Resumen
Resumen de Critias
Para quién es
For anyone curious about the origin of the Atlantis story, or about how Plato tests his ideal city against a living example.
De qué trata este libro
Critias is an unfinished dialogue by Plato, written in the fourth century BC, late in his life. It follows the Timaeus, in which the astronomer Timaeus describes how the universe and human beings came to be. Now it is the turn of Critias, an Athenian, to keep a promise made the day before. He will describe a city that Socrates had pictured in theory, and show that such a city once truly lived.
The work is the main ancient source for the island of Atlantis. Critias tells of a war between ancient Athens and a great sea power beyond the Pillars of Heracles, 9,000 years before his day. You meet an ideal city of farmers and warriors, and a rich island of canals, temples and metal walls. The first key point is how Critias gets his story, and why he says it must be true.
En este resumen
- 1Critias takes on a harder taskFree
- 2A story carried from Egypt to Athens
- 3Ancient Athens is the ideal city at work
- 4Poseidon founds a royal house on Atlantis
- 5A city of rings, canals and gleaming metal
- 6Laws, virtue and the slow loss of both
Idea clave 1 de 6
Critias takes on a harder task
The dialogue picks up right after the Timaeus, with the same company. Socrates is there, along with Timaeus, Critias and Hermocrates. The night before, Socrates had asked for a favor. He had described an ideal city in speech, and he wished to see it in action, like a beautiful painting come to life. The three guests agreed to repay his hospitality with speeches. Timaeus has done his part by telling of the cosmos and of human origins.
Now Critias must take the next step. He will bring the people of the ideal city into history and show them in a great trial. He admits at once that his job is harder than that of Timaeus. Timaeus spoke of the gods, and listeners forgive a speaker who falls short on such a vast subject. Critias must speak of mortals, and an audience is quick to notice any mistake in a portrait of its own kind.
He makes his point with a comparison to painters. A painter who draws mountains, rivers and forests will please viewers with a rough likeness, because nobody knows those things well. But a painter of a human face is judged sharply. Critias asks the company to be kind and expect imperfection. Hermocrates jokes that the speaker will need that kindness, and Socrates agrees to grant it.
This opening matters because it sets the tone. Plato lets the speakers talk about the limits of speech itself. Critias is nervous, polite and a little boastful. He is also about to claim that his story is not an invention at all, and the next part explains why he can say that.
That’s 1 of 6 key points.
The rest of the summary, written and spoken, and the whole book: free to start.
- Nothing to pay today · Renews every year
- We email you before you pay
- Cancel online in two clicks
Who’s who
- Critias
- An Athenian speaker who tells Socrates and their companions a tale passed through his family from Solon.
- Socrates
- The philosopher whose account of an ideal city prompts Critias to describe its supposed counterpart in ancient Athens.
- Timaeus
- An astronomer who has addressed the company about the universe and now yields his turn to Critias.
- Hermocrates
- A Syracusan guest expected to speak after Critias, who encourages the company to listen patiently.
- Solon
- The Athenian lawgiver and poet whose conversations with Egyptian priests supply the ancestral tale Critias recounts.
- Poseidon
- The sea god who receives Atlantis, loves Cleito, and fathers the island's royal family.
- Atlas
- Poseidon's eldest son, who rules the central kingdom and gives his name to the island and surrounding sea.
About this edition
Every format is free to start, and print and large print are at cost.
- LengthAbout 9,900 words
- Reading timeAbout 40 min
- Listening time1 h 5 min
- FormatseBook, large-print eBook, audiobook, 15-minute summary
- LanguagesEnglish and 13 other languages
Questions about Critias
What is Critias by Plato about?
It is a dialogue in which Critias describes an ancient Athens and the island of Atlantis. He tells how each was founded, how they were ruled, and how their values differed. It is the main ancient source for the Atlantis story.
Is the story of Atlantis in Critias true?
Plato presents it as a true account from Egyptian priests, but scholars disagree. Many think he invented it to illustrate his ideas about the state, and no firm evidence of such an island has been found.
Why is Critias unfinished?
No one knows for sure. The text simply stops just before Zeus speaks, and ancient writers did not explain why. Some think Plato left it incomplete, perhaps because he turned to other work, such as the Laws.
How is Critias connected to the Timaeus?
They are two parts of one planned set. The Timaeus tells how the world and humans came to be, and Critias carries on straight after with the story of Athens and Atlantis. The same speakers appear in both.
Is Critias hard to read?
It is easier than many of Plato's dialogues, because most of it is description and storytelling rather than argument. The plot is easy to follow.