The Accounts Of Eros In The symposium Essay - 1797 Words

The Accounts of Eros in the quot;Symposiumquot; The word love carries with it many, many different interpretations. In modern day, our views on what is appropriate love is much different from the views from the time of Socrates and Plato. To them love was eros, a direct translation of the word love. However, the word itself wasnt the only thing that was different about love. In Platos quot;Symposiumquot;, there is a celebration for Agathon. He had just won a dramatic contest in Athens, Greece two nights ago. It is customary to drink much wine at these gatherings, however, every one present is too weak from the night before. (Nehamas amp; Woodruff, pg. xiii) So a proposition is made, by Phaedrus, to properly give praise to the†¦show more content†¦She speaks of the way Love was conceived, a clever scheme by a god to escape her misfortunes. It seems the goddess of poverty, Penia laid down beside Poros and became pregnant with Love (Nehamas amp; Woodruff, pg.48) This makes Love unique. Love is good, though, because he is a lover of wisdom, that is, he pursues the notion of philosophy. But, he is in between wisdom and ignorance (Nehamas amp; Woodruff, pg. 49), according to Diotima, which is much different an account from the other speakers. Phaedrus had placed Love at the top of all gods, describing ways in which Love quot;breathes might into some of the heroes,quot; (Nehamas amp; Woodruff, pg. 10). This is untrue. However, Diotima speaks of ways in which love helps human beings. This happens when the love for things like sports or poetry helps a person create something from nothing. Love is a word used to describe the whole, where there are special parts of love used to describe specific passions and possessions. (Nehamas amp; Woodruff, pg. 51). And love is wanting to posses the good forever (Nehamas amp; Woodruff, pg. 52) Finally we see the main points in Diotimas argument when she accurately describes the real purpose of love. It is almost like a natural instinct. All animals, including humans, have a need to reproduce. The real purpose in love is giving birth in beauty, whether in body or soul (Nehamas amp; Woodruff, pg.53). This means that the pregnant person causes the baby, or new born idea if theShow MoreRelatedWilliam Miller s The Of The Soul 940 Words   |  4 Pagespresented in a speech in the Symposium, and it is of intrigue as to why it never became a part of the soul Plato set out to define. Perhaps it was too much for him to interfere with the parallel between the city and the soul that he describes earlier in this work and their reliance on three parts. Or, as Cooper asks, was Plato meaning to leave a discussion on the eros under the surface of his work in the Republic? (pgs. 350-61). Regardless, discourse concerning eros in the Republic has taken placeRead MoreHomosexual Relationships Involving The Great Deities And Heroes1362 Words   |  6 Pagesgreat deities and brave heroes. In facts, those pieces of information were considered by our moral standards unappropriated and negligible, such that they had to be distorted in some way before the stories reach the public. The Greeks in Plato’s Symposium, however, are loud and proud of their homosexuality. Some argue that same-sex romance is the ideal and most honorable example of love since it guides the lover and the beloved to achieve the highest goods of life – wisdom and virtue. Ancient GreekRead MoreLove Is Passion, Bravery, And Bliss1115 Words   |  5 Pagesof love is, conceptually love is a confusing concept that proves to be challenging for even Socrates to understand. In Plato’s Symposium, Socrates attends a banquet at the house of Agathon, a young Athenian poet who had just won his first award for a drama. Soon after his arrival, the idea of eros - erotic love - is brought up, and after a few speeches praising eros, Socrates finally is granted his turn. 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When Alcibiades entersRead MoreEssay about A Modern Romantic’s View on Love1216 Words   |  5 Pagesdiscern the significance or concept of love for many centuries. Plato, for example, was one such philosopher who in his work the Symposium (which means â€Å"Drinking Party†) wrote about â€Å"Eros† – the term for sexual love in Greek. The Symposium was written approximately around 384 and 379 B.C.E., and follows five elite Athenian men as they pronounce their admiration of Eros while lounging on couches listeni ng to flute girls play in the distance. Each of the men has different backgrounds ranging from tragic