The Role of Speeches to Represent Love in Symposium

Plato's Symposium serves as a profound exploration of love, but it also functions as a tribute to Socrates and his philosophical approach to life. Throughout the dialogue, Plato artfully constructs a narrative that elevates Socrates as the embodiment of love itself. This representation unfolds gradually, revealing Plato's deep admiration for Socrates' lifestyle and beliefs. The speeches given by various characters not only reflect differing perspectives on love but also contribute to a broader understanding of its essence, ultimately leading to a profound discourse on the nature of love and knowledge.

Initial Perspectives on Love

The Symposium commences with a series of speeches that extol the virtues of love, but it quickly transitions into a more nuanced examination of what love truly represents. Each interlocutor, drawing from personal experiences and beliefs, articulates his understanding of love, reflecting his unique lifestyle. The diverse backgrounds of the speakers—ranging from politicians to poets—create a rich tapestry of opinions. While some celebrate love as a noble pursuit, others view it as a mere distraction or folly. This discord among the speakers serves to illustrate the complexity of love itself.

As each speaker presents his argument, there is an inherent dialogue that develops through rebuttals and agreements, leading to an evolving understanding of love. The disagreements among the speakers allow readers to witness the progression of ideas, mirroring the process of love itself. According to Diotima, love is a gradual ascent, necessitating careful examination and the refutation of earlier misconceptions. This process of intellectual evolution is crucial for uncovering the true nature of love.

Diotima's Contribution to the Understanding of Love

Diotima's speech stands as a pivotal moment in the Symposium, as it provides a more profound perspective on love that contrasts sharply with the earlier speakers. She characterizes love as a desire for eternal possession of goodness, which inherently involves a longing for immortality. Diotima articulates that love is not simply a pursuit of physical beauty but rather an aspiration for higher ideals, such as wisdom and virtue. Her assertion that love seeks "reproduction and birth in beauty" encapsulates the dual nature of love—both physical and intellectual.

In this context, Diotima introduces the idea of two types of love: "common" love, associated with physical reproduction, and "heavenly" love, which pertains to the intellectual and spiritual realms. This distinction is significant as it emphasizes that true immortality is achieved through the transmission of ideas rather than mere physical progeny. The following table summarizes the key differences between common and heavenly love:

Socrates as the Exemplar of Love

Socrates' interactions with Alcibiades further illustrate the principles laid out by Diotima. Alcibiades, enamored with Socrates, represents a form of love that seeks the higher ideals embodied by Socrates. However, Socrates' rejection of Alcibiades' physical advances underscores his commitment to the pursuit of heavenly love—an intellectual and spiritual connection that transcends the physical realm. Socrates perceives the inequality of the exchange; he recognizes that the true beauty and wisdom he possesses cannot be traded for mere physical affection.

Alcibiades, in his pursuit of Socrates, reflects a deeper longing for immortality through the intellectual reproduction of Socrates' ideas. His love for Socrates is not solely based on physical attraction; it encompasses a desire to attain wisdom and become a better person. This dynamic exemplifies the essence of love as a striving for higher ideals, rather than a mere pursuit of physical beauty.

The Ascent of Love

Diotima elaborates on the process of ascending through the levels of love, emphasizing that one must begin with the appreciation of physical beauty before progressing to the admiration of the beauty in customs and ideas. This ascent culminates in the recognition of the ultimate form of beauty, which transcends the physical and intellectual realms. Diotima states:

“One always goes upwards for the sake of this Beauty, starting out from beautiful things and using them like rising stairs: from one body to two and from two to all beautiful bodies, then from beautiful bodies to beautiful customs, and from customs to learning beautiful things, and from these lessons he arrives in the end at this lesson, which is learning of this very Beauty...” (Symposium, 211C-212B).

This ascent illustrates the transformative power of love, guiding individuals toward a deeper understanding of beauty and wisdom. Only by traversing this path can one achieve true immortality through the sharing and reproduction of virtuous ideas.

Conclusion: Love, Socrates, and Immortality

Ultimately, Socrates embodies the ideals of love as presented in the Symposium. He seeks beauty, wisdom, and immortality, yet possesses none of these traits in their complete form. This paradox highlights the nature of love as a striving for what is not yet attained. Socrates' role as a philosopher necessitates that he channel the wisdom of others, particularly that of Diotima, in his pursuit of knowledge.

Socrates' rejection of physical love in favor of intellectual and spiritual reproduction aligns with the essence of true love as described by Diotima. In acting as a conduit between Diotima's teachings and the other speakers, Socrates facilitates the reproduction of immortal ideas, solidifying his status as the embodiment of love. Thus, in the Symposium, love becomes synonymous with Socrates, and the pursuit of immortality is intricately linked to the philosophy and reproduction of beautiful thoughts.

References:

• Plato. "Symposium." Translated by Christopher Gill, Cambridge University Press, 2006.
• Nehamas, Alexander. "The Art of Living: Socratic Reflections from Plato to Foucault." University of California Press, 1998.
• Hoffman, Joshua. "Plato’s Symposium: A Reader’s Guide." Bloomsbury Academic, 2006.