Platos The Symposium

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Platos The Symposium
Symposium Scene Attic Red Figure Cup, c.
490BC (Berlin)
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Structure

• Prologue (172a-177c)
• Cycle One
• Phaedrus Speech
• (178a-180b)
• Pausanias Speech
• (180c-185e)
• Eryximachus Speech (186a-188e)
• Aristophanes Speech
• (189-193e)
• Agathons Speech
• (194a-194d) (194e-197e)

• Cycle Two
• Transition from Agathon to Socrates (198a-201d)
• Diotimas Speech
• (201e-204c)(204c-209e) (210a-212d)
• - Alcibiades Speech
• (212e-214e)
• (214e-222b)
• Conclusion (222c-223d)

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Prologue (172a-178a)

• Frame Conversation
• Eagerness to find out about speeches on love
• Enthusiasm to follow Socrates in adopting
  philosophy as a way of life
• Aristodemus tells Apollodorus about the Symposium
  Companion urges to learn
• Eryximachus proposes a topic from Phaedrus
  complaint Eulogy to other gods but none to Love
• Phaedrus complains Phaedrus begins

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Cycle One
D. Aristophanes Disharmony
C. Eryximachus Harmony
A. Phaedrus Extremely Subjective
B. Pausanius Extremely Objective
E.Agathon Ornamental rhetoric
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Phaedrus Speech

• How great god of love, Eros, is!
• WHY?
• Not common sexual power
• One of most ancient honored, thus source of
  greatest benefits
• Eros makes us act properly
• Lines 178b, 180b

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Pausanias Speech

• Love not single thing, thus must define
• Proper vs. Vulgar Love
• Heavenly vs. Common Aphrodite
• Distinction?

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Eryximachus Speech

• Love in terms of harmony
• Relation between all things
• Line 188d
• Significance of hiccups

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Aristophanes Speech

• Value the discords, disharmonies, of life
• Invents myth
• Once each person complete
• Love originates in split
• Rationalist why?
• Love Paradoxical why?

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Agathons Speech

• Distinguish what love is before we praise how
  love appears to us (195a)
• Speaks of gods justice, moderation, courage,
  wisdom THEN
• Ornamental rhetoric

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Cycle Two
G. Diotima Love desire to have good forever
H. Alcibiades Paradoxes of Socrates
E. Agathon Ornamental Rhetoric
F. Socrates Rejects others Dynamic relation of
lack desire
H. Alcibiades demonstrates his charisma
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Socrates Speech(198a-201d)

• Refutes Agathon
• Rejects mythologizing rhetoric
• Rather
• Love is not a thing, rather a dynamic relation
• Relation of desiring what one lacks, but not
  possessing
• Desire beautiful and good

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Diotimas Speech (201e-204c)

• What is not beautiful/good is not ugly/bad
• Rather the in between
• Can Love be a god?
• What is Loves Nature?
• What is Loves Origin? Myth

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Diotimas Speech (204c-209e)

• Q Why is Love of Beautiful Things? Or
• Q What does he desire?
• A to possess beautiful things
• Q What does he get when he possesses them?
• Kalos (beautiful fine, right, noble)
• Agathos (good, beneficial)
• A Happiness

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Diotimas Speech (cont.)

• Q Does everyone have this wish?
• A Yes
• Q Is everyone a lover?
• A HMMMM!

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Love is the desire to have the good forever. -
Diotima

• Q What way, what type of action results in this
  goal?
• A giving birth in body and mind
• Q Why reproduction?
• A Closest to immortality
• Q Cause of this desire
• A Every mortal quests for immortality

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Diotimas Speech(210a-212d)

• Height of Idealism Neoplatonic Mysticism
• Correct Approach to one special type of knowledge
• Which is?
• Beauty always is
• Not beautiful in respect to anything, it is as it
  is
• All share its character, but it does not increase
  or decrease
• Gazing on beauty one gives birth to VIRTUE

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Diotimas Summation(211c-212a)
Gazing on divine beauty one does not give birth
to images of virtue but VIRTUE itself!
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Alcibiades Speech(212e-214e)(214e-222b)

• Significance of his drunken interruption?
• Diotimas ALL (abstract) to ONE UNIQUE
• Compares Socrates to flute-players satyrs
• Socrates character public vs. private
• Socrates life is model of justice, moderation,
  courage, wisdom!
• Socrates is the ultimate lover (222a)

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Conclusion(222c-223d)
We should look to cycles of speeches as a whole
and then react however, What did Alcibiades do?
Just the opposite!
What ultimately happens to Alcibiades, Athens and
Socrates?
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Nature of LovebyIrving Singer

• Nomos custom, usage, law
• Philia affection, friendship, love
• Eros passion, love
• Agape love be thankful

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Speakers Types of Love

• Nomos
• Pausanias of Phaedrus
• Socrates of Agathon
• Philia
• Eryximachus
• Diotimas mysticism

• Eros
• Aristophanes split self
• Socrates shaming Alcibiades
• Agape
• Phaedrus
• Agathon
• Alcibiades uncorrected