This course teaches the Ancient Greek language by studying the Attic dialect used by Plato in his dialogues the Meno. 

Taught by Martin Black in collaboration with the Independent School of Philosophy 

Prerequisites: No prior formal study of the ancient Greek language is required. This course has been redesigned for Ancient Greek Language beginners.

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This course is likely to run again in 2025. Contact us to register your interest or subscribe to the blog for updates.

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Textbook

Learning Greek with Plato: A Beginner’s Course in Classical Greek by Frank Beetham.

This required textbook remains in print and available (try fishpond, or second-hand at Biblio or Abe).  Delivery of print copies may be slow, and so the relevant sections will be copied and provided for the first classes.

Course Outline

Part I : The elements of Plato’s Greek

Six weekly classes introducing the language of Plato

The course textbook slowly guides towards reading a short but important dialogue of Plato, the Meno. In order to make progress, students need find time between classes to memorise some of the vocabulary and word patterns. The long-term goal over a series of courses is to complete the textbook and then read the whole dialogue in its original language. This first course does not come close to that, and yet it brings you much closer to Plato’s writings than you could ever achieve in reading only translations. 

“Plato is the greatest prose writer of our tradition. His dialogues are widely recognised as infinitely subtle works of art conveying profound reflections on human existence. Plato seems to have fulfilled his own criterion for writing by composing texts in which every word is in its necessary place with the result that each reader takes away an interpretation that does justice to his or her own nature. But one can only gain full access to Plato’s art and thought by delving into the language in which he wrote.”

Martin Black (tutor)

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Part I ran Spring 2022. It will run again subject to demand.

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Part II & III: Reading Plato’s Meno

Six weekly classes starting to read the dialogue in the original Greek

This second course covers Sections 7 to 12 of Beetham’s Learning Greek with Plato, which introduces classical Greek with grammar and vocabulary designed to allow the student to read the important dialogue of Plato, the Meno. In order to make progress, students need find time between classes to memorise some of the vocabulary and word patterns. We will complete the textbook in two further Parts and then read the whole dialogue in its original language.

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