Character Sketch – Cephalus from Plato’ S Republic Essay

Choose one of the three main heroes from Book One of Plato’s Republic (Cephalus, Polemarchus or perhaps Thrasymachus).

Write a character drawing that reveals how the individuality, social position, life situation and location affect the views the character holds about your life and about the virtue of justice. Are the definition of proper rights for the character you happen to be describing. In book a single, we are brought to four key characters: Socrates, Cephalus, Polemarchus, and Thrasymachus. Republic happens in the home of Cephalus and Polemarchus, in the Piraeus. Cephalus is a seniors and economically secure service provider and businessman.

He lives his existence in moderation, this individual doesn’t over-reach and try to turn into too wealthy, and was also not really a fan of excessive spending. He undoubtedly wouldn’t accept the mastercard debts that numerous Americans include. But thanks to his financial security, Cephalus has a comfortable life in old age.

By living his life moderately, the move to an seniors lifestyle will not be shocking or depressing. Cephalus will confess that these are not his Senescence, per say – it’s certainly not the highest period in the life, yet thanks to that moderation, he finds this age to never be because a burden since his close friends do. His friends will be depressed and woeful with their age. That they miss the life-style that they got in their children. Because of their age group, they can not anymore partake in the items they thought made these people happy – sex, drugs, rock and roll, essentially.

Cephalus provides a simple notion of justice. Nevertheless he never goes to identify it himself, we can pull some framework from his discussion with Socrates to fill in the details. Cephalus is usually an honest man, and as all of us said, he lives his life in moderation in all aspects. He doesn’t target unlimited prosperity, but still ideals that wealth he provides, and likely behaves ethically and morally for this reason. Cephalus will keep his wants at bay – he functions hard, and he loves himself, nevertheless always deals with to hold onto most of his money.

The web, it seems to Socrates to become easier to live a ‘just’ and average life, as a result of wealth that Cephalus possesses. Because Cephalus values wealth, he generally seems to put a heavy emphasis on the repayment of debts (and avoidance of debt in the first place as well) in his ideal of justice. He feels that in the event he can go to his subsequent life certainly not owing any person a penny, it will eventually lift a burden on his soul, in a spiritual sense.

Self-assurance comes with not lying or engaging in deception – which is easier to maintain when wealthy and not faced with problems (such, for example , nourishing and clothing your family – some people will perform anything when they are seemingly backed into a corner). Thanks to prosperity, Cephalus can be (at least in his personal point of view) capable of live a life with no lies, devoid of deception, minus debts.