Tuesday, April 28, 2009

The Symposium, Squashed



Here is a super short summary of The Symposium:


We were all a bit drunk at Agathon's house, and decided to talk about Love.


Phaedrus said: Not birth, nor wealth, nor honours, nor aught else shall so inspire a man as Love. There is none so base but that Love may breathe into him the spirit of a hero. Therefore I say that, of all the gods, Love is the eldest and the most to be honoured.


Pausanias said: There is more than one Love. Vulgar love is worthless, inconsistent and fleeting; but the love of the virtuous character abides throughout life.


Aristophanes said: I have a theory that the gods split us in halves, and each each of us is always looking for his other half. Some seek the opposite sex to love, some seek the same (men who seek men are especially valiant and fine) but all are really craving to become one, soul and body.


Agathon: These are loves gifts, but the God of Love himself is the youngest and the swiftest, since he outstrips in flight old age.


Said Socrates: Is Love of something lacking? The prophetess Diotima told me that Love is not a mortal, nor a god. Love, in reality is of every good, not of just missing things or desired things.


Aristodemus fell asleep, and woke to find Socrates, Aristophanes and Agathon still talking and drinking.
I also found Aristophane's speech on youtube. It's in french, but with subtitiles and fun illistrations.

I found a "squashed" version of The Symposium here: http://www.btinternet.com/~glynhughes/squashed/platosymposium.htm

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