Document Type

Honors Thesis

Major

Philosophy, Theatre

Advisor(s)

Michael Howard, Rosalie Purvis

Committee Members

James Brophy, Robby Finley, Julie Lisnet

Graduation Year

May 2022

Publication Date

Spring 5-2022

Abstract

Montgomery v. The People of the United States is a project that seeks to adapt Plato’s Socratic Dialogues into modern contexts. A script for a full-length play, Montgomery focuses on adaptations for five specific dialogues: The Euthyphro, The Meno, The Symposium, The Crito, and The Apology. The original play follows a Socrates- like character – Montgomery Madison – that goes from their teenage years to late adulthood, all the while trying to come to terms with complex philosophical issues that we still grapple with today. These issues are inspired by the debates that occur within Plato’s dialogues, though the structure and characterization of several characters within the modern script more faithfully adapt these same components from the ancient text. The script also features a completely genderless cast, with the theme of accessibility that governs this project having a theatrical – as well as philosophical – basis. In this thesis, I explore the way(s) in which Plato, and dialogical philosophy as a whole, make for good candidates for translation into theatrical texts, and how this can make the field of philosophy more accessible and easier to understand.

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