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Home , Agathon, Eryximachus, Glory (honor), Ion (dialogue), Symposium, Symposium (Plato)

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PLATO'S j

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e Library of Liberal Arts 'S SYMPOSIUM

Tran lated by BENJAMIN JOWETT With an Introduction by FULTON H. ANDERSON Professor of , University of Toronto

THE LIBERAL ARTS PRESS NEW YORK CONTENTS

SELECTED BIBLIOGRAPHY ...... 6 EDITOR'S INTRODUCTION ...... 7

SYMPOSIUM

APOLLODORUS 13 THE SPEECH OF ...... 19 THE SPEECH OF PAU ANIAS ...... 21 THE SPEECH OF 27 THE SPEECH OF ARISTOPHAN E ...... 30 THE SPEECH OF ...... 35 THE SPEECH OF ...... 39 THE SPEECH OF ...... 55 8 PLATO INTROD CTION 9 crescendo, and culminates in the report by Socrates on wi dom and epistemology, upon all of which the Symposium ha bearing, learned from the "wi e" woman Diotima. are intertwined, we m ay set down briefly a few of the more general The i a "reported" one. Plato himself could not have principles which are to be found in it author's many-sided thought. been present at the original . (What went on there was told The human soul, a cording to Plato, is es entially in motion. time and time again about .) He was a mere boy when it It is li fe and the integration of living functions. A dead soul is a con­ took place. Nor could the narrator Apollodorus have been a guest; _lladiction in terms. Man throughout his whole nature is erotically he was too young at the time. The latter got his report from motivated. His "love" or desire i manifest in three mutually in­ Aristodemus, a guest at the . teracting functions, appetite, "spirit," and rea on. Did man consist The host of the brilliant company is Agathon. Only the day of reason only, he would be a god. Were he a creature of mere before he scored a victory for his tragic poetry. Thi party is a appetite, he should be classified as a brute animal. By virtue of his festive celebration of the event- there has been one, less "select," composite nature he ha a status somewhere between that of the the night before. Among the gues ts is ~lc ibi ades, eager, incalcula­ beasts and that of the gods. By his desiring and his effort h e may ble, highbred, insolent. He has been chosen to lead a military gravitate to a relatively lower condition or ascend to a higher one. expedition which the Athenians hope will subdue not only Sicily His faculty of appetite manifests itself in animal cravings, such as but Carthage as well; he is in high spirits. , the writer hunger, thirst, and sex. Hi "spirit" shows itself in anger, ambition of comedies, is there; and, in character, he contributes to the party for honor, indignation in the presence of wrong, and patience when wit and humor of a R abelaisian so rt. Also present is Phaedrus, con­ confronted by infirmity. His reason discerns through sights, sounds, signed to rhetoric, and the phys ician Eryximachus. The latter a nd particulars generally, which strike the senses, underlying uni­ caricatures the scientific pedant. And there is Socrates, looking like versals, such, for example, as triangularity, , temperance, a and concealing by his unimpressive exterior "the image of and justice. By this faculty man transcends the incidents of time the god within." His intelligence, integrity, good will, mirth, and and decay. The universals- called by the author "forms"-which gentle cast a spell over all the others. reason cognizes, exist beyond the realm of sense, particularity, and The company decides to dispense with "entertainment" and change, and con titute a world of reality and intelligibility. In illus­ dismisses the fiute·girl. On this occasion conversation will be tration of this the form of triangularity may be cited. Suppose all enough. The subject of discussion, they agree, is to be or Love. the tr iangles at present inscribed and molded were to be erased and Eros is, finally, depicted by Socrates not as a god but as a , broken, definable and real triangularity will still remain; and at that is to say, as a "spirit" partly human and partly divine, the any time hereafter it can be exemplified by constructing particular mediator between gods and men. When m yth and symbol are seen triangles available to sense and subject to origination and decay. through, this daimon is portrayed by him as the fecundating prin­ The form is intelligible to and known by reason, and is the abid­ ciple which in knowledge, desire, attainment, and continued pos­ ing reality. The f o-rm exists independently of particulars, whid1, sess brings m an as near to the gods as m ay be. epistemologically speaking, are merely its exemplifications. In introducing this dialogue we must not, of course, anticipate But to return to the author's more immediate account of hu­ the reader's own discoveries, nor detract from his en joy men t of great man nature. Plato, taking a n analogy from contemporary medicine, thoughts well written by paraphrasing the speeches of its charac­ describes the normal or healthy or just soul as one in which a ters. Perhaps, however, we m ay appropriately indicate the context proper b alance is sustained among its three constituent elements or of Platonic thought in which the dialogue has its setting. And since faculties. To maintain this balance reason, he says, must be in con­ in the author's writings psychology, ethics, aesthetics, metaphysics, trol, since of the three it alone can understand human nature and (175c-l76b] YMPO IUM 17 mend you." After thi , supper was erved, but still no ocrate ; and during the meal Agathon several time ex pre ed a wish to send for him, but Ari todemus objec ted; and at last when the (east was about half over- (or the fit, a usual, was not of long duration­ Socrates entered. Agat on, who wa reclining alone at the end of the table, begged that he would take the place next to him; that "I may touch you," he said, "and have the benefit of that wi e thought which came into your mind in the portico, and is now in your possession; for I am certain that you would not have come away until you had found what you sought.'' How I wish, said Socrates, taking his place as he was desired, that wisdom could be infused by touch, out of the fuller into the emptier man, as water runs through wool out of a fuller cup into an emptier one; if that were so, how greatly should I value the priv­ ilege of reclining at your side! For you would have filled me full with a stream of wisdom plenteous and ; whereas my own is of a very mean and questionable sort, no better than a dream. But yours is bright and full of promise, and was manifested forth in all the splendor of youth the day before yesterday, in the presence of more than thirty thousand Hellenes. You are mocking, Socrates, said Agathon, and ere long you and I will have to determine who bears off the palm of wisdom-of this shall be the judge; but at present you are better occupied with supper. Socrates took hi place on the couch and supped with the rest~ and then were offered, and after a hymn had been sung to the god, and there had been the u ual ceremonies, they were about to commence drinking, when Pausanias said, And now, my friends, how can we with least injury to ourselves? I can assure you that I feel severely the effect of yesterday's potations and must have time to recover; and I suspect that most of you are in the same predicament, for you were of the party yesterday. Consider then: how can the drinking be made easiest? I entirely agree, said Aristophanes, that we should, by all means, avoid hard drinking, for I was myself one of those who were yesterday drowned in drink. 18 PLATO [l76b-l77b] [177b-178b] SYMPO I M 19 I think that you are right, said Eryximachus, the son of cu­ still more extraordinary, I have met with a philosophical work in menus; but I should till like to hear one other person speak: Is which the utility of alt has been made the theme o( an eloquent Agathon able to drink hard? di cour e; and many other like things have had a like honor be­ I am not equal to it, said Agathon. stowed upon them. And only to think that there should have been T hen, said Eryxima bus, the weak heads like myself, Aristod­ an eager interes t created about them, and ye t that to thi day no e mus, Phaedrus, and others who never can drink, are fortunate in one bas ever dared worthily to hymn Love's praises! So entirely finding that the stronger ones are not in a drinking mood. (I do has this great deity been neglected." Now in this Phaedrus seems not include Socrates, who is a ble either to drink or to abstain, and to me to be quite right, and therefore I want to offer him a con­ will not mind whichever we do.) Well, as none of the company tribution; a lso I think that at the present moment we who are here seem disposed to drink much, I may be forgiven for saying, as a assembled cannot do better than honor the god Love. If you agree physician, that drinking deep is a bad practice, which I never fol­ with me, there will be no lack of conversation; for I m ean to pro­ low if I can help, and certainly do not recommend to another, least pose that each of us in turn, going from left to right, shall make <>fall to anyone who still feels the effects of yesterday's carouse. a speech in honor of Love. Let him give us the best which he can; I always do what you advise, and especially what you prescribe and Phaedrus, because he is sitting first on the left hand, and be­ as a physician, rejoined Phaedrus the Myrrhinusian, and the rest cause he is the father of the thought, shall begin. <>f the company, if they are wise, will do the same. No one will vote against you, Eryximachus, said Socrates. How It was agreed that drinking was not to be the order of the day, can I oppose your motion, who profess to understand nothing but but that they were all to drink only so much as they pleased. matters of love; nor, I presume, will Agathon and Pausanias; and Then, said Eryximachus, as you are all agreed that drinking is there can be no doubt of Aristophanes, whose whole concern is to be voluntary and that there is to be no compulsion, I move, in with Dionysus and ; nor will anyone disagree of those the next place, that the flute-girl who has just made her appearance whom I see around me. The proposal, as I am aware, may seem be told to go away and play to herself, or, if she likes, to the women rather hard upon us whose place is last; but we shall be contented who are witbin.4 Today let us have .£_onversation instead; and, if if we hear some good speeches first. Let Phaedrus begin the praise you will allow me, I will tell you what sort of conversation. This of Love, and good luck to him. All the company expressed their proposal having been accepted, Eryximachus proceeded as follows: assent, and desired him to do as Socrates bade him. I will begin, he said, after themannerofMelanippe in , Aristodemus did not recollect all that was said, nor do I recol­ Not mine the word lect all that he related to me; but I will tell you what I thought most worthy of remembrance, and what the chief speakers said. -which I am about to speak, but that of Pbaedrus. For often he says Phaedrus began by affirming that Love is a mighty god, and to me in an indignant tone: "What a strange thing it is, Eryxi­ won~rf ~l among gods and men, but especially wonderful in his machus, that, whereas other gods have poems and hymns made in birth. For he is the eldest of the gods, which is an honor to him; their honor, the great and glorious god Love has no encomiast and a proof of his cla im to this honor is that of his parents there among all the poets who are so many. There are the worthy soph­ is no memorial; neither poet nor prose writer has ever affirmed ists, too-the excellent , for example-who have descanted that he had any. As says: in prose on the virtues of Heracles and other heroes; and, what is First Chaos came, and then broad-bosomed Earth, 4 Cp. Prot. 347. The everlasting seat of all that is, And Love. 20 PLATO [I78b-l79b] [l79b-l Oc] SYMPOSIUM 21 In other words, after Chaos, the Earth and Love, the e two, arne i a monument to all Rella ; for she was willing to lay down her into bei ng. Also sing of Generation: life on behalf of her husband, when no one else would, although First in the train o[ gods, he fashioned Love. he had a father and mother; but the tendernes of her love o far exceeded theirs that she made them seem to be stranger in blood And Acu ilaus agree with Hesiod. Thus numerous are the wit­ to their own son, and in name only related to him; and so noble nesses who acknowledge Love to be the e ldest of the gods. And did thi action of her appear to the gods, as well as to men, that not only is he the eldest, he is also the source of the greatest benefi ts among the m any who have done virtuously she is one of the very to u . For I know not any greater bles ing to a young man who few to whom, in admira tion of her noble action, they have granted is beginning life than a virtuous lover, or to the lover, tha n a be­ the privilege of returning alive to earth; such exceeding honor is loved youth. For the principle which o ught to be th e g uide of men paid by the gods to the devotion and virtue of love. But , who would nobly live- that principle, I say, neither kindr ed, nor the son of Oeagrus, the harper, they sent empty away, an l pre­ honor, nor wealth, nor any other motive is ab le to implant so well sented to him an apparition only of her whom h e so ught, but her­ as Jove. Of what am I p eaking? Of the se nse of honor and dishonor, self they would not give up because he showed no spirit; he was without which neither states nor individuals ever do any good or only a harp·player, and did not dare like to die for love, great work. And I say that a lover who is detected in doing any but was contriving how he might enter H ades alive; moreover, they dishonorable act, or submitting through cowardice when any dis­ afterwards caused him to suffer death at the hands of women, as honor is done to him by another, will be more pained at being the punishment of his coward liness . Very different was the reward detected by his beloved than at being seen by his father, or by of the true love of towards his lover -his lover his companions, or by anyone else. The beloved, too, when he and not his love (the notion that Patroclus was the belo ved one is found in any disgraceful situation, has the same feeling about is a fooli h error into which has fallen, for Achilles was his lover. And if there were only some way of contriving that a surely the fairer of the two, fairer also than all the other h eroes; state or an army should be m ade up of 6 lovers and their loves, and, as informs us, he was still beardless, and younger far). they would be the very bes t governors of their own city, abstaining And greatly as the gods honor the virtue of love, still the return from all dishonor and emulating one another in honor; and when of love on the part of the beloved to the lover is more admired fighting at each other's side, although a mere handful , they would and valued and rewarded by them, for the lover is more divine; overcome the world. For what lover would not choose rather to because he is inspired by God. ow Achilles was quite aware, for be seen by all mankind than by his beloved, either when abandon­ he had b een told by his mother that he might avoid death and ing his post or throwing away his arms? He would be ready to die return home and live to a good old age if he ab rained from slaying a thousand deaths rather than endure this. Or who would desert H ector. evertheless, he gave his life to revenge his friend, and his beloved or fail him in the hour of danger? The veriest coward dared to die, not only in his defense, but after he was dead. Where­ would become an inspired hero, equal to the bravest, at such a time; fore the gods h onored him even above Alcestis, and sent him to the Love would inspire him. That courage which, as H ome r says, the Islands of the Blessed. These are my reasons for affirming that Love god breathes into the souls of some heroes, Lov e of his own nature is the eldes t and noblest and mightiest of the god , and the chiefest infuses in to the lover. author and giver of virtue in life, and of happines after death. Love will make men dare to die for thei r b eloved- love alone; Thi , or something like this, was the speech of Phaedru s; and and women as well as men. Of this, Alcestis, the daughter of Pelias, some other speeches fol lowed which Aristodemus did not remem­ 6 Cp. R ep. v. 468 D. ber; the next which he repeated was that of -Pausa nias. Phaedrus, Jl 22 PLATO [180c- 18lc] [18 lc-l 2c] YMPOSIUM 23 he said, the argument has not been se t b efore us, I think, q uite in which i s of youths, and the goddess being older, there i nothing the right form- we s hould not be called upon to prai e Love in of wantonness in h er. T ho e who are in pired b y this love turn such an indi criminate m anner. IE there were only one Love, then to the male, and delight in him who is the more vali ant and intelli· what you said would be well enough; but since there are more gent nature; anyone m ay recognize the pure enthusias ts in the Loves than one, you should have begun by determining which of very character of their attachments. For they love not boys, but them was to be the theme of our praise . I will amend this defect; intelligent beings who e rea on is beginning to be developed, much and, first of all, I will tell you which Love is deserving of praise, about the time at which their beards begin to grow. And in choos· and then try to hymn the praiseworthy one in a manner worthy of ing young m en to be their companions, they m ean to be faithful to him. For we all know that Love is inseparable from Aphrodite, and them, a nd pass their whole life in company with them, not to take if there were only one A hrodite there would be only one Love; them in their inexperience, and deceive them, and play the fool but as there are two goddesses there must be two Loves. And am with them, or run away from one to another of them. But the love I not right in asserting that there are two goddes es? The elder of young boys should be forbidden by law because their future is one, having no mother, who is called the "heavenly Aphrodite"­ uncertain; they may turn out good or bad, either in body or soul, she is the daughter of Uranus; the younger, who is the daughter of and much noble enthusiasm may be thrown away upon them; in and Dione-her we call "common"; and the Love who is her this matter the good are a law to themselves, and the coarser sort fellow worker is rightly named common, as the other Love is called of lovers ought to be restrained by force, as we restrain or attempt heavenly. All the gods ought to have praise given to them, but to restrain them from fixing their affections on women of free birth. not without distinction of their natures; and therefore I mu t try These are the persons who bring a reproach on love; and some have to distinguish the characters of the two Loves. Now actions vary been led to deny the lawfulness of such attachments because they according to the manner of their performance. Take, for example, see the impropriety and evil of them; for surely nothing that is that which we are now doing, drinking, singing, and talking-these decorously and lawfully done can justly be censured. Now here and actions are not in themselves either good or evil, but they turn out in Lacedaemon the rules about love are perplexing, but in most in this or that way according to the mode of performing them; cities they are simple and easily intelligible; in Elis and , and when well done they are good, and when wrongly done they and in countries having no gifts of eloquence, they are very straight· are evil; and in like manner not every love, but only that which forward; the law is simply in favor of these connections, and no has a noble purpose, is noble and worthy of praise. The Love who one, whether young or old, has anything to say to their discredit; is the offspring of the common Aphrodite is essentially common, the reason being, as I suppose, that they are men of few words and has no discrimination, being such as the meaner sort of men in those parts, and therefore the lovers do not like the trouble of feel, and is apt to be of women as well as of youths, and is of the pleading their . In and other places, and generally in body rather than of the soul-the most foolish beings are the ob­ countries which are subject to the , the custom is held to jects of this love which desires only to gain an end, but never be dishonorable; loves of youths share the evil repute in which thinks of accompli hing the end nobly, and therefore does good philosophy and gymnastics are held because they are inimical to and evil quite indiscriminately. The goddess who is his mother is t rii1ily; for the interests of rulers require that their subjects should far younger than the other, and she was born of the union of the be poor in spirit 6 and that there should be no strong bond of male and female, and partakes of both. But the offspring of the friendship or society among them, which love, above all other mo· heavenly Aphrodite is derived from a mother in whose birth the tives, is likely to inspire, as our Athenian tyrants learned by ex peri· female has no part-she is from the male only; this is that Jove 6 Cp. Arist. Politics, v. II. § 15. 24 PLATO [182c- 183d] ence; for the love of Aristogeiton and the constancy of Harmodius h ad a strength wh ich undid their power. And, therefore, the ill­ repute into which these attachments h ave fallen is to be ascribed to the evil condition of those who m ake them to be ill-reputed; that is to say, to the self-seeking of the governors and the cowardice of the governed; o n the o ther h and, the ind iscrimina te h onor which is given to them in some countries is a ttributable to the laziness of those wh o hold this opinion of them. In our own country a far bet­ ter principle prevails, but, as I was saying, the explanatio n of it is ra ther p erplexing. For observe that open loves are h eld to be more ho norable tha n secret ones, a nd tha t the love of the n obles t a nd high est, even if their persons ar e less beautiful than o thers, is e pe­ cially hono rable. Consider, too, how great is the encouragement which all the world gives to the lover; n either is he supposed to be doing anything disho norable; but if h e succeeds he is praised, and if h e fails he is blamed . And in the pursuit of his love the custom of m a nkind allows him to do many strange things, which philosophy would bitterly censure if they were clone from a ny m o tive of inter­ est or wish for office or power. H e may pray, and entreat, a nd sup­ plicate, a nd swear, and lie on a ma t a t the door, and end ure a sl avery worse than that of a ny slave-in a ny o ther case friends and enemies wo uld be equall y ready to prevent him, but now there is n o friend who will be ash amed of him and admonish him, and no enemy will ch arge him with m eanness or fl a ttery; the actio ns of a lover h ave a grace which enno bles them ; and custom h as decided tha t they are highly commendable a nd tha t there is no loss of ch ar­ acter in them ; a nd, wha t is strangest of all, h e o nly may swear and forswear himself (so m en say), a nd the gods will forgi ve his trans­ gress ion, for there is no such thing as a lover's oath. Such is the en­ tire liberty which gods and m en h ave allowed the lover, according to the custom which prevails in o ur part of the world. From this point of view a man fa irly argues that in Athens to love a nd to be loved is h eld to be a very h o nora ble thing. But wh en parent forbid their sons to talk with their lover , a nd place them under a tutor's care, who is appointed to see to these things, and their companions and equals cast in their teeth a nything of the sort which they m ay observe, and their elders refuse to silence the reprovers a nd do no t 26 PLATO [184c-l85c] [I85c- I86c] SYMPO IUM 27 and is not open to the charge of fl attery. And the e two customs, obliged to change turns with Eryximachus, the physician, who was -- one the love of youth, and the other the p racti ce of ib iloso hy and reclining on the couch below him. Eryximachus, he said, you ought virtue in general, ought to meet in one, a nd then the beloved m ay either to stop my hiccough, or to speak in my turn until I have left honorably indulge the lover. For when the lover and beloved come o!I. together, having each of them a law, and the lover thinks that he is I will do both, said Eryximachus: I will speak in your turn, and f 1 right in doing any service which he can to his graciou loving one; do you speak in mine; and while I am speaking let me recommend and the other that he is right in showing any kindness which he can you to hold your breath, and if after you have done so for some to him who is making him wise and good; the one capable of com­ time the hiccough is no better, then gargle with a little water; and municating wisdom and virtue, the other eeking to acquire them if it still continues, tickle your nose with something and sneeze; and with a view to education and wisdom; when the two of love if you sneeze once or twice, even the most violent hiccough is sure are fulfilled and meet in one-then, and then only, may the beloved to go. I will do as you prescribe, said Aristophanes, and now get on. yield with honor to the lover. Nor when love is of this disinterested Eryximachus spoke as follows: Seeing that Pausanias made a sort is there any disgrace in being deceived, but in every other case fair beginning and but a lame ending, I must endeavor to supply there is equal disgrace in being or not being deceived. For he who his deficiency. I think that he has rightly distinguished two kinds is gracious to his lover under the impression that he is rich, and of love. But my art further informs me that the double love is not is disappointed of his gains because he turns out to be poor, is dis­ merely an affection of the soul of man toward the fair, or toward graced all the same; for he has done his best to show that he would anything, but is to be found in the bodies of all animals and in pro­ give himself up to anyone's "uses base" for the sake of money; but ductions of the earth, and I may say in all that is; such is the this is not honorable. And on the same principle he who gives him­ conclusion which I seem to have gathered from my own art of medi­ self to a lover because he is a good man, and in the hope that he will cine, whence I learn how great and wonderful and universal is the be improved by his company, shows himself to be virtuous, even deity of love, who e empire extends over all things, divine as well though the object of his affection turn out to be a villain and to as human. And from medicine I will begin that I may do honor to have no virtue; and if he is deceived he has committed a noble my art. There are in the human body these two kinds of love, which error. For he has proved that for his part he will do anything for are confessedly different and unlike, and being unlike, they have anybody with a view to virtue and improvement, than which there loves and desires which are unlike; and the desire of the healthy is can be nothing nobler. Thus noble in every case is the acceptance one, and the desire of th~. diseased is another; and as Pausanias was of another for the sake of virtue. This is that love which is the love just now saying that to indulge good men is honorable, and bad of the heavenly goddess, and is heavenly, and of great price to indi­ men dishonorable-so, too, in the body the good and healthy ele­ viduals and cities, making the lover and the beloved alike eager in ments are to be indulged, and the bad elements and the elements of the work of their own improvement. But all other loves are the off­ disease are not to be indulged, but discouraged. And this is what the spring of the other, who is the common goddess. To you, Phaedrus, physician has to do, and in this the art of medicine consists; for I offer this my contribution in praise of love, which is as good as I m edicine may be regarded generally as the knowledge of the loves could make extempore. and desires of the body, and how to satisfy them or not; and the Pausanias came to a pause-this is the balanced way in which I best physician is he who is able to separate fair love from foul, or have been taught by the wise to speak; and Aristodemus said that to convert one into the other; and he who knows how to eradicate the turn of Aristophanes was next, but either he had eaten too and how to implant love, whichever is required, and can reconcile much or from some other cause, he had the hiccough, and was the most hostile elements in the constitution and make them loving

STEVENSON LIBRARY BARD COLLEGE Annandale-on-Hudson N.v . 12304 28 PLATO [186d-187e) friends is a kill(ul practitioner. Now the most ho tile are the most opposite, such as hot and cold, bitter and sweet, moist and dry, and the like. And my ance tor, , knowing how to implant friendship and accord in the e elements, was the creator of our art, as our friends the poets here tell us, and I believe them; and not only medicine in every branch, but the art of gymnastic and hus­ bandry are under his dominion. Anyone who pays the least atten­ tion to the subject will also perceive that in musi there is the same reconciliation of opposites; and I suppose that this must have been the meaning of H eraclitus, although his words are not accurate; for he says that The One is united by disunion, like the harmony of the bow and the lyre. ow there is an absurdity in saying that h ar­ mony is discord or is composed of elements which are still in a state of discord. But what he probably meant was that h armony is com­ posed of differing notes of higher or lower pitch which disagreed once but are now reconciled by the art of music; for if the higher and lower notes still disagreed, there could be no harmony-clearly not. For harmony is a symphony, and symphony is an agreement; but an agreement of disagreements while they disagree there can­ not be; you cannot harmonize that which disagrees. In like m anner rhythm is compounded of elements short and long, once differing and now in accord; which accordance, as in the former instance m edicine, so in all these other cases music, implants, m aking love and unison to grow up among them; a nd thus mu ic, too, is con­ cerned with the principles of love in their applica tion to harmony and rhythm. Again, in the essential nature of h armony and rhythm there is no difficulty in discerning love which has not yet become double. But when you want to use them in actual life, ei ther in the composition of songs or in the correct performance of airs or m etres composed already, which latter i called education, then the difficulty begins, and the good artist is needed. Then the old tale has to be repeated of fa ir and heavenly love-the love of the fa ir and heavenly muse, and of the duty of accepting the tem­ perate, and those who are as yet intemperate only that they may become temperate, and of preserving their love; and, again, of the vulgar Polyhymnia, who must be used with circumspection that the pleas ure be enjoyed, but may not generate li entiousness; just as in 32 PLATO [19la- 192a] of the wrinkles, much a a hoemaker m ight smooth leather upon a last; he left a f ew, however, in the region of the belly and navel, as a m emorial of the primeval state. After the division the two parts of man, each d esiring his other h alf, came together, and throwing their arms about one another, entwined in mutual em­ braces, longing to grow into one, they were on the point of dying from hunger and self-neglect because they did not like to do any­ thing apart; and when one of the halves died and the other sur­ vived, the survivor sought another mate, man or woman, as we call them-being the sections of entire men or women-and clung to that. They were being destroyed, when Zeus in pity of them in­ vented a new plan: he turned the parts of generation round to the front, for this had not been always their position, and they sowed the seed no longer as hitherto like grasshoppers in the ground, but in one another; and after the transposition the male generated in the female in order that by the mutual embraces of man and woman they might breed, and the race might continue; or if man came to man they might be satisfied, and rest, and go their ways to the business of life: so ancient is the desire of one another which is implanted in us, reuniting our original nature, making one of two, and healing the state of man. Each of us when separated, having one side only, like a flat fish, is but the indenture of a man, and he is always looking for his other half. Men who are a section of that double nature which was once called Androgynous are lovers of women; adulterers are generally of this breed, and also adulterous women who lust after men. The women who are a sec­ tion of the woman do not care for men, but have female attach­ ments; the female companions are of this sort. But they who are a section of the male follow the male, and while they are young, being slices of the original man, they hang about men and embrace them, and they are themselves the best of boys and youths because they have the most manly nature. Some indeed assert that they are shameless, but this is not true; for they do not act thus from any want of shame, but because they are valiant and manly, and have a manly countenance, and they embrace that which is like them. And these when they grow up become our statesmen, and these only, which is a great proof of the truth of what I am saying. When [194a-l95a] SYMPOSIUM 35 hope that I may be disconcerted a t the expectation raised among the audience that I shall speak well. I should be strangely forgetful, Agathon, replied Socrates, of the courage and m agnanimity which you showed when your own compositions were about to be exhibited, and you came upon the stage with the actors and faced the vast altogether undis­ m ayed, if I thought that yo ur nerves could be fluttered at a small p arty of friends. Do you think, Socrates, said Agathon, that my head is so full of the theater as not to know how much more formidable to a m an of sense a few good judges are than many fools? Nay, replied Socrates, I should be very wrong in attributing to you, Agathon, that or any other want of refinement. And I am quite aware that if you happened to meet with any whom you thought wise, you would care for their opinion much more than for that of the many. But then we, having been a part of the foolish m any in the theater, cannot be regarded as the select wise; though I know that if you chanced to be in the presence, not of one of our­ selves, but of some really wise man, you would be ashamed of disgracing yourself before him-would you not? Yes, said Agathon. But before the many you would not be ashamed if you thought that you were doing something di graceful in their presence? H ere Phaedrus interrupted them, saying: Do not answer him, my dear Agathon; for if he can only get a partner with whom he can talk, e pecially a good-looking one, he will no longer care about the completion of our plan. ow I love to hear him talk; but just at pre ent I must not forget the encomium on Love which I ought to receive from him and from everyone. \.Y hen you and he have p aid your tribute to the god, then you may talk. Very good, Phaedrus, said Agathon; I see no reason why I should not proceed with my speedi, as shall have many other opportunities of conver ing w ith Socrates. Let me say first how I ought to speak, and then speak: The previous speakers, instead of praising the god Love, or unfolding his nature, appear to have congratulated mankind on the benefits which he confers upon them. But I would rather praise the [l96a-I97b] SYMPOSIUM 37 Love; ungrace and love are always at war with one another. The fairness of hi complexion is revealed by his habitation among the flowers; for he dwells not amid bloomless or fading beauties, whether of body or soul or aught el e, but in the place of flowers and scents, there he sits and abides. Concerning the beauty of the god I have said enough; and ye t there remains much more which I might say. Of his virtue I have now to speak: his greatest is that he can neither do nor suffer wrong to or from any god or any man; for he suffers not by force if he suffers; force comes not near him, neither when he acts does he act by force. For all men in all things serve him of their own free will, and where there is voluntary agreement, there, as the laws which are the lords of the city say, is justice. And not only is he just but exceedingly temperate, for Temperance is the acknowledged ruler of the pleasures and de­ sires, and no pleasure ever masters Love; he is their m as ter and they are his servants; and if he conquers them he must be temper­ ate indeed. As to courage, even the God of War is no m atch for him; he is the captive and Love is the lord, for love, the love of Aphrodite, m as ters him, as the tale runs; and the m as ter is stronger than the servant. And if he co nquers the bravest of all others, he must be himse lf the bravest. Of his courage and justice and tem­ perance I have spoken, but I h ave yet to speak of his wisdom; and according to the measure of my ability I must try to do my best. In the first place he is a poet (and here, like Eryximachus, I mag­ nify my art), and ~is also the source of poesy in others, which he could not be if he were not him elf a poet. And at the touch of him everyone becomes a poet, even though he had no music in him before; this also is a proof that Love is a good poet and accom­ plished in all the fine arts; for no one can give to another that which he has not himse lf, or teach that of which he has no knowl­ edge. Who will deny that the creation of the animals is his doing? Are they not all the works of his wisdom, born and begotten of him? And as to the artists, do we not know that he only of them whom Jove inspires has the li ght of fame?-he whom Love touches not walks in darkness. The arts of medicine and archery and divina­ tion were discovered by A ollp, under the guidance of Jove and desire; so that he too is a disciple of Love. Also the melody of the 38 PLATO [ 197b-198a] [19 a- 199a] YMPO IUM 39 Muses, the metallurgy of Hephaestus, the weaving of Athene, the Eryximachu , appears to me to be true; but not the other part­ empire of Zeus over gods and men, are all due to Love, who was the that you will be in a strait. inventor of them. And so Love et in order the empire of the gods Why, my dear friend, aid ocrates must not I or anyone be in Vf / -the love of beauty, as is evident, for with deformity Love h as no a strait who has to peak after he has heard such a rich and varied concern. In the days of old, as I began by saying, dreadful deeds di course? I am espe ially truck with the beauty of the concluding were done among the gods, for they were ruled by Necessity; but word - who co uld li sten to them without amazement? When Ire­ now ince the birth of Love, a nd from the Love of the beautiful, flected on the immeasurable inferiority of m y own powers, I w as has sprung every good in heaven and earth. Therefore, 1 haedrus, I ready to run away for shame if there had b een a possibility of say of Love that he is the faires t and best in him elf, and the cause escape. For I w as reminded of , and at the end of his speech of what is fairest and best in all other things. And there comes into I fancied that Agathon was shaking at me the Gorginian or Gor­ my mind a line of poetry in which he is said to be the god who- gonian head of the gTeat m aster of rhetoric, which was simply to turn me and my speech into tone, as Homer says,9 and strike Gives peace on earth and ca lm the s tormy deep, me Who stills the winds and bids the sufferer sleep. dumb. And then I perceived how foolish I had been in consenting to take my tum with you in praising love, and saying that I too was This is he who empties men of disaffection and fills them with a m aster of the art, when I really had no conception how anything affection, who m akes them to meet together at such as ought to be praised. For in my simplicity I imagined that the these; in sacrifices, feas ts, dances, he is our lord-who sends cour­ topics of praise should be true, and that this being presupposed, tesy and sends away discourtesy, who gives kindness ever and never out oC the true the speaker was to choose the best and set them forth gives unkindness; the friend of the good, the wonder of the wise, in the best m anner. And I felt quite proud, thinking that I knew the amazement of the gods; desired by those who have no part in the nature of true praise and should speak well. Whereas I now see him, and precious to those who have the better part in him; parent that the intemion was to attribute to Love every species of gTeat­ of delicacy, luxury, des ire, fondness, softness, grace; regardful of ness and glory, whether really belonging to him or not, without the good, regardless of the evil; in every word, work, wish, fear­ regard to truth or falsehood- that was no matter; for the original savior, pilot, comrade, helper; glory of gods and men, leader best proposal seems to have been not that each of you should really and brightest, in whose footsteps let every m an follow, sweetly praise Love, but only that you should appear to praise him. And so singing in his honor and joining in that sweet strain with which you attribute to Love every imaginable form of praise which can love charms the souls of gods and men. Such is the speech, Phaed­ be gathered anywhere; and you say that "he is all this," and "the rus, half-playful, yet having a certain meas ure of seriousness, cause of all that," making him appear the fairest and best of all to which, according to my ability, I dedicate to the god. those who know him not, for you cannot impose upon those who When Agathon had done speaking, Aristodemus said that know him. And a noble and solemn hymn of praise have you re­ there was a general cheer; the young man was thought to have hearsed. But as I misunderstood the nature of the praise when I spoken in a manner worthy of himself, and of the god. And Soc­ said that I would take my turn, I must beg to be absolved from the rates, looking a t Eryximachus, said: Tell me, son of Acumenus, was promise which I made in ignorance, and which (as Euripides would there not reason in my fears? and was I n o t a true prophet when I say 10) was a promise of the lips and not of the mind. Farewell then said that Agathon would make a wonderful oration, and that I to such a strain: for I do not praise in that way; no, indeed, I should be in a strait? 9 , xi. 632. The part of the prophecy which concerns Agathon, replied 10 £urip. H yppolyttts, I. 612. 40 PLATO [ 199a-200a J [200a-200e] SYMPOSIUM 41 cannot. But if you like to hear the truth about love, I am ready to Yes, surely. speak in my own manner, though I will not make myself ridiculous And does he pos es , or does he not possess, that which he loves by entering into any rivalry with you. Say then, Phaedrus, whether and desires? you would like to have the truth about love, spoken in any words Probably not, I should say. and in any order which may happen to come into my mind at the Nay, replied Socrates, I would have you consider whether time. Will that be agreeable to yo u? "necessarily" is not rather the word. The inference that he who Aristodemus said that Phaedrus and the company bid him desires something is in want of something, and that he who desire speak in any manner which he thought best. Then, he added, let me nothing is in want of nothing, is in my judgment, Agathon, abso­ have your permission ftrst to a k Agathon a few more questions, in lutely and necessarily true. What do yo u think? order that I m ay take hi admissions as the premises of my discourse. I agree with you, said Agathon. I grant the permission, said Phaedrus: put your question. Very good. Would he who is great desire to be great, or he who Socrates then proceeded as fo llows: is strong desire to be strong? In the magnificent oration which you have just uttered, I think That would be inconsistent with our previous admiss ions. that you were right, my dear Agathon, in proposing to speak of the True. For he who is an ything cannot want to be that which he nature of Love ftrst and afterwards of his works- that is a way of is? beginning which I very much approve. And as you have spoken so Very true. eloquently of his nature, may I ask you further whether love is And ye t, added Socrates, if a man being strong desired to be the love of something or of nothing? And here I must explain my­ strong, or being swift desired to be swift, or being healthy desired self: I do not want you to say that love is the love of a father or the to be healthy, in that case he might be thought to desire something love of a mother-that would be ridiculous; but to answer as you which he already has or is. I give the example in order that we may would, if I asked is a father a father of something? to which you avoid misconception. For the posses ors of these qualities, Agathon, would ftnd no difficulty in replying, of a son or daughter: and the mu t be suppo ed to have their respective advantages at the answer would be right. time, whether they dwose or not; and who can desire that which he Very true, said Agathon. h as? Therefore, when a person says, I am well and wish to be well, And you would say the same of a mother? or I am rich and wish to be rich, He assented. and I desire simply to have what I h ave-to him we shall reply: "You, m y friend, having wealth and Yet let me ask you one more question in order to illustrate my health and strength, want to h ave the continuance of them ; for a t meaning: Is not a brother to be regarded essentially as a brother of this moment, something? whether you choo ·e or not, yo u h ave them. And when you say, I desire that which I have and nothing else, is not Certainly, he replied. your meaning that you want to have what you now have in the future?" That is, of a brother or sister? He mu t agree with us- must Yes, he sa id. he not? He must, replied Agathon. And now, said Socrates, I will ask about Love: Is Love of Then, said So rates, he desires something or of nothing? that what he has at present may be preserved to him in the future, which is equivalent to saying that Of something, surely, he replied. he desires something which i nonexi tent to him, and which as yet Keep in mind what this is and tell me what I w ant to know­ h e has not got. whether Love desires that of which love is . Very true, he said. 42 PLATO [200e-20lc] [20 I d-202c] SYMPOSI UM 43 Then he and everyone who desire , de ires that whi h he has And now, taking my leave of you, I will rehearse a tale of love not already, and which is future and not present, and which he which I heard from Diotima of Mantinei_.a,u a woman wise in this has not, and i no t, and of which he is in want- these are the sort and in many other kinds of knowledge, who in the clays of old, when of things which love and des ire seek? the Athenians offered sacrifice before the coming of the plague, Very true, he said. delayed the disease ten years. She was my instructress in the art of Then now, said Socrates, let us recapitulate the argument. love, and I shall repeat to you wha t she said to me, beginning with First, is not love of something, and of something, too, which is the admissions made by Agathon, which are nearly, if not quite, the wanting to a man? same which made to the wise woman when she questioned me: I Yes, he replied. think that this will be the easiest way, and I shall take both parts R emember further what you said in your speech, or if you do myself as well as I can.12 As you, Agathon, suggested, I must not remember I will remind you: you said that the love of the speak first of the being and nature of Love, and then of his works. beautiful se t in order the empire of the gods, for that of deformed First I said to her in nearly the same words which he used to me things there is no love-did you not say something of that kind? that Love was a mighty god, and likewise fair; and she proved to Yes, said Agathon. me as I proved to him that, by my own showing, Love was neither Yes, my friend, and the remark was a just one. And if this is fair nor good. "What do you mean, Diotima," I said, "is love then true, Love is the love of beauty and not of deformity? evil and foul?" "Hush," she cried; "must that be foul which is not He assented. fair?" "Certainly," I said. "And is that which is not wise ignorant? And the admission has been already made that Love is of some- Do you not see that there is a mean between wisdom and igno­ thing which a m an wants and has not? rance?" "And what may that be?" I said. "Right

50 PLAT O [20 d-209eJ [209e-2 10eJ SY fPOSIUM 51 Nay," he sa id, "I am per u aded that all men do all thing , a nd t ~ H ellenes and , who have given to the world m any noble better they are the more they do th m, in hope of the gloriou fa me work and have been the parents of virtue of every kind; and of immortal virtue; for they desire the immortal. m any temples h ave been r ai ed in their honor for the sake of chil­ "Tho e who are pregnant in the body only betake themselves dren such as theirs, which w ere never raised in honor of anyone to women and beget children- thi i the ch aracter of their love; for the sake of his mortal children. their off pring, as they hope, will pre erve their m emory and give "These are the lesser m st ties of love into which even you, them the blessedness a nd immortality which they desire in the fu­ ocrates, may enter; to the greater and more hid den ones which are ture. But souls which are pregnant- for there certainly are men who the crown of these, an to whld1, if you pursue them in a right are more creative in their souls than in their bodies- conceive that spirit, they will lead, I know not whether you will be able to attain. which is proper for the soul to conceive or contain. And what are But I will do my utmost to inform you, and do you follow if you these conceptions?- wisdom and virtue in general. And such crea­ can. For he who would proceed aright in this matter should begin tors are poets and all artists who are deserving of the name .inven- 9 in youth to visit beautiful s; and, first, if he be guided by his tor. But the greatest and fairest sort of~ by far is that which instructor aright to love one suchim:m only- out of that he should is concerned with the ordering of states and families, and which create fair hollg:hts; and soon he will of himself perceive that the is called temperance and justice. And he who in youth has the ) beauty of one m is akin to the beauty of another; and then if seed of these implanted in him and is himself inspired, when he beauty o orm-in general is his pursuit, how foolish would he be comes to maturity, desires to beget and generate. He wanders about not to recognize that the beauty in ever-y-£& is one and the same! seeking beauty that he may beget offspring- for in deformity he - And when he perceives this he will abate his violent love of the will beget nothing-and naturally embraces the beautiful rather one, which he will despise and deem a small thing, and will be­ then the deformed body; above all when he finds a fair and noble come a lover of all beautiful ~; in the next stage he will con­ and well-nurtured soul, he embraces the two in one person, and to sider that the beauty of the-mind i more honorable than the beauty such a one he is full of speech about virtue and the nature and of the ...outwanl- fBrm. So that if a virtuous soul have but a little pursuits of a good man; and he tries to educate him; and at the comeliness, he will be content to love and tend him, and will search touch of the beautiful which is ever-pre ent to his memory, even out and bring to the birth thoughts which may improve the young, wnen a sent, e bnngs forth that which he had conceived long until he is com elled to conte plate a nd~the beauty .of institu­ before, and in company with him tends that which he brings forth; tions and laws, and to under~t a n I that the beauty of t 1em all is and they are married by a far nearer tie and have a closer friend­ of one family, and th a ~n 1· beauty is a trifle; and after laws ship than those who beget mortal children, for the children who and institutions he will go on to the sciences, that he may see are their common offspring are fairer and more immorta_l. Who, their beauty, being not like a servant in love with the beauty of when he thinks of Homer and Hesiod and other great poets, would one youth or man or institution, himself a slave mean and narrow- / ~ not rather have their children than ordinary human ones? Who minded, but drawing toward and contemplating the vast sea of would not emulate them in the creation of children as theirs, which beauty, he will many fair and noble though and notion in 'Vfl' 4t}-- have preserved their memory and given them everlasting glory? Or boundle s love of wisdom; until on that shore he grows and waxes ~ who would not have such children as Lycurgus left behind him to strong, and at last the vision is revealed to him of a single science be the saviors, not only of Lacedaemon, but of Hellas, as one may which is the science of beauty everywhere. To this I will proceed; say? There is Solon, too, who is the revered father of Athenian please to give me your very best attention: law; and many others there are in many other places, both among "He who has been instructed thus far in the things of love, and _.. [210e-212a] [212a-213a] YMPO IUM 53 who has learned to see the beautiful in due order and succe sion, has hold not-of an image but of a reality), and bringing forth and when omes toward the end will sudden! perceive a nature of nourishing true virtue to become the__Eiend of GoJi and be im­ wondrous eauty (and this, ocrates, is the final cause of all our mortal, if mortal man may. Would that be an ignoble life?" former toils)-a nature which in the ftrst place is everlasting, not uch, Phaedrus- and I speak not only to you, but to all of you growing and decaying, or waxing and waning; secondly, not fair in -were the words of Diotima; and I am persuaded of their truth. one point of view and foul in another, or at one time or in one And being persuaded of them, I try to persuade others that in the relation or at one place fair, at another time or in another relation attainment of this end human nature will not easily find a helper or at another place foul, as if fair to some and foul to others, or in better than love. And therefore also I say that every man ought to the likeness of a face or hands or any part of the bodily frame, or honor him as I myself honor him, and walk in his ways, and exhort in any form of speech or knowledge, or existing in any other being, others to do the same, and praise the power and spirit of love ac­ as for example, in an animal, or in heaven, or on earth, or in any cording to the measure of my ability now and ever. other place; but beauty absolu_te, separate simple, and ~erlasting, The words which I have spoken, you, Phaedrus, may call an which without diminution and without increase or any change is encomium of love, or anything else which you please. imparted to the ever-growing and perishing beauties of all other When Socrates had done speaking the company applauded, things. He who from these ascending under the influence of true and Aristophanes was beginning to say something in answer to the love begins to perceive that beauty is not far from the end. And allu ion which Socrates had made to his own speech, when suddenly the true order of going, or being led by another, to the things of there was a great knocking at the door of the house, as of revelers, love is to begin from the beauties sf i d1 ~nd mount upward for and the sound of a flute-girl was heard. Agathon told the attendants the sake of"?t:flat eti'l8r beauty, using these as steps only, and from to go and see who were the intruders. "If they are friends of ours," one going on to twMantineia, "is that life above all others which thon," and at length, supported by the flute·girl and some of his at­ man should live, in the contemplationo£beay_ty ab olute; a beauty tendants, he found his way to them. "Hail, friends," he said, appear­ which if you once bei1efd you would see not to be after the measure ing at the door crowned with a massive garland of ivy and violets, of gold, and garments, and fair boys and youths, whose presence his head flowing with ribands. "Will you have a very drunken now entrances you; and you and many a one would be content to man as a companion of your revels? Or shall I crown Agathon, live seeing them only and conversing with them without meat or which was my intention in coming, and go away? For I was unable drink, if that were possible- you only want to look at them and to to come yesterday, and therefore I am here today, carrying on my be with them. But what if man had eyes to see the true beauty­ head these ribands, that, taking them from my own head, I may the ivine beauty, I mean, pure and clear and unalloyed, not crown the head of this fairest and wisest of men, as I may be clogg~ith the pollutions of mortality and all the color and allowed to call him. Will you laugh at me because I am drunk? Yet vanities of human life-thither looking, and ho~ding-convexse with I know very well that I am speaking the truth, although you may the true beauty simple and divine? Remember how in that com­ laugh. But first tell me; if I come in shall we have the understand­ munion only, beholding beauty with the eye of the mind, he will be ing of which I spoke? Will you drink with me or not?" enabled to bring forth, not images of beauty, but realities (for he The company were vociferous in begging that he would take