Part

  1 Intro|           discourses in praise of love spoken by Socrates and others
  2 Intro|        make speeches in honour of love, one after another, going
  3 Intro|         all upon the antiquity of love, which is proved by the
  4 Intro|           upon the benefits which love gives to man. The greatest
  5 Intro|          would be invincible. For love will convert the veriest
  6 Intro|          women also. Such was the love of Alcestis, who dared to
  7 Intro|          of his cowardliness. The love of Achilles, like that of
  8 Intro|          the gods, who honour the love of the beloved above that
  9 Intro|        distinguished the heavenly love from the earthly, before
 10 Intro|     second is the coarser kind of love, which is a love of the
 11 Intro|          kind of love, which is a love of the body rather than
 12 Intro|          a mat at the door of his love, without any loss of character;
 13 Intro|     others honourable. The vulgar love of the body which takes
 14 Intro|          and so is the interested love of power or wealth; but
 15 Intro|          power or wealth; but the love of the noble mind is lasting.
 16 Intro|         these two customs—one the love of youth, the other the
 17 Intro|    disgraced, for if he loses his love he loses his character;
 18 Intro|      character; whereas the noble love of the other remains the
 19 Intro|        although the object of his love is unworthy: for nothing
 20 Intro|        nothing can be nobler than love for the sake of virtue.
 21 Intro|           of virtue. This is that love of the heavenly goddess
 22 Intro|       that there are two kinds of love; but his art has led him
 23 Intro|         the empire of this double love extends over all things,
 24 Intro|         good and which is the bad love, and persuades the body
 25 Intro|  concerned with the principles of love in their application to
 26 Intro|         troubled with the twofold love; but when they are applied
 27 Intro|       disorders of the element of love. The knowledge of these
 28 Intro|    knowledge of these elements of love and discord in the heavenly
 29 Intro|     impiety. Such is the power of love; and that love which is
 30 Intro|           power of love; and that love which is just and temperate
 31 Intro|     expression of their want. For love is the desire of the whole,
 32 Intro|    pursuit of the whole is called love. There was a time when the
 33 Intro|         obtain the goods of which love is the author, and be reconciled
 34 Intro|           of necessity and not of love. For love is young and dwells
 35 Intro|    necessity and not of love. For love is young and dwells in soft
 36 Intro|          will, and where there is love there is obedience, and
 37 Intro|      follow, chanting a strain of love. Such is the discourse,
 38 Intro|         speak the true praises of love, but now he finds that they
 39 Intro|         be summed up as follows:—~Love is of something, and that
 40 Intro|         something, and that which love desires is not that which
 41 Intro|         desires is not that which love is or has; for no man desires
 42 Intro|           which he is or has. And love is of the beautiful, and
 43 Intro|           desiring the beautiful, love also wants and desires the
 44 Intro|      Agathon, had spoken first of love and then of his works. Socrates,
 45 Intro|        Agathon, had told her that Love is a mighty god and also
 46 Intro|          shown him in return that Love was neither, but in a mean
 47 Intro|   ignorant. Such is the nature of Love, who is not to be confused
 48 Intro|    confused with the beloved.~But Love desires the beautiful; and
 49 Intro|         good to be happiness, and Love to be the desire of happiness,
 50 Intro|           confined to one kind of love. And Love desires not only
 51 Intro|          to one kind of love. And Love desires not only the good,
 52 Intro|      flutter and excitement about love? Because all men and women
 53 Intro|        bringing to the birth. And love is not of beauty only, but
 54 Intro|         is the reason why parents love their children—for the sake
 55 Intro|  immortality; and this is why men love the immortality of fame.
 56 Intro|      proceed in due course should love first one fair form, and
 57 Intro|          of that supreme being of love he will be purified of earthly
 58 Intro|          may call the encomium of love, or what you please.~The
 59 Intro|           seemed about to fall in love with him; and he thought
 60 Intro|           Symposium.~The power of love is represented in the Symposium
 61 Intro|     around him, the conception of love greatly affected him. One
 62 Intro|       heaven. (Aesch. Frag. Dan.) Love became a mythic personage
 63 Intro|        traces of the existence of love, as of number and figure,
 64 Intro|        that there is a mystery of love in man as well as in nature,
 65 Intro|        the Phaedrus and Symposium love is not merely the feeling
 66 Intro|           philosophy. The highest love is the love not of a person,
 67 Intro|           The highest love is the love not of a person, but of
 68 Intro|            in Plato’s doctrine of love.~The successive speeches
 69 Intro|  successive speeches in praise of love are characteristic of the
 70 Intro|        Aristophanes declares that love is the desire of the whole,
 71 Intro|     knowledge of the mysteries of love, to which he lays claim
 72 Intro|        powers of Socrates and his love of the fair, which receive
 73 Intro|  exaggerated encomiums of the god Love; (6) the satirical character
 74 Intro|       banquet after all, at which love is the theme of discourse,
 75 Intro|          topics. The antiquity of love, the blessing of having
 76 Intro|        lover, the incentive which love offers to daring deeds,
 77 Intro|      themes of his discourse. The love of women is regarded by
 78 Intro|         gods favour the return of love which is made by the beloved
 79 Intro|           mode of proceeding. The love of Pausanias for Agathon
 80 Intro|     between the elder and younger love. The value which he attributes
 81 Intro|       Eryximachus. To Eryximachus Love is the good physician; he
 82 Intro|          or recognises one law of love which pervades them both.
 83 Intro|          absurdity. His notion of love may be summed up as the
 84 Intro|         sophistical notions about love, which is brought back by
 85 Intro|           common-sense meaning of love between intelligent beings.
 86 Intro|         perfected: secondly, that love is the mediator and reconciler
 87 Intro|          idea of the antiquity of love he cannot agree; love is
 88 Intro|          of love he cannot agree; love is not of the olden time,
 89 Intro|           the distinction between love and the works of love, and
 90 Intro|     between love and the works of love, and also hints incidentally
 91 Intro|           hints incidentally that love is always of beauty, which
 92 Intro|     reconciliation, and speaks of Love as the creator and artist.~
 93 Intro|         he takes the thought that love is stronger than death;
 94 Intro|          Pausanias, that the true love is akin to intellect and
 95 Intro|            from Eryximachus, that love is a universal phenomenon
 96 Intro|           from Aristophanes, that love is the child of want, and
 97 Intro|       want, and is not merely the love of the congenial or of the
 98 Intro|          good; from Agathon, that love is of beauty, not however
 99 Intro|     praises have been ascribed to Love as the author of every good;
100 Intro|          is to speak the truth of Love he must honestly confess
101 Intro|         is not a good at all: for love is of the good, and no man
102 Intro|      about the art and mystery of love. She has taught him that
103 Intro|           She has taught him that love is another aspect of philosophy.
104 Intro|           things contained in his love of Beatrice, so Plato would
105 Intro|          loves and desires in the love of knowledge. Here is the
106 Intro|          the burning intensity of love is a contradiction in nature,
107 Intro|          a higher region in which love is not only felt, but satisfied,
108 Intro|           one aspect ‘the idea is love’; under another, ‘truth.’
109 Intro|          who have been equally in love with Socrates, and like
110 Intro|          Critias for his shameful love of Euthydemus in Xenophon,
111 Intro|        Greek mind. The passion of love took the spurious form of
112 Intro|       Apollo or Antinous. But the love of youth when not depraved
113 Intro|           when not depraved was a love of virtue and modesty as
114 Intro|       degree excuses the depraved love of the body (compare Charm.;
115 Intro|            doubtless, to whom the love of the fair mind was the
116 Intro|         man to be higher than the love of woman, because altogether
117 Intro|        heavenly and philosophical love, or of the coarse Polyhymnia:’
118 Intro|         countries. But effeminate love was always condemned as
119 Intro|       Plato in which the theme of love is discussed at length.
120 Intro|           described as ‘dying for love;’ and there are not wanting
121 Intro|           sensual and sentimental love, likewise offers several
122 Text |         the speeches in praise of love, which were delivered by
123 Text |       talked of the discourses on love; and therefore, as I said
124 Text |    APOLLODORUS: Well, the tale of love was on this wise:—But perhaps
125 Text |           great and glorious god, Love, has no encomiast among
126 Text |       ever dared worthily to hymn Love’s praises! So entirely has
127 Text |        better than honour the god Love. If you agree with me, there
128 Text |        make a speech in honour of Love. Let him give us the best
129 Text | understand nothing but matters of love; nor, I presume, will Agathon
130 Text |      Phaedrus begin the praise of Love, and good luck to him. All
131 Text |           began by affirming that Love is a mighty god, and wonderful
132 Text |          seat of all that is, And Love.’~In other words, after
133 Text |        after Chaos, the Earth and Love, these two, came into being.
134 Text |       train of gods, he fashioned Love.’~And Acusilaus agrees with
135 Text |         witnesses who acknowledge Love to be the eldest of the
136 Text |        able to implant so well as love. Of what am I speaking?
137 Text |          bravest, at such a time; Love would inspire him. That
138 Text |         the souls of some heroes, Love of his own nature infuses
139 Text |           infuses into the lover.~Love will make men dare to die
140 Text |          to die for their beloved—love alone; and women as well
141 Text |         but the tenderness of her love so far exceeded theirs,
142 Text |        the devotion and virtue of love. But Orpheus, the son of
143 Text |          like Alcestis to die for love, but was contriving how
144 Text |        was the reward of the true love of Achilles towards his
145 Text |   Patroclus—his lover and not his love (the notion that Patroclus
146 Text |         gods honour the virtue of love, still the return of love
147 Text |         love, still the return of love on the part of the beloved
148 Text |        reasons for affirming that Love is the eldest and noblest
149 Text |          be called upon to praise Love in such an indiscriminate
150 Text |            If there were only one Love, then what you said would
151 Text |         all I will tell you which Love is deserving of praise,
152 Text |         him. For we all know that Love is inseparable from Aphrodite,
153 Text |           there would be only one Love; but as there are two goddesses
154 Text |           we call common; and the Love who is her fellow-worker
155 Text |        named common, as the other love is called heavenly. All
156 Text |          in like manner not every love, but only that which has
157 Text |         and worthy of praise. The Love who is the offspring of
158 Text |           are the objects of this love which desires only to gain
159 Text |           male only; this is that love which is of youths, and
160 Text |          who are inspired by this love turn to the male, and delight
161 Text |       their attachments. For they love not boys, but intelligent
162 Text |          another of them. But the love of young boys should be
163 Text |           who bring a reproach on love; and some have been led
164 Text |        Lacedaemon the rules about love are perplexing, but in most
165 Text |         society among them, which love, above all other motives,
166 Text |    learned by experience; for the love of Aristogeiton and the
167 Text |         secret ones, and that the love of the noblest and highest,
168 Text |         And in the pursuit of his love the custom of mankind allows
169 Text |          argues that in Athens to love and to be loved is held
170 Text |         and promises; whereas the love of the noble disposition
171 Text |          in being overcome by the love of money, or of wealth,
172 Text |        these two customs, one the love of youth, and the other
173 Text |      wisdom, when the two laws of love are fulfilled and meet in
174 Text |     honour to the lover. Nor when love is of this disinterested
175 Text |           of virtue. This is that love which is the love of the
176 Text |         is that love which is the love of the heavenly godess,
177 Text |         contribution in praise of love, which is as good as I could
178 Text |        distinguished two kinds of love. But my art further informs
179 Text |        informs me that the double love is not merely an affection
180 Text |         universal is the deity of love, whose empire extends over
181 Text |           body these two kinds of love, which are confessedly different
182 Text |          is able to separate fair love from foul, or to convert
183 Text |      eradicate and how to implant love, whichever is required,
184 Text |            music implants, making love and unison to grow up among
185 Text |  concerned with the principles of love in their application to
186 Text |          difficulty in discerning love which has not yet become
187 Text |     repeated of fair and heavenly love—the love of Urania the fair
188 Text |        fair and heavenly love—the love of Urania the fair and heavenly
189 Text |           and of preserving their love; and again, of the vulgar
190 Text |        dry, attain the harmonious love of one another and blend
191 Text |          harm; whereas the wanton love, getting the upper hand
192 Text |    disorders of these elements of love, which to know in relation
193 Text |          and the cure of the evil love. For all manner of impiety
194 Text |        reverencing the harmonious love in all his actions, a man
195 Text |           a man honours the other love, whether in his feelings
196 Text |        rather omnipotent force of love in general. And the love,
197 Text |          love in general. And the love, more especially, which
198 Text |        might be said in praise of Love, but this was not intentional,
199 Text |         harmony of the body has a love of such noises and ticklings,
200 Text |           he had a mind to praise Love in another way, unlike that
201 Text |           understood the power of Love. For if they had understood
202 Text |         such a nature is prone to love and ready to return love,
203 Text |          love and ready to return love, always embracing that which
204 Text |           lost in an amazement of love and friendship and intimacy,
205 Text |    pursuit of the whole is called love. There was a time, I say,
206 Text |         obtain the good, of which Love is to us the lord and minister;
207 Text |      nature had his original true love, then our race would be
208 Text |         attainment of a congenial love. Wherefore, if we would
209 Text |            we must praise the god Love, who is our greatest benefactor,
210 Text |   Eryximachus, is my discourse of love, which, although different
211 Text |         are masters in the art of love, I should be really afraid
212 Text |     completion of our plan. Now I love to hear him talk; but just
213 Text |        not forget the encomium on Love which I ought to receive
214 Text |       instead of praising the god Love, or unfolding his nature,
215 Text |       truly than most of us like:—Love hates him and will not come
216 Text |           near him; but youth and love live and move together—like
217 Text |       were said by Phaedrus about Love in which I agree with him;
218 Text |           of Necessity and not of Love; had Love been in those
219 Text |    Necessity and not of Love; had Love been in those days, there
220 Text |         heaven, since the rule of Love began. Love is young and
221 Text |           the rule of Love began. Love is young and also tender;
222 Text |        proof of the tenderness of Love; for he walks not upon the
223 Text |           manner the attribute of Love; ungrace and love are always
224 Text |    attribute of Love; ungrace and love are always at war with one
225 Text |          no pleasure ever masters Love; he is their master and
226 Text |        him; he is the captive and Love is the lord, for love, the
227 Text |         and Love is the lord, for love, the love of Aphrodite,
228 Text |           the lord, for love, the love of Aphrodite, masters him,
229 Text |         this also is a proof that Love is a good poet and accomplished
230 Text |         that he only of them whom love inspires has the light of
231 Text |        the light of fame?—he whom Love touches not walks in darkness.
232 Text |     Apollo, under the guidance of love and desire; so that he too
233 Text |           he too is a disciple of Love. Also the melody of the
234 Text |           and men, are all due to Love, who was the inventor of
235 Text |          inventor of them. And so Love set in order the empire
236 Text |        the empire of the gods—the love of beauty, as is evident,
237 Text |       evident, for with deformity Love has no concern. In the days
238 Text |        but now since the birth of Love, and from the Love of the
239 Text |       birth of Love, and from the Love of the beautiful, has sprung
240 Text |     Therefore, Phaedrus, I say of Love that he is the fairest and
241 Text |           sweet strain with which love charms the souls of gods
242 Text |         turn with you in praising love, and saying that I too was
243 Text |     intention was to attribute to Love every species of greatness
244 Text |          you should really praise Love, but only that you should
245 Text |           And so you attribute to Love every imaginable form of
246 Text |           to hear the truth about love, I am ready to speak in
247 Text |           to have the truth about love, spoken in any words and
248 Text |         to speak of the nature of Love first and afterwards of
249 Text |          ask you further, Whether love is the love of something
250 Text |      further, Whether love is the love of something or of nothing?
251 Text |          not want you to say that love is the love of a father
252 Text |           to say that love is the love of a father or the love
253 Text |           love of a father or the love of a mother—that would be
254 Text |        Socrates, I will ask about Love:—Is Love of something or
255 Text |           will ask about Love:—Is Love of something or of nothing?~
256 Text |       what I want to know—whether Love desires that of which love
257 Text |        Love desires that of which love is.~Yes, surely.~And does
258 Text |          the sort of things which love and desire seek?~Very true,
259 Text |           argument. First, is not love of something, and of something
260 Text |     remind you: you said that the love of the beautiful set in
261 Text |       deformed things there is no love—did you not say something
262 Text |         one. And if this is true, Love is the love of beauty and
263 Text |         this is true, Love is the love of beauty and not of deformity?~
264 Text |        has been already made that Love is of something which a
265 Text |          not?~True, he said.~Then Love wants and has not beauty?~
266 Text |          would you still say that love is beautiful?~Agathon replied:
267 Text |         in wanting the beautiful, love wants also the good?~I cannot
268 Text |          would rehearse a tale of love which I heard from Diotima
269 Text |        instructress in the art of love, and I shall repeat to you
270 Text |           the being and nature of Love, and then of his works.
271 Text |         which he used to me, that Love was a mighty god, and likewise
272 Text |          that, by my own showing, Love was neither fair nor good. ‘
273 Text |       mean, Diotima,’ I said, ‘is love then evil and foul?’ ‘Hush,’
274 Text |       evil; or infer that because love is not fair and good he
275 Text |           them.’ ‘Well,’ I said, ‘Love is surely admitted by all
276 Text |           said with a smile, ‘can Love be acknowledged to be a
277 Text |             And you admitted that Love, because he was in want,
278 Text |         also deny the divinity of Love.’~‘What then is Love?’ I
279 Text |           of Love.’~‘What then is Love?’ I asked; ‘Is he mortal?’ ‘
280 Text |         not with man; but through Love all the intercourse and
281 Text |       diverse, and one of them is Love.’ ‘And who,’ I said, ‘was
282 Text |         at his side and conceived Love, who partly because he is
283 Text |           a mean between the two; Love is one of them. For wisdom
284 Text |         most beautiful thing, and Love is of the beautiful; and
285 Text |          beautiful; and therefore Love is also a philosopher or
286 Text |          the nature of the spirit Love. The error in your conception
287 Text |      arisen out of a confusion of love and the beloved, which made
288 Text |         which made you think that love was all beautiful. For the
289 Text |     blessed; but the principle of love is of another nature, and
290 Text |        sayest well; but, assuming Love to be such as you say, what
291 Text |          and you acknowledge that love is of the beautiful. But
292 Text |        all men, Socrates, said to love, but only some of them?
293 Text |        reason is that one part of love is separated off and receives
294 Text |             And the same holds of love. For you may say generally
295 Text |         great and subtle power of love; but they who are drawn
296 Text |       only—they alone are said to love, or to be lovers.’ ‘I dare
297 Text |           they are evil; for they love not what is their own, unless
298 Text |        there is nothing which men love but the good. Is there anything?’ ‘
299 Text |         simple truth is, that men love the good.’ ‘Yes,’ I said. ‘
300 Text |           must be added that they love the possession of the good?’ ‘
301 Text |         must be added too.’ ‘Then love,’ she said, ‘may be described
302 Text |        described generally as the love of the everlasting possession
303 Text |          if this be the nature of love, can you tell me further,’
304 Text |          and heat which is called love? and what is the object
305 Text |          the pain of travail. For love, Socrates, is not, as you
306 Text |          not, as you imagine, the love of the beautiful only.’ ‘
307 Text |          only.’ ‘What then?’ ‘The love of generation and of birth
308 Text |        has been already admitted, love is of the everlasting possession
309 Text |     together with good: Wherefore love is of immortality.’~All
310 Text |           times when she spoke of love. And I remember her once
311 Text |           the cause, Socrates, of love, and the attendant desire?
312 Text |        they take the infection of love, which begins with the desire
313 Text |     become a master in the art of love, if you do not know this?’ ‘
314 Text |         of the other mysteries of love.’ ‘Marvel not,’ she said, ‘
315 Text |        said, ‘if you believe that love is of the immortal, as we
316 Text |            Marvel not then at the love which all men have of their
317 Text |     offspring; for that universal love and interest is for the
318 Text |           they are stirred by the love of an immortality of fame.
319 Text |         is the character of their love; their offspring, as they
320 Text |           the lesser mysteries of love, into which even you, Socrates,
321 Text |         his instructor aright, to love one such form only—out of
322 Text |         he will abate his violent love of the one, which he will
323 Text | comeliness, he will be content to love and tend him, and will search
324 Text |       being not like a servant in love with the beauty of one youth
325 Text |          and notions in boundless love of wisdom; until on that
326 Text |         thus far in the things of love, and who has learned to
327 Text |       under the influence of true love, begins to perceive that
328 Text |         another, to the things of love, is to begin from the beauties
329 Text |         find a helper better than love: And therefore, also, I
330 Text |           the power and spirit of love according to the measure
331 Text |           may call an encomium of love, or anything else which
332 Text |        make a speech in praise of love, and as good a one as he
333 Text |          I leave his presence the love of popularity gets the better
334 Text |          he seemed to be still in love with Socrates. You are sober,
335 Text |         notion is that I ought to love you and nobody else, and
336 Text |         you and you only ought to love Agathon. But the plot of