Abstract

Problem. The problem under consideration is the privileged position of philosophy relative to poetry, of reason relative to rhyme, of word relative to song, of history relative to myth, of monovalence relative to ambivalence, of certainty relative to uncertainty, of knowledge relative to opinion, of opinion relative to belief, of Plato relative to Aeschylus, of Republic relative to Oresteia, of philosophical justice relative to poetical justice. ;Hypothesis. With respect to Republic and Oresteia, the privileged position of philosophy relative to poetry is without empirical substantiation on three distinct levels: subject of investigation; method of investigation; conclusion of investigation. ;Methodology. The investigation of the construction of justice in Oresteia and Republic is an interpretive research project. First, the subject matter of both works is shown to be the nature of justice. Second, the method of investigation for both Plato and Aiskhylos are shown to be dramatic dialogical investigations of justice. Although Oresteia is weighted in favor of drama and Republic in favor of dialectic, both works rely more heavily upon language than upon physical action for audience participation and involvement. Third, both works construct a form of justice based upon a harmonizing of interests rather than lexis talionis. ;Significance. The investigation's findings are significant in that they present additional evidence for the reconnection of philosophy and drama as interdependent searches for truth and understanding. In particular, the findings reject Plato's efforts in Republic and Aristotle's effort in Poetics to subordinate the dramatic poets' construction of truth to that of the philosophers. Moreover, given that Plato appears to abandon or at least attenuate his reliance upon the elenchus after the first book of Republic, and given that the entire Republic is replete with dramatic excitement, and given that the justice constructed in Republic is based upon harmony, as it is in Oresteia, the findings are also significant in that they show that both works are not only concerned primarily with the justice, but both works engage their audiences in dramatic discourses that rely not only upon reason but also upon passion to establish truth. Finally, the significance of the investigation also includes its finding that the poets taught Greece not only includes the epic and dramatic poets such as Hesiod and Aeschylus but also the philosophic poets such as Plato