Symposium

The meaning of Eros and its functions is intricate and unique, such as how it serves. In The Symposium, by Plato, patrons evaluate Eros functions and purpose by giving their own interpretation on love. Each speech is unique and critiques previous speeches to show purpose for their own individual interpretation. Agathon concentrated on details, such as “love’s virtues”(196c) and described how others had “[failed to speak about] the nature of the god himself”(195a). However, Diotima (unveiled by Socrates) demonstrated how while Agathon's speech was “beautiful”(198b), but lacked real philosophical content. Agathon argued Eros is the happiest god because “he is the most beautiful and [the] best”(195b). Agathon described Eros’ different “moral character”(Arete). He began his speech by addressing “love’s [four] virtues”(196c); Justice,moderation,bravery,and wisdom. Agathon described moderation as having power over impulses,such as pleasures or passions.…

are many situations where love reigns. In Plato’s The Symposium a woman named Diotima, who is a philosopher educates Socrates about the ways of love and she answers this question in a way that challenged the perception of love that was conceived all throughout history. Love is not an object but a lover in search for beauty. In her speech she uses ideas and metaphors that forces Socrates to asks many questions and think unconventionally. In Diotima’s speech she addresses how the soul’s ascent to…

The passage that I found most interesting in The Symposium is related to the speech of Aristophanes, which defines the changing nature of love as a mythical and biological definition in the human condition: “First you must learn what human nature is in the beginning and what has happened to it since, because long ago our nature was not what it is now” (Plato p.25, 189d). In this passage, Aristophanes is defining the mythical story of the differences between human beings in the biology of sex,…

Plato’s Symposium was written in the fourth century B.C.E. in Ancient Greece. Written in Greek, the Symposium reports a series of eulogies to love given by men to entertain themselves and others at the court of playwright Agathon, celebrating his recent victory. While each of the eulogies is about love, Plato uses this dialog to express political ideas. He describes the reasons why change hasn’t already occurred. These barriers include tendencies away from change, lack of awareness for the need…

An Analysis of Beauty in Plato’s Symposium The Symposium is Plato’s account of six speeches on the meaning of love. The setting of a symposium is quite telling of Greek culture at that time for it was a culture that failed to emphasize the virtue of self-control. For the Greeks a symposium was a night filled with heavy drinking, sexual indulgence, and other sorts of vulgar entertainment. Such a setting threatens to undermine the validity of an entire work. If, upon examination, Plato’s…

Plato's Symposium focuses on a group of intellectual men each giving a speech in praise of the god of love. Taking turns each man gives his definition of love and some of the speeches concern themselves with how love interacts with nature. One of the more influential speeches was given by Socrates in the narrative of a woman named Diotima. This speech is more focused on a definition of love, one different from what most people consider, and how it can be used to reach immortality, an ascent to…

Throughout Plato’s Symposium there are many encounters where a theme is present. All seven of the eulogies touch on a few important points, origin of genealogy, good qualities other than virtue but also virtue such as, wisdom, justice, and courage, habits and way of life, and lastly, achievement of subject contested with those of the other. The most relevant theme of all was, love and wisdom. Plato is known for the style of writing, frame within a frame. This style of writing will become…

The Symposium is an ancient philosophical book written by the famed Greek philosopher, Plato. Plato was born and lived in Athens and was a student of Socrates, another famous Greek philosopher who is present as a character in the Symposium. The date for when Plato wrote the Symposium is not exactly known, but it is believed by scholars to have been written likely no earlier than 385 BC. The setting of the story itself, however, takes place several decades earlier, c. 416 BC. The story takes…

In Plato's Symposium, three main speeches/eulogies addressed by Aristophanes, Socrates and Alcibiades achieved deeper thought than others. These dialects contain strengths and weaknesses for approaching of understanding love as well as a conflict on the superiority of which individuals should abide by. Aristophanes’ accounts for the origin of love as being due to people originally having been welded with twice as many limbs and organs but forced to being split into halves by the gods as a…

Response: After reading everyone's speeches displayed throughout the Symposium, I felt as if their styles were very unique to themselves and they openly displayed their opinions without hesitation. Although they are all discussing the unanimous topic of Eros, they discuss the matter with such different tones that display Eros in multiple personas. I found this striking because every single speaker viewed Eros in their own way, often shifting the mood of the dinner back and forth. Starting off…