (and other works taken as Platonic) in Apuleius’ argument is analyzed, demonstrating their importance regarding his approach to themes such as love, magic and religion.
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References
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