His speech may be regarded as self-consciously poetic and rhetorical, composed in the way of the sophists,[23] gently mocked by Socrates. Eros is almost always translated as "love", and the English word has its own varieties and ambiguities that provide additional challenges to the effort to understand the Eros of ancient Athens. Agathon complains that the previous speakers have made the mistake of congratulating mankind on the blessings of love, failing to give due praise to the god himself (194e). [10], Aristophanes' comedy, The Frogs (405 BC), attacks the new tragedy of Agathon and Euripides, and opposes it to the old tragedy of Aeschylus. This section previews the story of the banquet, letting the reader know what to expect, and it provides information regarding the context and the date. State University of New York Press, 2008. Kommentar. Socrates asks Agathon to protect him from the jealous rage of Alcibiades, asking Alcibiades to forgive him (213d). Übersetzung und Kommentar. As spherical creatures who wheeled around like clowns doing cartwheels (190a), these original people were very powerful. Zum Inhalt: Agathon hat Freunde und Bekannte zu sich nach Hause eingeladen, wo die Anwesenden dann spontan beschließen, sich die Zeit mit Lobreden auf Eros, den Gott der Liebe, zu vertreiben. Apollodorus was not present at the event, which occurred when he was a boy, but he heard the story from Aristodemus, who was present. Gill). Symposion. The party becomes wild and drunken, with the symposium coming to an end. The portrayal of Socrates in the Symposium (for instance his refusal to give in to Alcibiades' sexual advances) is consistent with the account of Socrates put forward by Xenophon and the theories that Socrates defends throughout the Platonic corpus. (Lernmaterialien) at Amazon.com. It is considered that the work was written no earlier than 385 BCE, and the party to which it makes reference has been fixed in 416 BCE, the year in which the host Agathon had the dramatic triumph mentioned in the text. [24] The god of Love not only directs everything on the human plane, but also on the divine (186b). It is seen as transcending its earthly origins and attaining spiritual heights. Please try your request again later. Rebecca Stanton notes a deliberate blurring of genre boundaries here ("Aristophanes gives a tragic speech, Agathon a comic/parodic one") and that Socrates later urges a similar coalescence: Vlastos, Gregory. Furthermore, Alcibiades was wrong and Socrates knows there is no use in him (218e-219a). So the character, Alcibiades, who was the deciding factor in the debate in The Frogs, becomes the judge in the Symposium, and he now rules in favor of Socrates, who had been attacked by Aristophanes in The Clouds. It is anticipated that the speeches will ultimately be bested by Socrates, who speaks last. When Agathon and Aristophanes fall asleep, Socrates rises up and walks to the Lyceum to wash and tend to his daily business as usual, not going home to sleep until that evening (223d).[22][10]. This speech, in the interpretation of Marsilio Ficino in De Amore (1484), is the origin of the concept of Platonic love. Aristophanes ends on a cautionary note. These are the cardinal virtues in ancient Greece. [9][10], For a very long time, it was widely believed that Socrates was presented in the dialogues by his admiring disciple, Plato, as an ideal philosopher and ideal human being. The dialogue's seven main characters, who deliver major speeches, are: The story of the banquet is narrated by Apollodorus, but before the narration proper begins, it is shown that Apollodorus is telling the story to a friend of his that isn't named, and also that the story of this banquet has been told before by others, as well as previously by Apollodorus himself. ... Der Kommentar erschließt den Text, indem er die Argumentation detailliert erläutert. In the Symposium, the dialectic exists among the speeches: in seeing how the ideas conflict from speech-to-speech, and in the effort to resolve the contradictions and see the philosophy that underlies them all. In the Symposium, Eros is recognized both as erotic love and as a phenomenon capable of inspiring courage, valor, great deeds and works, and vanquishing man's natural fear of death. He says that love is the youngest of the gods and is an enemy of old age (195b). Zeus thought about blasting them with thunderbolts but did not want to deprive himself of their devotions and offerings, so he decided to cripple them by chopping them in half, in effect separating the two bodies. Jetzt Hörbuch herunterladen & bequem der tolino app, dem tolino webreader oder auf Ihrem Computer anhören. (217c). Hinweise und Aktionen. Then in the late 20th century, another interpretation began to challenge that idea. a.a.O., 180C - 185C. Others are pregnant in both body and mind, and instead of children they carry wisdom, virtue, and above all, the art of civic order (209a). The Symposium (Ancient Greek: Συμπόσιον, Sympósion [sympósi̯on]) is a philosophical text by Plato dated c. 385–370 BC. Agathon follows Aristophanes, and his speech sees Eros as youthful, beautiful, and wise; and as the source of all human virtues. In The Frogs, Dionysus, the god of theatre and wine, descends into Hades and observes a heated dispute between Aeschylus and Euripides over who is the best in tragedy. Putting the two together then, for Love to desire youth he must not have it himself, thus making him old, and for him to desire beauty, he himself must be ugly. If a man works with the god of Love, they will escape this fate and instead find wholeness. [27] By his own admission, he is very handsome. Das Symposion (griechisch Συμπόσιον Sympósion „Gastmahl“, „Trinkgelage“, wörtlich „gemeinsames Trinken“) ist ein Dialog des griechischen Philosophen Platon.Er wird der mittleren Schaffensperiode Platons zugeschrieben und wäre demnach etwa um 380 v. Chr. Plato, The Symposium. 5Vgl. Enter your mobile number or email address below and we'll send you a link to download the free Kindle App. Alcibiades spent the night sleeping beside Socrates yet, in his deep humiliation, Alcibiades made no sexual attempt (219b-d). Diotima first explains that Love is neither a god, as was previously claimed by the other guests, nor a mortal but a daemon, a spirit halfway between god and man, who was born during a banquet thrown by the gods to celebrate the birth of Aphrodite. The story, as told by Apollodorus, then moves to the banquet at Agathon's home, where Agathon challenges each of the men to speak in praise of the Greek god, Eros. COVID-19 Resources. Some men are pregnant in body alone and, just like animals, enjoy the company of women with whom they can have children that will pass on their existence. Platon entsinnlicht Eros in seinen Dialogen „Symposion“ und „Phaidros“. First Eryximachus starts out by claiming that love affects everything in the universe, including plants and animals, believing that once love is attained it should be protected. Politeia. Nachdem ich bis jetzt nur um den heißen Brei herum geredet habe, will ich genau damit weitermachen! When Socrates continually rebuffed him, Alcibiades began to fantasize a view towards Socrates as the only true and worthy lover he had ever had. Deutsche Übersetzung von Friedrich Schleiermacher. Paulsen, Rehn. [14] A story that Socrates narrates, when it is his turn to speak, was told to Socrates by a woman named Diotima, a philosopher and a priestess. Being of an intermediary nature, Love is also halfway between wisdom and ignorance, knowing just enough to understand his ignorance and try to overcome it. Ernst Heitsch, Carl Werner Müller, Kurt Sier (Hrsg. Der Staat, Die digitale Bibliothek der Philosophie, S. 13169 (vgl. Alcibiades is corrupted by his physical beauty and the advantages thereof; he ultimately fails to ascend to the Form of Beauty through philosophy. It may be Plato's point to suggest that when humankind talks about god, they are drawn towards creating that god in their own image. Außerdem trage ich euch die ersten 'Lobreden auf den Eros' vor. [8], The Symposium is, like all of Plato's dialogues, fiction. ,,The technique of this dialogue (sc. Love itself is not wise or beautiful but is the desire for those things. The men split from other men also run after their own kind and love being embraced by other men (191e). In conclusion, Diotima gives Socrates a guide on how a man of this class should be brought up from a young age. Most people, he continues, don't know what Socrates is like on the inside: But once I caught him when he was open like Silenus' statues, and I had a glimpse of the figures he keeps hidden within: they were so godlike – so bright and beautiful, so utterly amazing – that I no longer had a choice. Socrates responded that if he did have this power, why would he exchange his true (inner) beauty for the image of beauty that Alcibiades would provide. The party takes place at the house of the tragedian Agathon in Athens. Apollodorus was not himself at the banquet, but he heard the story from Aristodemus, a man who was there. Griechischer Text von Léon Robin und Louis Méridier. Find helpful customer reviews and review ratings for Symposion. They might speak more frankly, or take more risks, or else be prone to hubris—they might even be inspired to make speeches that are particularly heartfelt and noble. Plato shows off his master as a man of high moral standards, unwavered by baser urges and fully committed to the study and practice of proper self-government in both individuals and communities (the so-called "royal science"). Symposion ist eine philosophische Schriftenreihe des Verlages Karl Alber, Freiburg i. Br. Socrates then compares Alicibiades to a satyr . He says that the god of love shuns the very sight of senility and clings to youth. Love might be capable of curing the diseased. This love is related to Aphrodite Urania (Heavenly Aphrodite) and is based on honoring one's partner's intelligence and wisdom. Like Agathon and Aristophanes, Alcibiades is a historical person from ancient Athens. This suggests that the characters speak, as in a play, not as the author, but as themselves. [citation needed]. Das Symposion gilt als einer der bedeutendsten Dialoge Platons und ist einer der am intensivsten rezipierten. The Symposium is a response to The Frogs, and shows Socrates winning not only over Aristophanes, who was the author of both The Frogs, and The Clouds, but also over the tragic poet who was portrayed in that comedy as the victor.[15][16][17]. Please try again. https://www.getabstract.com/de/zusammenfassung/symposion/7167 Apollodorus later checked parts of the story with Socrates, who was also there. He was deeply curious towards Socrate's intelligence and wisdom, but Alcibiades really wanted him sexually at the time that Socrates, a man that gave only platonic love to everyone he has encountered, gave up teaching everything he knew towards Alcibiades because of his pride, lust, and immoral conduct upon him(217a). Find helpful customer reviews and review ratings for Symposion. Translation and introduction by Walter Hamilton. PLATON, Symposion, 178B - 180B. Love is expressed through propagation and reproduction: either physical love or the exchanging and reproducing of ideas. The disastrous expedition to Syracuse, of which Alcibiades was a commander, took place the following year,[18] after which Alcibiades deserted to Sparta, Athens' archenemy. Arieti, James A. Interpreting Plato: The Dialogues As Drama. Since Aeschylus prefers Alcibiades, Dionysus declares Aeschylus the winner. Your recently viewed items and featured recommendations, Select the department you want to search in. There's a problem loading this menu right now. Scott, Gary Alan, and William A. Welton, "Erotic Wisdom: philosophy and intermediacy in Plato's Symposium". There were three sexes: the all male, the all female, and the "androgynous," who was half male, half female. Love is the desire we have to find our other half, in order to become whole. Socrates is renowned for his dialectic approach to knowledge (often referred to as the Socratic Method), which involves posing questions that encourage others to think deeply about what they care about and articulate their ideas. Bei einem Gastmahl (Symposion, „Trinkgelage“) halten die Teilnehmer Reden, in denen sie unterschiedliche, teils gegensätzliche Ansätze und Theorien … Although devoid of philosophical content, the speech Plato puts in the mouth of Agathon is a beautiful formal one, and Agathon contributes to the Platonic love theory with the idea that the object of love is beauty.[23]. Please try again. Alcibiades begins by comparing Socrates to a statue of Silenus; the statue is ugly and hollow, and inside it is full of tiny golden statues of the gods (215a-b). No matter how hard he has tried, he says, he has never been able to seduce Socrates, because Socrates has no interest in physical pleasure. The day before yesterday I chanced to be going up to town from my house in Phalerum, when one of my acquaintance caught sight of me from behind, some way off, … entstanden. Die digitale Bibliothek der Philosophie, S. 12906 (vgl. When they are done eating, Eryximachus takes the suggestion made by Phaedrus, that they should all make a speech in praise of Eros, the god of love and desire. Bring your club to Amazon Book Clubs, start a new book club and invite your friends to join, or find a club that’s right for you for free. Bearbeitet von Dietrich Kurz. Despite this speech, Agathon lies down next to Socrates, much to Alcibiades' chagrin. Platon. Satyrs were often portrayed with the sexual appetite, manners, and features of wild beasts, and often with a large erection. Logos LSJ s.v. Übersetzung von Friedrich Schleiermacher, Insel Verlag Frankfurt am Main und Leipzig 1991 Erste Auflage. in: Platon's Werke, Stuttgart, 1855, bearbeitet, Durch Anklicken der indizierenden Seitenzahlen im deutschen Text wird die entsprechende Seite mit dem Es gibt also, mein Freund, keine Beschäftigung eigens für die Frau, nur weil sie Frau ist, und auch keine eigens für den Mann, nur weil er Mann ist, die Begabungen finden sich vielmehr gleichmäßig bei … Kommentar. It will be a competition of speeches to be judged by Dionysus. The reader, understanding that Plato was not governed by the historical record, can read the Symposium, and ask why the author, Plato, arranged the story the way he did, and what he meant by including the various aspects of setting, composition, characters, and theme, etc. Finally, he will reach the ultimate goal, which is to witness beauty in itself rather than representations (211a-b), the true Form of Beauty in Platonic terms. It also analyzes reviews to verify trustworthiness. [10], Apollodorus tells his friend a story of a symposium, or banquet, that was hosted by the playwright Agathon to celebrate his victory in a dramatic festival the night before. To calculate the overall star rating and percentage breakdown by star, we don’t use a simple average. [7], Eryximachus has challenged the men to deliver, each, in turn, an encomium—a speech in praise of Love (Eros). Agathon says love is dainty and likes to tiptoe through the flowers and never settles where there is no "bud to bloom" (196b). From this point, he will pass to the love of beautiful minds, and then to that of knowledge. 3 (Weitere Literatur wird im Seminar bekanntgegeben.) Eine moderne deutsche Übersetzung von Platons Gesamtwerk fehlt, ebenso fehlen wissenschaftliche Kommentare. Though other participants comply with this challenge, Socrates notably refuses to participate in such an act of praise and instead takes a very different approach to the topic. Reliable information about the coronavirus (COVID-19) is available from the World Health Organization (current situation, international travel).Numerous and frequently-updated resource results are available from this WorldCat.org search.OCLC’s WebJunction has pulled together information and resources to assist library staff as they consider how to handle … 5. What follows is a series of questions and answers, typical of Plato's earlier dialogues, featuring Socrates' famous method of dialectics. It would seem that none of the characters at the party, with the possible exception of Agathon himself, would be candidates for love's companionship. Socrates, probably the oldest member of the party, seems certain to be ruled out. The Symposium (Ancient Greek: Συμπόσιον, Sympósion [sympósi̯on]) is a philosophical text by Plato dated c. 385–370 BC. Aristophanes then claims that when two people who were separated from each other find each other, they never again want to be separated (192c). Das Symposion (griechisch Συμπόσιον Sympósion Gastmahl oder Trinkgelage, latinisiert Symposium) ist ein in Dialogform verfasstes Werk des griechischen Philosophen Platon. ix Introduction to Plato’s Symposium The Symposium tells the story of a drinking party in which the guests agree to put aside their desire for wine, women and music and deliver speeches in honor of erōs, a word often translated as “love” but more aptly described as “sexual desire” or Brief content visible, double tap to read full content. Die digitale Bibliothek der Philosophie, S. 12906 (vgl. The characters and the settings are to some degree based on history, but they are not reports of events that actually occurred or words that were actually spoken. Platon lässt in mehreren seiner fiktiven, literarisch ausgestalteten Dialoge die Gesprächspartner das Wesen und den Sinn der Liebe analysieren. Before Socrates gives his speech he asks some questions of Agathon regarding the nature of love. It depicts a friendly contest of extemporaneous speeches given by a group of notable men attending a banquet. Then you can start reading Kindle books on your smartphone, tablet, or computer - no Kindle device required. Also, Apollodorus was able to confirm parts of the story with Socrates himself, who was one of the speakers at the banquet. There is no reason to think they were not composed entirely by Plato. [23] The speech has become a focus of subsequent scholarly debate, as it has been seen as mere comic relief, and sometimes as satire: the creation myth Aristophanes puts forward to account for sexuality may be read as poking fun at the myths concerning the origins of humanity, numerous in classical Greek mythology. Bernhard Huss. The fourth speech is from Aristophanes, who tells a comic, fantastical story about how humans were at one time two people conjoined, but this was seen as threatening to the gods, so Zeus cut everyone in half just like fish is cut in two parts. Socrates is the only man who has ever made Alcibiades feel shame (216b). Kommentar. Read honest and unbiased product reviews from our users. The greatest knowledge, Diotima says, is knowledge of the "form of beauty", which humans must try to achieve. So he told Socrates that it seemed to him now that nothing could be more important than becoming the best man he could be, and Socrates was best fit to help him reach that aim (218c-d). Rowman & Littlefield Publishers (1991). Platon: Werke. Phaedrus starts by pointing out that Eros is the oldest of the gods, and that Eros promotes virtue in people. Platon-SW Bd. zwischen Sokrates und Agathon) is characteristic of the … Aristodemus goes to sleep. [172a] 1 Apollodorus I believe I have got the story you inquire of pretty well by heart. Read honest and unbiased product reviews from our users. He says that men should fear the gods, and not neglect to worship them, lest they wield the ax again and we have to go about hopping on one leg, split apart again (193a). Darmstadt: Wissenschaftliche Buchgesellschaft. Eryximachus speaks next, though it is Aristophanes' turn, as the latter has not recovered from his hiccups enough to take his place in the sequence. The words of Socrates are the only ones to have ever upset him so deeply that his soul started to realize that his aristocratic life was no better than a slave's (215e). [3][4][5], The event depicted in the Symposium is a banquet attended by a group of men, who have come to the symposium, which was, in ancient Greece, a traditional part of the same banquet that took place after the meal, when drinking for pleasure was accompanied by music, dancing, recitals, or conversation. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 United States License. Even Achilles, who was the beloved of Patroclus, sacrificed himself to avenge his lover, and Alcestis was willing to die for her husband Admetus. Socrates, he concludes, is unique in his ideas and accomplishments, unrivaled by any man from the past or present (221c). Current texts, translations, commentaries. Platon-SW Bd. Symposion. It shows how an oral text may have no simple origin, and how it can be passed along by repeated tellings, and by different narrators, and how it can be sometimes verified, and sometimes corrupted. [12], Andrew Dalby considers the opening pages of the Symposium the best depiction in any ancient Greek source of the way texts are transmitted by oral tradition without writing. In the first group there are cities favorable to homosexuality, like Elis, Boeotia and Sparta, or unfavorable to it like Ionia and Persia. According to her, Eros is not a god but is a spirit that mediates between humans and their objects of desire. Platon (20055): Phaidon. [5], The Symposium is considered a dialogue – a form used by Plato in more than thirty works – but in fact, it is predominantly a series of essay-like speeches from differing points of view. Prima Schülerkommentar. Socrates does not have the answer and so Diotima reveals it: Beauty is not the end but the means to something greater, the achievement of a certain reproduction and birth (206c), the only claim that mortals can have on immortality.