Symposium

According to Aristophanes, “Love draws our original nature back together; he tries to reintegrate us and heal the split in our nature” (26). Discuss how Aristophanes’s conception prefigures Diotima’s. In what ways is Diotima’s approach different, and how does it impact the reader’s understanding of the nature of Love?

Discuss the symbolism of wine and the role of Dionysus in the Symposium. How are wine and Dionysus related to Love (Eros), desire, and wisdom?

After Agathon’s speech, Socrates declares, “I was so naive that I thought the point of any eulogy was to tell the truth about the subject!” (37). What does Socrates do differently, and what does his approach uniquely enable?

Consider the different approaches to Love that each speaker offers. What does each speech contribute to the reader’s understanding of Love across the Symposium?

Analyze the importance of duality in the Symposium. Draw on at least three specific examples in your discussion.

How were mystery cults different than the official cults dedicated to Greek gods and goddesses? In what ways do the activities in the Symposium resemble an initiation into a mystery cult? Provide textual support for your response.

Discuss the placement of Alcibiades’s speech. What are the consequences of having Alcibiades’s speech after rather than before Socrates’s?

Socrates was sentenced to death for corrupting Athens’s youth. Discuss the charges against him and how they relate to his assertion that Love is a means of educating the boys who are the “beloved” in a pederastic relationship.