172a-178a: INTRODUCTION:
172a-174a: Apollodorus, our narrator, heard about the dinner from Aristodemus, an especially zealous lover of Socrates (e0rasth\j w2n e0n toi=j ma/lista tw=n to/te).
He later confirmed some of Aristodemus’ story with Socrates himself. 174a-178a: Apollodorus’ account of Aristodemus account:
174a-d: Aristodemus encounters Socrates:
Socrates invites Aristodemus to accompany him to Agathon’s dinner party.
Socrates lost in thought (to\n…Swkra/th e9autw|= pwj prose/xonta to\n nou=n).
174d-175e: Agathon’s house:
Aristodemus arrives alone.
Socrates is standing on a neighbor’s porch unresponsive to his calls. Socrates finally appears and pronounces his wisdom paltry (fau/lh), as dubious as a dream (a0mfisbhth/simoj w3sper o1nar ou}sa).
Agathon accuses Socrates of being hubristic (u9bristh\j). Dionysus will soon be the judge of their wisdom.
176a-178a: Drunkenness and love:
The guests agree to drink moderately.
Eryximachus suggests that the guests speak in praise of Eros, beginning with Phaedrus, the father of the discourse (path\r tou= lo/gou).47
Socrates understands nothing but matters of love (ou0de/n fhmi a1llo e0pi/stasqai h2 ta\ e0rwtika//).
178a: Memory:
Aristodemus did not recall all that the speakers said, and Apollodorus himself does not recall all that Aristodemus reported to him. He will relate what seemed to him most memorable.
178a-180c: PHAEDRUS’ SPEECH:
Eros is a great god (me/gaj qeo\j).
Of the gods he is (one of) the most ancient (presbu/tatoj).
Love inspires erotic partners (e0rasth\j…paidika/) to live well, for in striving after one another’s regard they perform noble deeds and avoid shameful acts.
Achilles and Patroclus.
When it comes to helping men to attain virtue and eudaimonia, Eros is the oldest, most honored, and most powerful of the gods (qew=n kai\
presbu/taton kai\ timiw=taton kai\ kuriw=taton). 180c-185c: PAUSANIAS’ SPEECH:
Eros, like Aphrodite, is double:
46 The word “symposium” comes from the Greek, sumpo/sion. It means, literally, a drinking-party. 47
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One Eros attends upon Ouranian (Heavenly) Aphrodite, the motherless child of Ouranos.
The other Eros is associated with Pandemian (Common) Aphrodite, daughter of Zeus and Dione.
The love associated with Ouranian Aphrodite is directed exclusively to boys and is dedicated to virtue and honorable deeds.
This love is noble.
The love associated with Pandemian Aphrodite desires females as well as males and seeks nothing but physical gratification.
This love is base.
Athenian custom encourages the older lover in his attempts to woo his beloved while discouraging the boy from giving in.
This promotes a sort of contest whereby each man reveals whether he is devoted to Ouranian or Pandemian Eros.
The Athenians approve of any actions performed by those devoted to Ouranian Eros.
Noble lovers conduct themselves dedicate themselves to virtue. 185c-e : Aristophanes’ hiccups:
Aristophanes, who was to speak next, is overcome by hiccups. Eryximachus speaks in his place:
185e-188e: ERYXIMACHUS’ SPEECH: Love is indeed double.
Love affects all forms of life and indeed all things, human as well as divine.
Harmony between opposites is necessary for the attainment of the good in all domains.
Love has the power to produce this harmony.
Love that aims at the good accompanied by moderation and justice promotes harmonious associations among men, and between men and gods.
This Love is responsible for human happiness (eu0diamoni/an). 188e-189c: Eryximachus and Aristophanes:
Aristophanes and Eryximachus exchange barbs and mock threats. 189c-193d: ARISTOPHANES’ SPEECH:
Love secures for men their greatest happiness (megi/sth eu0daimoni/a). Men who descend from original androgynous beings love women. Women who descend from the double-female types love other women. Men who descend from the double-male types love other men.
From this last type come the best and most courageous (be/ltistoi…a0ndreio/tatoi) boys and adolescents.
Therefore, we should encourage all men to make Eros their guide and commander (h9gemw\n kai\ strathgo/j).
The human race will be happy (to\ ge/noj eu1daimon) if men and women locate their lovers and restore their original nature.
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Therefore, we must revere the gods in the hope that Eros will heal our original nature and make us blessed and happy (makari/ouj kai\ eu0dai/monaj).
193e-194e: Socrates and Agathon:
Eryximachus pronounces Agathon and Socrates experts in matters of love (deinoi=j ou]si peri\ ta\ e0rwtika/).
Socrates worries about speaking after Agathon.
Agathon accuses Socrates of trying to bewitch and disturb him before he speaks (farma/ttein bou/lei me…i3na qorubhqw=).
194e-197e: AGATHON’S SPEECH:
Eros is the happiest, noblest, and best of the gods (eu0daimone/staton…ka/lliston…kai\ a1riston). Eros is the youngest of the gods, beautiful, and virtuous.
Because of Eros and the love of beauty all good things come to men and gods.
Eros is, in short, our best captain, guide, protector, and savior. 198a-201c: Socrates and Agathon:
Socrates thought the proper mode of speech should involve telling the truth about one’s subject.
Now he realizes that the object is to deliver a eulogy in which style takes precedence over truth.
Nevertheless, he must speak according to the truth as he understands it. 199b-201c: Socrates establishes a few preliminary points by interrogating Agathon:
Love is always love of something. That which one loves one also desires. One lacks that which one loves and desires.
Therefore, we may infer from Agathon’s claim that among the gods there is no love of the ugly (from which we may infer that Eros loves beauty) that Eros lacks beauty.
Moreover, since good things are beautiful Eros lacks goods as well. 201d-212c: SOCRATES’ SPEECH:
201d-e: Socrates and Diotima:
Diotima taught Socrates about love (ta\ e0rwtika/). 201e-212b: Diotima’s account:
201e-204c: The origin and nature of Eros:
Eros is neither good, nor beautiful, nor a great god (me/gaj qeo/j). Eros, the child of Need (peni/a) and Bounty (po/roj), is a great divinity (dai/mwn me/gaj); he is a philosopher, a devious enchanter, a medicine man, and a sophist (filosofw=n dia\ panto\j tou= biou= deino\j go/hj kai\ farmakeu\j kai\ sofisth/j).
Eros seeks wisdom, for wisdom is the most beautiful of things and Eros loves beauty.
Eros is necessarily a philosopher (a0nagkai=on e1rwta filo/sofon ei]nai). 204d-206a: The object of love:
117 Lovers desire good things.
The possession of good things makes one happy (eu0dai/mwn). All men desire to be happy always.
Therefore, love is the desire to possess the good forever. 206b-207a: The function of Eros:
Love’s function is physical and spiritual birth in beauty (to/koj e0n kalw|= kai\ kata\ to\ sw=ma kai\ kata\ th\n yu/xhn).
Generation is a mortal’s source of immortality. Therefore, love is our desire to be immortal. 207a-209e: The cause of Eros:
Everything mortal is impermanent.
Mortal beings approach permanence and continued existence through their offspring.
Men who are physically pregnant desire women and physical offspring. Men who are pregnant in their souls desire to give birth to wisdom and the other virtues (fro/nhsi/n te kai\ th\n a1llhn a0reth/n).
The greatest and noblest form of wisdom (megi/sth…kalli/sth th=j fronh/sewj ) concerns the regulation of cities and households and is called moderation and justice (sofrw/sunh te kai\ dikaiosu/nh).
Whoever is pregnant with these virtues seeks out a boy who is beautiful in body and soul in order to teach him about virtue and the nature and practices of a good man. His lessons are his offspring.
209e-212b: The Ladder of Love:
The mysteries and initiatory rites of Eros (ta\ te/lea kai\ epoptika/): 1) love of a single body;
2) love of all beautiful bodies;
3) love of beautiful souls, ways of life, and laws; 4) love of the various branches of knowledge.
He who contemplates this broad sea of beauty will give birth to many beautiful and magnificent discourses and thoughts in bounteous philosophy (kalou\j lo/gouj kai\ megaloprepei=j ti/kth| kai\ dianoh/mata e0n filosofi/a| a0fqo/nw|).
5) love the beautiful itself, the singular and eternal source of every manifestation of beauty (au0to\ kaq’ au9to\ meq’ au9tou= monoeide\j a0ei\ o2n, ta\ de\ a1lla pa/nta kala\ e0kei/nou mete/xonta).
The vision of this beauty enables a man to give birth to true virtue rather than to mere images of virtue (ou0k ei1dwla a0reth=j…a0lla\ a0lhqh=). He becomes beloved of the gods (qeofilei=) and, to the extent that this is possible for a human, immortal.
212b-c: Socrates’ peroration:
Socrates was persuaded by Diotima’s lessons, and from that day he has tried to persuade others that nothing is better for humans than Eros. 212c-215a: Enter Alcibiades:
Alcibiades arrives drunk, shouting, and crowned with ivy and ribbons. After exchanging words with Agathon and Socrates, and crowning them both, he accepts Eryximachus’ proposal to praise Socrates.
118 215a-222b: ALCIBIADES’ SPEECH: 215a-216c: Socrates the satyr:
Socrates is like a statue of Silenus, a small figure depicting the famous satyr holding a musical instrument, which when opened to reveals an image of one of the gods (a0ga/lmata…qew=n).
Socrates is hubristic (u9bristh\j).
Socrates charms (e0kh/lei) men, causing them to be possessed
(kate/xesqai) and revealing their need of gods and the mysteries (tw=n qew=n te kai\ teletw=n).
Socrates alone of all men makes Alcibiades believe that his life is a waste and not worth living.
216c-219e: Alcibiades attempts to seduce Socrates:
Socrates’ erotic passion for beautiful young men (e0rwtikw=j dia/keitai tw=n kalw=n) is an ironic pose (ei0rwneuo/menoj).
Alcibiades once peered inside the philosopher, and what he saw was divine, golden, beautiful, and amazing (qei=a kai\ xrusa=…pa/gkala kai\ qaumasta/).
Alcibiades tells of his many unsuccessful attempts to seduce Socrates and of his admiration of the philosopher’s moderation and courage.
219e-221c: Socrates at war:
Alcibiades and Socrates at Potidaea:
Socrates impervious to hunger, intoxicating drinks, and cold weather. On Socrates’ amazing powers of concentration: once when pondering something he stood in one spot and did not budge from dawn until the following morning.
On Socrates’ extraordinary bravery during battle: he saved Alcibiades’ life at Potidaea and exhibited amazing courage during the Athenians’ retreat from Delium.48
221c-222b: Alcibiades’ peroration:
Socrates is like nothing so much as a satyr: his discourses are like the statues of Silenus mentioned previously: at first they sound ridiculous, but on reflection they reveal the most divine images of virtue. They are indispensable to anyone who hopes to become a gentlemen (kalw|= ka0gaqw|=).
Socrates deceives men into believing that he loves them: in the end it is he who is the object of their love.
222c-223b: THE END OF THE EVENING:
Socrates, Agathon, and Alcibiades argue about seating arrangements. A noisy band of revelers enters the room and the party gradually winds down
At dawn Aristodemus awakes to overhear Socrates compelling
(prosanagka/zein) Agathon and Aristophanes to admit that knowledge of comedy and tragedy is the function of one and the same man.
Eventually Aristophanes and Agathon both fall asleep.
Socrates leaves and passes the rest of the day in his usual manner.
48 Laches recalls this retreat at Laches 181b. For more on Socrates’ military career see “Socrates as
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SYMPOSIUM