The Symposium.docx

1、The SymposiumPlato The SymposiumOverall SummaryCharactersOverall Analysis and ThemesApollodorus relates to an unnamed companion a story he learned from Aristodemus about a symposium, or dinner-party, given in honor of the tragedian Agathon. Socrates arrives at the party late, as he was lost in thoug

2、ht on the neighboring porch. After they have finished eating, Eryximachus picks up on a suggestion of Phaedrus, that each person should in turn make a speech in praise of the god of Love. Phaedrus begins by saying that Love is one of the oldest of the gods, and the one that does the most to promote

3、virtue in people. Pausanias follows Phaedrus, drawing a distinction between Common Love, which involves simple and mindless desire, and Heavenly Love, which always takes place between a man and a boy. In the case of Heavenly Love, the boy, or loved one, sexually gratifies the man, or lover, in excha

4、nge for education in wisdom and virtue. After Pausanias, Eryximachus, the doctor, speaks, suggesting that good Love promotes moderation and orderliness. Love does not restrict itself to human interaction, but can be found in music, medicine, and much else besides. The next to speak is the comic poet

5、 Aristophanes. Aristophanes draws an engaging myth that suggests that 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. Agathon

6、follows up Aristophanes, and gives a rhetorically elaborate speech that identifies Love as young, beautiful, sensitive, and wise. He also sees Love as responsible for implanting all the virtues in us. Socrates questions Agathons speech, suggesting that Agathon has spoken about the object of Love, ra

7、ther than Love itself. In order to correct him, Socrates relates what he was once told by a wise woman named Diotima. According to Diotima, Love is not a god at all, but is rather a spirit that mediates between people and the objects of their desire. Love is neither wise nor beautiful, but is rather

8、 the desire for wisdom and beauty. Love expresses itself through pregnancy and reproduction, either through the bodily kind of sexual Love or through the sharing and reproduction of ideas. The greatest knowledge of all, she confides, is knowledge of the Form of Beauty, which we must strive to attain

9、. At the end of Socrates speech, Alcibiades bursts in, falling-down drunk, and delivers a eulogy to Socrates himself. In spite of Alcibiades best efforts, he has never managed to seduce Socrates as Socrates has no interest at all in physical pleasure. Soon the party descends into chaos and drinking

10、and Aristodemus falls asleep. He awakes the next morning to find Socrates still conversing. When everyone else has finally fallen asleep, Socrates gets up and goes about his daily business as always.Overall Analysis and ThemesOverall Summary172a - 177eThe prominent place the Symposium holds in our c

11、anon comes as much as a result of its literary merit as its philosophical merit. While other works among Platos middle-period dialogues, such as the Republic and the Phaedo, contain more philosophical meat, more closely examining the Theory of Forms and intensely cross-examining interlocutors, none

12、can match the dramatic force of the Symposium. It is lively and entertaining, with sharp and witty characterization that gives us valuable insight into the social life of Athenian intellectual circles. From a philosophical standpoint, the Symposium is also far from bankrupt. Not only does it give us

13、 some insight into the Theory of Forms in Diotimas discussion of the Form of Beauty, but it also gives us a number of varying perspectives on love. Significantly, we see Plato rejecting the romanticization of sexual love, valuing above all an asexual and all-consuming passion for wisdom and beauty.

14、Ultimately, he concludes, the philosophers search for wisdom is the most valuable of all pursuits. In the Symposium, Plato values philosophy, as exemplified by Socrates, over a number of other arts which are given as points of comparison: medicine, as exemplified by Eryximachus, comedy as exemplifie

15、d by Aristophanes, and tragedy as exemplified by Agathon. The series of speeches in praise of Love are not simply meant as beating around the bush that leads up to the main event. They mirror Diotimas discussion of the mysteries, where she suggests that one can approach the truth only through a slow

16、 and careful ascent. Similarly, we can see each speech, with a few exceptions, as coming closer and closer to the truth. This suggestion is reinforced by the fact that Socrates alludes to all the foregoing speeches in his own speech, as if to suggest that his words could not be spoken until everyone

17、 else had said their piece. This staggered approach to truth is also reflected in the framing of the narrative, whereby we are only able to gain access to this story through a series of narrative filters. We should note that Socrates is the exemplar of the lover of wisdom and the lover of beauty, bu

18、t is neither wise nor beautiful himself. In this way, he best represents Love, which Diotima describes as a mediating spirit that moves between gods and men. Love himself never has anything, but is always desirous of happiness, beauty, and wisdom. The same is true with Socrates. Those who follow his

19、 lead will not necessarily attain wisdom, but will find fulfillment in a life-long pursuit of wisdom. The state of having attained wisdom is represented by Diotima, not Socrates, and she speaks through Socrates as a god-like and unapproachable figure. There is also some discussion as to exactly what

20、 is being discussed in the Symposium. The Greek word eros leaves the matter ambiguous as to whether we are discussing love in the normal, human, sense of the word, or if we are discussing desire in a much broader sense. The later speeches in particular tend toward this broader interpretation. Diotim

21、a gives what is perhaps a satisfactory answer by suggesting that, while all kinds of desire might be considered love, we normally restrict use of that term to one particular kind of desire, the desire that exists between two human beings. Philosophy aside, however, the Symposium still makes a terrif

22、ic read. Aristophanes myth is delightful, Alcibiades drunken antics are entertaining, and the whole narrative shimmers with life. We also get a very clear sense of the dynamics of sexual attraction and courtship-both male-male and male-female-in ancient Athens, and we are given a beautiful portrait

23、of one of the high-points of the Athenian scene: the symposium. 172a - 177eN.B.: There are no natural breaks in the text as Plato wrote it, so these notes on the text have been divided artificially, sections beginning or breaking off where a new theme or topic is introduced or dropped. Because page

24、numbers may vary from edition to edition, these sections have been demarcated according to the Stephanus numbers, the page numbers from the 1578 complete works edited by Henri Estienne (Stephanus in Latin). The Stephanus numbers are the standard page references in scholarly work on Plato, and most e

25、ditions of his work contain the Stephanus numbers along the margins. Summary The dialogue opens with Apollodorus agreeing to tell an unnamed companion who is a rich businessman the famous story of the party held in honor of Agathon to celebrate the success of his first tragedy. Apollodorus retells t

26、he account he gave to Glaucon (Platos half-brother and main interlocutor of the Republic) who had in turn heard of the party from some other, less reliable source. Glaucon had thought Apollodorus had been in attendance, but Apollodorus points out that the party took place many years ago, when he and

27、 Glaucon were just children. Apollodorus had heard the story from Aristodemus, one of the guests at the party, and had also checked some of the facts with Socrates himself. The story begins with Aristodemus encountering Socrates, who has recently bathed and put on sandals-things he rarely does. Aris

28、todemus inquires as to why Socrates is all dressed up, and Socrates answers that he is going to dinner at Agathons. Agathons tragedy won him first prize at the Lenaean festival the previous day, and while Socrates shunned the large crowds of yesterdays celebrations, he promised to join Agathon today

29、. Socrates invites Aristodemus to join him, and while Aristodemus is at first hesitant about dropping in uninvited, Socrates persuades him that he must come. Aristodemus and Socrates head off toward Agathons together, but Socrates keeps falling behind, lost in thought. Socrates urges Aristodemus to

30、go ahead, saying he will catch up. As a result, Aristodemus arrives at Agathons without Socrates and is welcomed in alone. Agathon is delighted to see him, saying that he was looking for him yesterday so as to invite him. Aristodemus explains that he came upon Socrates invitation, and is surprised t

31、o find that Socrates has not caught up with him. Agathon sends out a slave to find him, and the slave returns, reporting that Socrates is standing on a neighbors porch and will not come in. Agathon orders the slave to go and fetch him in, but Aristodemus insists that Socrates be left alone: he will

32、come of his own accord when he has finished thinking. Aristodemus joins the other guests and they begin eating. Among those assembled, there is the young Phaedrus, Agathons life-partner Pausanias, a doctor named Eryximachus, and the great comic playwright Aristophanes. The meal is halfway over by th

33、e time Socrates finally appears. Agathon encourages Socrates to join him on his couch so that he may share in the wisdom that came to Socrates on the neighboring porch. Socrates remarks that if wisdom could flow freely from the wiser to the less wise, Socrates should be the one benefiting from sitting near Agathon. Noting