Interpretive Questions
Why does Phaedrus (p.221) say that Love is a wonderful God and of all the proofs of this, the greatest is his birth?
What does Pausanius mean (p. 226) when he says, "Now it is the object of the Athenian law to make a firm distinction between the lover who should be encouraged and the lover who should be shunned"?
What does Pausanius mean (p. 226) when he says, "Now it is the object of the Athenian law to make a firm distinction between the lover who should be encouraged and the lover who should be shunned"?
Can you interpret Aristophanes's remark (p. 234), made after the fable about the sundering apart of the globular people, "for so may we ensure our safety and attain that blessed union by enlisting in the army of Love and marching beneath its banners."?
Why does Alcibiades say that the symposiasts are here to "try the man Socrates on the charge of arrogance" (p. 265)?
How do you interpret the remark by Alcibiades (p. 268) that "he's [Socrates] made fools of them all (i.e., "Charmides, Euthydemus, and ever so many more"), just as if he were the beloved, not the lover."
When Alcibides sat down there was laughter ("at his frankness," Plato tells us). Were the symposiasts laughing with him or at him?
What is Alcibiades's attitude towards Socrates, and does it change as he makes his discourse?
How do you interpret the remark by Alcibiades (p. 268) that "he's [Socrates] made fools of them all (i.e., "Charmides, Euthydemus, and ever so many more"), just as if he were the beloved, not the lover."
When Alcibides sat down there was laughter ("at his frankness," Plato tells us). Were the symposiasts laughing with him or at him?
What is Alcibiades's attitude towards Socrates, and does it change as he makes his discourse?
Is there a parallelism between Socrates's relationships with Diotima and Alcibiades?
Evaluative Questions
Socrates says (p. 236): "But in truth, it seems, is the last thing the successful eulogist cares about; on the contrary, what he does is simply to run through all the attributes of power and virtue, however irrelevant they may be, and the whole thing may be a pack of lies, for all it seems to matter." Is disdain for the facts really something successful eulogists have in common?
Socrates says (p. 236): "But in truth, it seems, is the last thing the successful eulogist cares about; on the contrary, what he does is simply to run through all the attributes of power and virtue, however irrelevant they may be, and the whole thing may be a pack of lies, for all it seems to matter." Is disdain for the facts really something successful eulogists have in common?
Is the whole history of how the narrative came about (i.e. that it was transmitted second-hand from Aristodemus to Apollodorus) important?
Is it significant that this symposium took place such a long time before?
Has anyone ever seen the "soul of beauty"?
Has anyone ever seen the "soul of beauty"?
For Textual Analysis
Pages 223-26, from "but I cannot help thinking, gentleman .... to ... shocked at the idea of yielding to a lover."
Pages 247-48, from "I'll try to speak more plainly, then, to ... Love is a longing for immortality."
Pages 252-255, from "Well, then, she began ... to if not, well, call it what you like."
