batch.motif.greek-plato-republic-jowett-gutenberg-l10460-l10547
---
record_id: batch.motif.greek-plato-republic-jowett-gutenberg-l10460-l10547
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/greek/project-gutenberg/republic-jowett.md
passage_locator:
label: THE REPUBLIC. / PERSONS OF THE DIALOGUE. / BOOK I. / BOOK II.; lines 10460-10547
start: '10460'
end: '10547'
translation: The Republic
notes: Generated from OpenAI Batch run motif-extraction-2026-04-28-high-priority;
human review required.
canonical_text:
quote: when he turned the collet inwards he became invisible, when outwards he reappeared
summary: Glaucon recounts the tradition of Gyges’ ring to argue that people act
justly only under compulsion, then constructs a comparison between a perfectly
unjust man who seems just and a perfectly just man who seems unjust, asking which
life is happier.
language: English
quote_policy: quoted
literal_observations:
- id: obs:1
text: The passage proposes giving both the just and the unjust power to do what
they will in order to see where desire leads them.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: obs:2
text: Gyges is described as a shepherd serving the king of Lydia and as an ancestor
of Croesus.
category: attribute
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: obs:3
text: A storm and earthquake open the earth where Gyges is feeding his flock.
category: setting
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: obs:4
text: Gyges descends into the opening and sees a hollow brazen horse with doors,
a more-than-human dead body, and a gold ring on the corpse’s finger.
category: sequence
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: obs:5
text: Gyges takes the gold ring from the dead body and reascends.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: obs:6
text: In the shepherds’ assembly, the ring makes Gyges invisible when its collet
is turned inward and visible again when turned outward.
category: object
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: obs:7
text: Gyges uses his position as messenger to reach the court, seduce the queen,
conspire against the king, kill him, and take the kingdom.
category: sequence
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: obs:8
text: The speaker imagines two such rings, one worn by a just person and one by
an unjust person.
category: object
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- id: obs:9
text: The hypothetical power of invisibility is associated with theft, entering
houses, sexual access, killing, freeing prisoners, and being like a god among
humans.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- id: obs:10
text: The passage proposes isolating a perfectly unjust man and a perfectly just
man in order to judge their lives.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- id: obs:11
text: The perfectly unjust man is to commit unjust acts while acquiring the greatest
reputation for justice.
category: attribute
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
- id: obs:12
text: The perfectly just man is to be just without seeming just, to be thought worst
while being best, and to continue so until death.
category: attribute
evidence_refs:
- ev:9
- id: obs:13
text: The narrating speaker tells Glaucon that he has polished the two figures for
decision as if they were two statues.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:10
figures:
- id: fig:1
name_or_label: Gyges
description: A Lydian shepherd in the king’s service, ancestor of Croesus, who finds
a gold ring and later takes the kingdom.
role_refs:
- role:1
- role:2
- role:3
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:3
- ev:4
- ev:5
- id: fig:2
name_or_label: king of Lydia
description: The ruler served by Gyges and later killed by him.
role_refs:
- role:4
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:5
- id: fig:3
name_or_label: queen
description: The queen whom Gyges seduces and with whose help he conspires against
the king.
role_refs:
- role:5
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: fig:4
name_or_label: dead body of more than human stature
description: A dead body seen inside the hollow brazen horse, wearing nothing except
a gold ring.
role_refs:
- role:6
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: fig:5
name_or_label: just man
description: A hypothetical person used in the argument, imagined as entirely just
and later as possessing one of two magic rings.
role_refs:
- role:7
- role:8
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- ev:7
- ev:9
- id: fig:6
name_or_label: unjust man
description: A hypothetical person used in the argument, imagined as entirely unjust
and later as possessing one of two magic rings.
role_refs:
- role:7
- role:9
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- ev:7
- ev:8
- id: fig:7
name_or_label: shepherds’ assembly
description: The company of shepherds meeting to send a monthly report about the
flocks to the king.
role_refs:
- role:10
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: fig:8
name_or_label: Glaucon
description: The interlocutor addressed by the narrating speaker and credited with
preparing the two opposed figures for decision.
role_refs:
- role:11
evidence_refs:
- ev:10
- id: fig:9
name_or_label: narrating speaker
description: The speaker who responds to Glaucon’s construction of the two figures.
role_refs:
- role:12
evidence_refs:
- ev:10
roles:
- id: role:1
label: shepherd servant
assigned_to:
- fig:1
basis: Gyges is said to be a shepherd in the service of the king of Lydia.
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: role:2
label: finder and user of magic ring
assigned_to:
- fig:1
basis: Gyges takes the ring, tests it, and discovers its power to make him invisible
and visible.
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:4
- id: role:3
label: usurper
assigned_to:
- fig:1
basis: Gyges conspires against and kills the king, then takes the kingdom.
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: role:4
label: king and victim
assigned_to:
- fig:2
basis: The king is the ruler served by Gyges and is later slain in the conspiracy.
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:5
- id: role:5
label: royal accomplice
assigned_to:
- fig:3
basis: The queen assists Gyges in the conspiracy against the king.
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: role:6
label: corpse bearing the ring
assigned_to:
- fig:4
basis: The dead body inside the brazen horse wears the gold ring that Gyges takes.
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: role:7
label: moral test subject
assigned_to:
- fig:5
- fig:6
basis: The passage imagines both just and unjust persons receiving the same power
in order to test how they act.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:6
- id: role:8
label: just sufferer under false reputation
assigned_to:
- fig:5
basis: The just man is to be just, seem unjust, be thought worst, and continue so
until death.
evidence_refs:
- ev:9
- id: role:9
label: successful concealed wrongdoer
assigned_to:
- fig:6
basis: The unjust man is to do unjust acts while being deemed just and recovering
from exposure if necessary.
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
- id: role:10
label: unaware witnesses
assigned_to:
- fig:7
basis: The assembly speaks of Gyges as absent when the ring makes him invisible.
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: role:11
label: argument presenter
assigned_to:
- fig:8
basis: The narrating speaker says Glaucon has energetically polished the two figures
for decision.
evidence_refs:
- ev:10
- id: role:12
label: respondent
assigned_to:
- fig:9
basis: The narrating speaker directly responds to Glaucon’s argument.
evidence_refs:
- ev:10
symbols:
- id: sym:1
label: earth opening
literal_form: opening in the earth made by an earthquake
associated_figures:
- fig:1
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:3
- id: sym:2
label: hollow brazen horse
literal_form: hollow brazen horse with doors
associated_figures:
- fig:1
- fig:4
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: sym:3
label: more-than-human corpse
literal_form: dead body of stature more than human
associated_figures:
- fig:4
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: sym:4
label: gold ring
literal_form: gold ring taken from the dead body’s finger
associated_figures:
- fig:1
- fig:4
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:4
- id: sym:5
label: invisibility power
literal_form: becoming invisible when the ring’s collet is turned inward and visible
when turned outward
associated_figures:
- fig:1
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: sym:6
label: two magic rings
literal_form: two rings imagined for the just and unjust persons
associated_figures:
- fig:5
- fig:6
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- id: sym:7
label: statues
literal_form: two figures compared to statues polished for decision
associated_figures:
- fig:5
- fig:6
- fig:8
- fig:9
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:10
- id: sym:8
label: clothing of justice
literal_form: the just man is to be clothed in justice only and have no other covering
associated_figures:
- fig:5
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:9
scenes:
- id: scene:1
label: Proposed test of justice and desire
summary: The passage asks what just and unjust people would do if both were given
power to act as they wished without constraint.
figure_refs:
- fig:5
- fig:6
symbol_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: scene:2
label: Gyges descends and finds the ring
summary: After a storm and earthquake open the earth, Gyges descends, finds a hollow
brazen horse and a large dead body, takes a gold ring, and returns upward.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:4
symbol_refs:
- sym:1
- sym:2
- sym:3
- sym:4
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:3
- id: scene:3
label: Discovery of invisibility
summary: At the shepherds’ assembly, Gyges discovers that turning the ring’s collet
inward makes him invisible and turning it outward makes him visible again.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:7
symbol_refs:
- sym:4
- sym:5
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: scene:4
label: Court conspiracy and seizure of rule
summary: Gyges arranges to go to court, seduces the queen, conspires against the
king, kills him, and takes the kingdom.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:2
- fig:3
symbol_refs:
- sym:4
- sym:5
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: scene:5
label: Hypothetical two rings
summary: The argument imagines just and unjust persons each receiving such a ring
and predicts that both would act unjustly if safe from detection.
figure_refs:
- fig:5
- fig:6
symbol_refs:
- sym:6
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- id: scene:6
label: Isolation of perfectly unjust and perfectly just lives
summary: The unjust man is imagined doing wrong while seeming just, while the just
man is imagined being just while seeming unjust until death, so that a judgment
can be made about happiness.
figure_refs:
- fig:5
- fig:6
symbol_refs:
- sym:8
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- ev:8
- ev:9
- id: scene:7
label: Response to Glaucon
summary: The narrating speaker tells Glaucon that the two opposed figures have been
polished for decision like statues.
figure_refs:
- fig:5
- fig:6
- fig:8
- fig:9
symbol_refs:
- sym:7
evidence_refs:
- ev:10
candidate_motifs:
- id: motif:1
label: descent into an earth opening and return with a powerful object
taxonomy_refs:
- hero_descent
basis: Gyges descends into an opening made by an earthquake, encounters marvels
and a more-than-human corpse, takes a ring, and reascends.
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:3
confidence: medium
cautions: The passage presents Gyges as a shepherd and later usurper, not explicitly
as a heroic initiate; the taxonomy match is functional rather than exact.
- id: motif:2
label: magical invisibility enabling concealed transgression
taxonomy_refs:
- trickster_boundary
basis: The ring’s power makes Gyges invisible; the argument links such undetected
power with theft, sexual access, killing, release of prisoners, and godlike freedom
among humans.
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- ev:6
confidence: medium
cautions: The passage uses the invisibility device for moral argument rather than
naming a trickster figure.
- id: motif:3
label: taking a powerful object from the dead
taxonomy_refs:
- sacred_theft
basis: Gyges removes a gold ring from the finger of a more-than-human dead body
inside the brazen horse.
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
confidence: low
cautions: The object is taken from a corpse, but the passage does not explicitly
call the act theft or the object sacred.
- id: motif:4
label: paired moral opposites tested to extremes
taxonomy_refs:
- duality
basis: The passage constructs an entirely just man and an entirely unjust man, places
them side by side, and asks for judgment about which is happier.
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- ev:8
- ev:9
confidence: high
cautions: This is a philosophical opposition framed as an argument rather than a
narrative mythic pair.
- id: motif:5
label: being versus seeming in moral trial
taxonomy_refs:
- initiation
basis: The just man must be truly just while seeming unjust and being thought worst
until death, so that he is put to the proof.
evidence_refs:
- ev:9
confidence: medium
cautions: The passage explicitly describes testing, but not a formal initiation
rite.
- id: motif:6
label: usurpation through hidden power and royal conspiracy
taxonomy_refs:
- royal_legitimacy
basis: Gyges uses the ring-enabled opportunity to reach the court, seduce the queen,
kill the king, and take the kingdom.
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
confidence: medium
cautions: The passage reports seizure of kingship, but it does not legitimize Gyges’
rule; the royal motif is about succession by conspiracy, not lawful legitimacy.
comparison_claims: []
evidence:
- id: ev:1
type: summary
locator: 10460-10469
quote_or_summary: The argument proposes granting both just and unjust persons power
to do what they wish and observing whether desire leads them along the same road.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/greek/project-gutenberg/republic-jowett.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized from provided passage.
- id: ev:2
type: summary
locator: 10469-10475
quote_or_summary: Gyges, a shepherd serving the king of Lydia and ancestor of Croesus,
is present when a storm and earthquake make an opening in the earth where he feeds
his flock.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/greek/project-gutenberg/republic-jowett.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized from provided passage.
- id: ev:3
type: summary
locator: 10475-10482
quote_or_summary: Gyges descends into the opening, sees a hollow brazen horse with
doors, finds a more-than-human dead body wearing only a gold ring, takes the ring,
and reascends.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/greek/project-gutenberg/republic-jowett.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized from provided passage.
- id: ev:4
type: quote
locator: 10482-10494
quote_or_summary: Gyges finds that “when he turned the collet inwards he became
invisible, when outwards he reappeared.”
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/greek/project-gutenberg/republic-jowett.md
rights_note: Public domain source; short quotation from provided passage.
- id: ev:5
type: summary
locator: 10494-10498
quote_or_summary: Gyges arranges to be a messenger to court, seduces the queen,
conspires with her against the king, kills him, and takes the kingdom.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/greek/project-gutenberg/republic-jowett.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized from provided passage.
- id: ev:6
type: summary
locator: 10498-10515
quote_or_summary: The argument imagines two such rings for the just and unjust;
with safe invisibility, a person could steal, enter houses, have sexual access,
kill or release prisoners, and be like a god among humans.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/greek/project-gutenberg/republic-jowett.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized from provided passage.
- id: ev:7
type: summary
locator: 10522-10528
quote_or_summary: To judge the just and unjust lives, the passage says the two must
be isolated, each fully equipped for the work of his respective life.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/greek/project-gutenberg/republic-jowett.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized from provided passage.
- id: ev:8
type: summary
locator: 10528-10538
quote_or_summary: The unjust man is compared to a master craftsman and must be able
to hide wrongdoing, seem just, speak effectively if exposed, and rely on courage,
strength, money, and friends.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/greek/project-gutenberg/republic-jowett.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized from provided passage.
- id: ev:9
type: summary
locator: 10538-10545
quote_or_summary: The just man is placed beside him as noble and simple, wishing
to be rather than seem good, clothed in justice only, thought worst while being
best, and continuing so until death.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/greek/project-gutenberg/republic-jowett.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized from provided passage.
- id: ev:10
type: quote
locator: 10545-10547
quote_or_summary: 'The speaker says to Glaucon: “how energetically you polish them
up for the decision, first one and then the other, as if they were two statues.”'
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/greek/project-gutenberg/republic-jowett.md
rights_note: Public domain source; short quotation from provided passage.
confidence:
extraction: high
motif_candidates: medium
comparison_claims: high
notes: Literal extraction is strong. Motif assignments are cautious because the
passage uses mythic narrative primarily as a philosophical thought experiment.
No external comparison claims were added.
reviewer_status:
status: needs_review
reviewer: ''
reviewed_at: ''
notes: Machine-generated draft from OpenAI Batch; not human-reviewed.
extracted_by: openai_batch:gpt-5.5
extracted_at: '2026-04-28'
notes: |-
Used only the provided passage and metadata. Available taxonomy refs were applied only where the passage offered direct support or a cautious functional match.
batch_run_id=motif-extraction-2026-04-28-high-priority
custom_id=motif_extract:greek-plato-republic-jowett-gutenberg__l10460-l10547
passage_sha256=b79c943271599f68bf78ef55ae0ec9608a410db9460b0643579245048ae80d46