Plato would have viewed Henry as a man who is unvirtuous. Everyone in the begining of the movie wanted to be like Henry Turner. Most Greeks probably would have found Henry as an object of desire. Plato would have said that even though Herny was an object of desire to most people he, however, was not a virtuous person because Henry failed to practice the four Cardinal Virtues.

Henry was a very smart, sucessful lawyer that could win almost any case he was given. Most people would say that Henry was a wise man. However Plato would have to dissagree. Plato says that " wisdom is knowledge of the unchanging nature, essence or form of things, especially of the human being and the virtues. Knowledge of what is best for the whole person, body and soul,

After Henry Turners brush with near death he must learn how to walk, and talk all over again. After much rehabilitation Hank is able to go back to his life that he lived before the shooting. Hank, however, has difficulty trying to be the person he once was. Hank is someone Plato would say is on his way to obtaining all four Cardinal Virtues. This revelation can best be summed up with many examples from Plato's Symposium and how they relate to Hank in the movie.

When Hank returns to work, he starts looking at previous cases he defended and he comes to the one he had won right before he was shot. He finds a document that would have proved the prosecutor to win the lawsuit. It was a signed afidavit of someone stating that what the prosecutor says is true because they heard them say it. But Henry and his partners avoided using the afidavit at all cost during that trial. This will scene leads to Hanks path to being virtuous. Plato would use this scene to explain how people grow to become virtuous. He would quote from Diotima's speech in the Syposium to set up his argument that Hank was on the path of virtuosity. When Socrates was learning what love was by Diotima, she tells him that love is giving birth in beauty. She says " All of us are pregnant, Socrates, both in body and in soul, and as soon as we come to a certain age, we naturally desire to give birth"(Plato 53) Hank is a form of Henry " giving birth ".

and the know-how to act on that knowledge."(The Cardinal Virtues p1) Plato would say that Henry lacks knowledge according to his definition. Henry is more concerned with what is best for his life. Plato would feel that without knowledge a person could not be considered wise.

Beauty is developed from stepping stones starting with beautiful things and ending in knowing what it is to be beautiful. (Plato 59) Plato would agree that Hank's life was made of stepping stones he used to grow into the virtuous person developing at the end of the movie. The beautiful things would be a colorful way to compare it to Hank's knowing right from wrong. Beauty fully understanding what it is to be beautiful would be compared to Hank knowing that what he did was right. In the end, like understanding the true meaning of being beautiful, there are no doubts about what you have done and what steps you took in order to achieve that.

Some common words found in the essay are:
Plato's Symposium, Cardinal Virtues, Plato Diotima, Plato Henry, Euthyphro Socrates, Plato Hank, Regarding Henry, Virtues Henry, Henry Prosecutor, Henry Hank, cardinal virtues, virtues p1, cardinal virtues p1, plato henry, justice plato, obtained virtue, henry lacked, hank knowing, p1 plato henry, person live, soul perform, henry lacked courage, plato feel, virtues p1 plato, hank obtained virtue,
Approximate Word count = 1629
Approximate Pages = 7 (250 words per page double spaced)