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    Symposium

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    Galang Firdaus
    The document summarizes Plato's Symposium, which depicts a banquet held to discuss the nature of love. It introduces the attendees including Socrates, Agathon, Pausanias, Eryximachus, Aristophanes, and Alcibiades. Each speaker then gives a speech on the essence of love, with Phaedrus claiming love brings honor, Pausanias distinguishing types of love, Eryximachus discussing love in medicine, and Aristophanes proposing a myth of soulmates. Agathon praises love's virtues while Socrates questions his view. A drunk Alcibiades praises Socrates before the discussion concludes.

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    Symposium

    Uploaded by

    Galang Firdaus
    71 views14 pages
    The document summarizes Plato's Symposium, which depicts a banquet held to discuss the nature of love. It introduces the attendees including Socrates, Agathon, Pausanias, Eryximachus, Aristophanes, and Alcibiades. Each speaker then gives a speech on the essence of love, with Phaedrus claiming love brings honor, Pausanias distinguishing types of love, Eryximachus discussing love in medicine, and Aristophanes proposing a myth of soulmates. Agathon praises love's virtues while Socrates questions his view. A drunk Alcibiades praises Socrates before the discussion concludes.

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    Short summary and Analysis of Symposium

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    The document summarizes Plato's Symposium, which depicts a banquet held to discuss the nature of love. It introduces the attendees including Socrates, Agathon, Pausanias, Eryximachus, Aristophanes, and Alcibiades. Each speaker then gives a speech on the essence of love, with Phaedrus claiming love brings honor, Pausanias distinguishing types of love, Eryximachus discussing love in medicine, and Aristophanes proposing a myth of soulmates. Agathon praises love's virtues while Socrates questions his view. A drunk Alcibiades praises Socrates before the discussion concludes.

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    © All Rights Reserved
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    Download as pptx, pdf, or txt
    71 views14 pages

    Symposium

    Uploaded by

    Galang Firdaus
    The document summarizes Plato's Symposium, which depicts a banquet held to discuss the nature of love. It introduces the attendees including Socrates, Agathon, Pausanias, Eryximachus, Aristophanes, and Alcibiades. Each speaker then gives a speech on the essence of love, with Phaedrus claiming love brings honor, Pausanias distinguishing types of love, Eryximachus discussing love in medicine, and Aristophanes proposing a myth of soulmates. Agathon praises love's virtues while Socrates questions his view. A drunk Alcibiades praises Socrates before the discussion concludes.

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    of 14

    PLATO’S SYMPOSIUM

    PERSONS OF THE DIALOGUE:


     Apollodorus: the narrator of this dialogue, but not an attendant of the banquet; a
    wealthy follower of Socrates from Phalerum; he was only 13 when the banquet took
    place.
     Aristodemus: “a little fellow, who never wore any shoes” is the man who told the tale
    to Apollodorus and whom Apollodorus is quoting; he was at the symposium, but did
    not deliver a speech (encomium).
     Glaucon: possibly, Plato’s older brother
     Phaedrus: Aristocratic Athenian
     Pausanias: lawyer; Agathon’s lover
     Eryximachus: physician
     Aristophanes: comedic playwright
     Agathon: tragic playwright, Agathon won the prize at the Dionysia (a theatrical
    competition and religious festival)
     Socrates: Athenian philosopher; founder of the Western tradition of philosophy.
     Alcibiades: Athenian aristocrat and general
    SCENE: THE HOUSE OF AGATHON. 416 BC.

    Alcibiades (far left, drunk); Pausanias (behind Agathon); Agathon (centre); Socrates
    (bent head); Aristophanes (facing Socrates, black beard); Aristodemus (figure
    against wall behind Socrates)
    APOLLODORUS

     The second-level narrator of the Symposium,


    and the first character encountered in the
    dialogue
     Apollodorus heard the story of the symposium
    from Aristodemus and recounts it once more to
    an unnamed companion
    ARISTODEMUS

     Guest at the symposium, a great admirer of


    Socrates
     First-level narrator of the events (the source)
    PHAEDRUS

     Posits that Love is one of the oldest of the


    gods, he is also the source of the greatest
    benefits to us.
     Motive: Sense of honor and dishonor, lovers
    avoid dishonor, pushes the lovers. (will be more pained at
    being detected by his beloved than at being seen by his father, or by his companions,
    or by any one else )
     Phaedrus is making a distinction between the lover (the older, dominant
    partner) and the love or beloved (the younger, submissive partner). The
    beloved is always more beautiful and, in gay male relationships, young
    enough to be beardless. (Pederasty)
    PAUSANIAS

     Life-long lover of Agathon (homosexuals)


     Draws distinction between Common Love,
    (Common Aphrodite) involves simple and
    mindless desire, and Heavenly Love (Heavenly
    Aphrodite mother of heavenly Eros)
     Wanted to distinguish, must be specific

     Unique: Heavenly pursuit for goodness, which is


    lacking in commonly Eros.
    ERYXIMACHUS

     Aristophanes was next, but either he had eaten


    too much, or from some other cause he had the
    hiccups, and was obliged to change turns with
    Eryximachus the physician. (comic relief)
     Eros brings harmony and love is everywhere,
    love is behind harmony in medicine.
     Eros in terms of medicine
    ARISTOPHANES
     Greatest comic poet of ancient
    times
     Draws an engaging myth
    suggesting we were once all
    twice the people we are now, but
    that our threat to the gods
    prompted Zeus to cut us in half.
    Ever since, we have wandered
    the earth looking for our other
    half in order to rejoin with it and
    become whole.
     Happiness found in other person
    (Earthly Eros)
    AGATHON
     Young, beautiful, and very clever with words –
    uses rhetoric to disprove other views
     Partner in a life-long relationship with
    Pausanias
     Identifies Love (Eros) as young, beautiful,
    sensitive, and wise, also sees Love as
    responsible for implanting all the virtues in us
     Eros both pursuit goodness & beauty and also
    and beauty himself
    SOCRATES
     Cross examine Agathon, questioning if we in
    pursuit of something it means we lack it
    ourselves. Questioning about Eros this way.
     We seek for goodness and beauty but also
    immortality (Reproduce). Through philosophy
    (gain wisdom) we can define the essence of
    immortality.
     Immortality can be obtained after we die and
    that’s the true love.
    ALCIBIADES

     Rushes into the Symposium completely drunk


     Praising Socrates

     Complaining about Socrates who doesn’t love


    him back.
     Story ended with
    Socrates going home
    after everyone asleep.
    THANK YOU

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