Protagoras

At this point, there is a philosophical and dramatic shift in the dialogue. Protagoras takes over the questioning, and Socrates must provide answers. Protagoras believes it is paramount for an educated person to know how to analyze and interpret the verse of the esteemed poets. He asks Socrates whether he finds any contradiction in a couple of famous verses from the esteemed fifth-century BCE poet Simonides. Finding such a contradiction would prove that Simonides is not so wise as most people think. However, Socrates finds Simonides’s verses consistent. Protagoras objects, offers up a speech, and receives applause from the audience.

Because Prodicus hails from the same homeland as Simonides, Socrates calls on him to answer a question about the lines. He asks whether becoming and being are the same thing, and Prodicus responds that they are not. Socrates uses this brief exchange, along with a view from Hesiod, to state that Simonides is not contradicting himself. In one instance, Simonides is discussing the difficulty of becoming good: in the other, he addresses the ease of being good. Socrates further supports his argument in a short discussion with Prodicus about the sense in which Simonides uses his words.