PLUTARCO, PLATONICAE QUAESTIONES. TRADUZIONE E COMMENTO.

The aim of the thesis is the Italian translation and the first Italian running commentary of Plutarch’s exegetical work Platonicae Quaestiones (following the text established by Harold Cherniss in his critic edition for the Loeb Classical Library, Plutarch Moralia vol. XIII, part. I, 1976). The introduction of the thesis is devoted to the literary genre of the quaestiones, its importance in the imperial age and within Plutarch’s philosophical production. The core of the thesis is then composed by the translation followed by an accurate study of each quaestio. The commentary focuses on Plutarch’s argumentation, starting from his approach to the platonic text quoted at the beginning of the quaestio. Hence, Plutarch’s exegesis is compared with that of the other platonic questions, with the plutarchean corpus and with the platonic environment of his time. The commentary reports the modern debate about each quaestio. The conclusion of the thesis tries to demonstrate the presence of a thematic continuity within the ten quaestiones, that apparently are only a disorganized collection. Given this feature, it is less plausible to imagine that Plutarch composed the Platonicae Quaestiones with the specific aim to build a philosophical path. On the other hand, it is more than correct to recognize that the impression of a thematic continuity within the ten quaestiones depends on the ubiquitous presence of those issues that are pivotal in Plutarch’s philosophy: god, cosmic soul and individual soul.