batch.motif.greek-plato-republic-jowett-gutenberg-l18913-l19020
---
record_id: batch.motif.greek-plato-republic-jowett-gutenberg-l18913-l19020
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/greek/project-gutenberg/republic-jowett.md
passage_locator:
label: BOOK IV. / BOOK V. / BOOK VI. / BOOK VII.; lines 18913-19020
start: '18913'
end: '19020'
translation: The Republic
notes: Generated from OpenAI Batch run motif-extraction-2026-04-28-high-priority;
human review required.
canonical_text:
quote: the journey upwards to be the ascent of the soul into the intellectual world
summary: 'The passage interprets the cave allegory: the prison-house belongs to
the visible world, fire is likened to the sun, and the upward journey is described
as the soul’s ascent toward intelligible reality and the good. It also describes
the difficulty of returning to the den, the nature of education as turning the
whole soul rather than implanting knowledge, and the need to redirect intelligence
away from lower desires toward truth.'
language: English
quote_policy: quoted
literal_observations:
- id: obs:1
text: A person who returned to the den with weak sight would appear ridiculous if
forced to compete with prisoners in measuring shadows.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: obs:2
text: The prisoners would say that the returned person went up and came back without
his eyes, and they would oppose ascending.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: obs:3
text: If someone tried to loose another prisoner and lead him toward the light,
the prisoners would put the offender to death if they caught him.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: obs:4
text: 'The speaker maps the allegory: the prison-house is the world of sight, the
fire’s light is the sun, and the journey upward is the soul’s ascent into the
intellectual world.'
category: relationship
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: obs:5
text: The idea of the good is said to appear last in the world of knowledge and
only with effort.
category: attribute
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: obs:6
text: The good is described as the author of beautiful and right things, parent
of light and of the lord of light, and source of reason and truth.
category: attribute
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: obs:7
text: Those who attain the vision are described as unwilling to descend to human
affairs because their souls desire the upper world.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: obs:8
text: A person returning from divine contemplations to human affairs may blink in
the surrounding darkness and struggle with disputes about images or shadows of
justice.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- id: obs:9
text: 'The passage distinguishes two kinds of visual bewilderment: coming out of
light into darkness and going from darkness into light.'
category: relationship
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- id: obs:10
text: The speaker rejects the claim that educators put knowledge into the soul as
though putting sight into blind eyes.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
- id: obs:11
text: The capacity for learning is said to exist already in the soul, but the whole
soul must be turned from becoming toward being and toward the good.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:9
- id: obs:12
text: Wisdom is described as containing a divine element that remains, becoming
useful or harmful depending on conversion.
category: attribute
evidence_refs:
- ev:10
- id: obs:13
text: A clever rogue is described as having keen sight directed toward evil ends.
category: attribute
evidence_refs:
- ev:11
- id: obs:14
text: Sensual pleasures such as eating and drinking are compared to leaden weights
attached at birth, dragging the soul’s vision downward.
category: object
evidence_refs:
- ev:12
figures:
- id: fig:1
name_or_label: Speaker
description: The first-person speaker explains and interprets the allegory to Glaucon.
role_refs:
- role:1
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:4
- ev:8
- ev:9
- id: fig:2
name_or_label: Glaucon
description: The addressed interlocutor gives brief replies of agreement or understanding.
role_refs:
- role:2
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:5
- ev:7
- id: fig:3
name_or_label: Prisoners in the den
description: People who have never moved out of the den and who measure shadows.
role_refs:
- role:3
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:2
- id: fig:4
name_or_label: Returned ascender
description: A person who has gone upward, returned to the den, and has weak or
unsteady sight.
role_refs:
- role:4
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:6
- ev:7
- id: fig:5
name_or_label: Liberator or offender
description: A person who attempts to loose another and lead him up to the light.
role_refs:
- role:5
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: fig:6
name_or_label: Professors of education
description: Teachers who claim that they can put knowledge into the soul as sight
into blind eyes.
role_refs:
- role:6
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
- id: fig:7
name_or_label: Clever rogue
description: A person with keen intelligence and sight, but whose faculty is directed
toward evil.
role_refs:
- role:7
evidence_refs:
- ev:11
- id: fig:8
name_or_label: Youthful natures
description: Natures imagined as potentially severed in youth from sensual pleasures
that drag them downward.
role_refs:
- role:8
evidence_refs:
- ev:12
roles:
- id: role:1
label: Allegorical interpreter
assigned_to:
- fig:1
basis: The speaker explicitly appends the allegory to the previous argument and
assigns meanings to its elements.
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: role:2
label: Interlocutor who assents
assigned_to:
- fig:2
basis: Glaucon is addressed and responds with agreement at several points.
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:5
- ev:7
- id: role:3
label: Unliberated shadow-observers
assigned_to:
- fig:3
basis: They remain in the den, measure shadows, and resist the ascent of others.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:2
- id: role:4
label: Visionary returnee
assigned_to:
- fig:4
basis: The figure has ascended and returned with weakened vision, producing ridicule
or difficulty in the den.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:6
- ev:7
- id: role:5
label: Threatened liberator
assigned_to:
- fig:5
basis: This figure tries to loose another and lead him up to the light, but is threatened
with death.
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: role:6
label: Mistaken educator
assigned_to:
- fig:6
basis: The professors are described as wrong for claiming to implant knowledge in
the soul.
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
- id: role:7
label: Misdirected intelligence
assigned_to:
- fig:7
basis: The clever rogue sees keenly, but his sight serves evil ends.
evidence_refs:
- ev:11
- id: role:8
label: Potentially purified learner
assigned_to:
- fig:8
basis: The youthful natures are imagined as severed from pleasures that weigh them
down and redirected toward truth.
evidence_refs:
- ev:12
symbols:
- id: sym:1
label: Den or prison-house
literal_form: Den; prison-house
associated_figures:
- fig:3
- fig:4
taxonomy_refs:
- cave
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:3
- id: sym:2
label: Shadows
literal_form: Shadows measured by prisoners; images or shadows of justice
associated_figures:
- fig:3
- fig:4
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:6
- id: sym:3
label: Fire and its light
literal_form: Light of the fire
associated_figures: []
taxonomy_refs:
- fire
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: sym:4
label: Sun and light
literal_form: Sun; light; brighter life; day
associated_figures:
- fig:4
- fig:5
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:3
- ev:7
- id: sym:5
label: Upward journey
literal_form: Journey upwards; ascent of the soul into the intellectual world
associated_figures:
- fig:4
- fig:5
taxonomy_refs:
- ascent
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: sym:6
label: Idea of the good
literal_form: The good, seen last and with effort in the world of knowledge
associated_figures: []
taxonomy_refs:
- wisdom
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- ev:9
- id: sym:7
label: Eye and sight
literal_form: Weak eyes, mind’s eye, blind eyes, faculty of sight
associated_figures:
- fig:4
- fig:6
- fig:7
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:7
- ev:8
- ev:11
- id: sym:8
label: Leaden weights
literal_form: Leaden weights attached at birth, identified with sensual pleasures
associated_figures:
- fig:8
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:12
- id: sym:9
label: Circumcision or severing
literal_form: Circumcision of natures; severing from sensual pleasures
associated_figures:
- fig:8
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:12
scenes:
- id: scene:1
label: Return to the den and resistance
summary: A returned ascender, still unaccustomed to darkness, would be mocked by
prisoners who measure shadows; anyone trying to free another and lead him upward
would be threatened with death.
figure_refs:
- fig:3
- fig:4
- fig:5
symbol_refs:
- sym:1
- sym:2
- sym:4
- sym:5
- sym:7
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:2
- id: scene:2
label: Interpretation of the cave allegory
summary: The speaker explains that the prison-house corresponds to the visible world,
the fire to the sun, and the upward journey to the soul’s ascent into the intellectual
world.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:2
symbol_refs:
- sym:1
- sym:3
- sym:4
- sym:5
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: scene:3
label: Vision of the good
summary: The good is described as seen last and only with effort, and as the source
of beauty, rightness, light, reason, and truth.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:2
symbol_refs:
- sym:4
- sym:6
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: scene:4
label: Descent from contemplation to human affairs
summary: Those who have seen the upper world are unwilling to descend, and when
compelled to deal with human affairs they may appear awkward because they must
handle shadows or images of justice.
figure_refs:
- fig:4
symbol_refs:
- sym:1
- sym:2
- sym:4
- sym:7
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- ev:6
- ev:7
- id: scene:5
label: Education as conversion of the soul
summary: The passage argues that education does not implant sight or knowledge,
but turns the whole soul from becoming toward being and the good.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:6
symbol_refs:
- sym:6
- sym:7
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
- ev:9
- id: scene:6
label: Misdirected and redirected intelligence
summary: Wisdom is said to contain a divine element that can become useful or harmful
depending on direction; a clever rogue exemplifies keen but evil-directed sight,
while youthful natures could be severed from pleasures that drag them down.
figure_refs:
- fig:7
- fig:8
symbol_refs:
- sym:7
- sym:8
- sym:9
evidence_refs:
- ev:10
- ev:11
- ev:12
candidate_motifs:
- id: motif:1
label: Ascent of the soul toward intelligible light
taxonomy_refs:
- ascent
basis: The passage explicitly identifies the upward journey as the ascent of the
soul into the intellectual world.
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
confidence: high
cautions: The ascent is philosophical and allegorical rather than a narrated physical
journey.
- id: motif:2
label: Wisdom as vision of the good
taxonomy_refs:
- wisdom
basis: The good is described as difficult to see, as the source of reason and truth,
and as the object toward which the soul must be turned.
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- ev:9
- ev:10
confidence: high
cautions: The passage presents a philosophical doctrine, not a mythic personification
of Wisdom.
- id: motif:3
label: Return of the enlightened figure to darkness
taxonomy_refs:
- return
basis: The passage describes one who returns from above or from divine contemplations
into the den or human affairs and is mocked or disoriented.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:5
- ev:6
- ev:7
confidence: medium
cautions: The return is framed as an allegorical and educational problem rather
than a full heroic return narrative.
- id: motif:4
label: Initiatory turning or conversion of the whole soul
taxonomy_refs:
- initiation
- wisdom
basis: Learning is described as a gradual turning of the whole soul toward being
and the good, not as the external insertion of knowledge.
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
- ev:9
confidence: medium
cautions: The text uses philosophical education language; initiation is an interpretive
motif-family fit rather than an explicit ritual episode.
- id: motif:5
label: Purification from downward-dragging pleasures
taxonomy_refs:
- initiation
basis: The passage imagines youthful natures severed from sensual pleasures that
act like leaden weights and redirected toward truth.
evidence_refs:
- ev:12
confidence: medium
cautions: The severing image is metaphorical and not described as an actual rite.
comparison_claims: []
evidence:
- id: ev:1
type: quote
locator: 18913-18921
quote_or_summary: A returned ascender would compete in measuring shadows with prisoners
who had never left the den, while his sight was still weak; others would say he
went up and came back without his eyes.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/greek/project-gutenberg/republic-jowett.md
rights_note: Public domain source; short excerpt summarized.
- id: ev:2
type: quote
locator: 18921-18925
quote_or_summary: If anyone tried to loose another and lead him up to the light,
the prisoners would catch the offender and put him to death.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/greek/project-gutenberg/republic-jowett.md
rights_note: Public domain source; short excerpt summarized.
- id: ev:3
type: quote
locator: 18929-18937
quote_or_summary: The speaker says the prison-house is the world of sight, the fire’s
light is the sun, and the upward journey is the ascent of the soul into the intellectual
world.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/greek/project-gutenberg/republic-jowett.md
rights_note: Public domain source; short excerpt summarized.
- id: ev:4
type: quote
locator: 18937-18947
quote_or_summary: The idea of good appears last and with effort; when seen it is
inferred to be author of all beautiful and right things, parent of light and source
of reason and truth.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/greek/project-gutenberg/republic-jowett.md
rights_note: Public domain source; short excerpt summarized.
- id: ev:5
type: summary
locator: 18951-18957
quote_or_summary: Those attaining the beatific vision are unwilling to descend to
human affairs because their souls hasten toward and desire the upper world.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/greek/project-gutenberg/republic-jowett.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized.
- id: ev:6
type: summary
locator: 18959-18968
quote_or_summary: One who passes from divine contemplations to human affairs may
appear ridiculous while blinking in darkness and arguing about images or shadows
of justice with those who have not seen absolute justice.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/greek/project-gutenberg/republic-jowett.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized.
- id: ev:7
type: summary
locator: 18972-18987
quote_or_summary: The passage distinguishes bewilderment caused by coming from light
into darkness from bewilderment caused by going from darkness into light, applying
this to both bodily and mental vision.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/greek/project-gutenberg/republic-jowett.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized.
- id: ev:8
type: summary
locator: 18991-18997
quote_or_summary: The speaker says certain educators are wrong when they claim to
put knowledge into the soul as if putting sight into blind eyes.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/greek/project-gutenberg/republic-jowett.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized.
- id: ev:9
type: summary
locator: 18999-19008
quote_or_summary: The capacity of learning exists in the soul already; the whole
soul must turn from becoming toward being and learn to endure the sight of the
good.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/greek/project-gutenberg/republic-jowett.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized.
- id: ev:10
type: summary
locator: 19014-19020
quote_or_summary: Wisdom is said to contain a divine element that remains, becoming
useful and profitable by conversion or harmful and useless otherwise.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/greek/project-gutenberg/republic-jowett.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized.
- id: ev:11
type: summary
locator: '19020'
quote_or_summary: A clever rogue is described as having a keen eye and clear sight
toward his end, with sight forced into evil service.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/greek/project-gutenberg/republic-jowett.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized.
- id: ev:12
type: summary
locator: '19020'
quote_or_summary: The passage imagines youthful natures severed from sensual pleasures
such as eating and drinking, which are compared to leaden weights that drag the
soul’s vision downward.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/greek/project-gutenberg/republic-jowett.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized.
confidence:
extraction: high
motif_candidates: medium
comparison_claims: uncertain
notes: The allegorical mappings are explicit in the passage. Motif-family assignments
beyond ascent and wisdom are more interpretive and should be reviewed.
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: |-
No external comparisons were added because the passage itself does not make a comparative claim beyond its internal allegorical interpretation.
batch_run_id=motif-extraction-2026-04-28-high-priority
custom_id=motif_extract:greek-plato-republic-jowett-gutenberg__l18913-l19020
passage_sha256=9af57e871939cc0f9374546ac771a04bfa5a267ae260f78405b620add546adac