Phaedrus Flashcards
Who is Phaedrus
- a young man, both a friend and admirer of Socrates, who gives the first speech about Love
- Also one main character in the dialogue Phaedrus, another dialogue about Love (and rhetoric, and philosophy, and …..)
How is Love defined by Phaedrus - is it a god or some other being?
- Love is a “primordial god”, as no “laymen” nor “poet” assigns “Love parents”
- Love is assigned the pronoun “he”
- “Love is one of the most ancient and venerated gods”
How is Love’s power described by Phaedrus?
- “Responsible for some of our greatest benefits”
- If they had an army full of boyfriends, they would never surrender and would always remain valiant and brave through their love for the one stood next to them
- most effective force for helping a person in their lifetime to attain goodness and happiness
What is said about bad love? What are its risks or dangers? according to Phaedrus
- Bad love is love in which someone is not willing to die for
- Uses Orpheus as an example by saying that he did not get his wife back because he was not willing to die for her
- suggests that Phaedrus thinks that this was not true love but maybe only a weaker form
What is said by Phaedrus regarding pederasty, homosexuality or heterosexuality?
- highly encourages the idea of an entirely pederastic and homosexual army —-> conquer the world
- Glorification of the eromenos:
- Achilles “was the most attractive hero there was - and was still beardless”
What is the role of women refferred to by Phaedrus, or what attitudes are shown towards women?
- only woman mentioned is Alcestis really:
- portrayed very well, quite brave –> would have liked as bravery was very masculine
- She is willing to die for her husband and was rewarded for doing so in the form of bringing her up from Hades after she died
- For this she is highly praised.
What other key ideas are explored by Phaedrus?
- repeats the phrase “or anything else” on several occasions to highlight the extent to which love usurps one’s existence
- love causes men to feel shame
- love drives them to strive to be their absolute best, as men would feel
“particularly ashamed at being caught behaving badly by his lovers”
Phaedrus
What is the view of love’s timescale
love is a force to reckoned with since the beginning of time
What is love the path to for Phaedrus
- the path to virtue,
- love is oldest of gods
- he is speaking of love in a homoertic relationship between erastes & eromenos - Barr
Love is a….. force for ….. behaviour - ….. who says this
potent
moral
Waterfield
How does Socrates use Phaedrus to develop ideas about friendship?
- Socrates offers the idea that sexual desire urges the soul to grow wings and take flight; his description hints at the whole experience of sexual arousal with the body eventually shuddering as if experiencing an orgasm.
- In Phaedrus, Socrates compares the soul to two horses.
- The black horse represents instinctive desire and the white horse is moderation.
- A charioteer has the job of steering horses who would naturally oppose each other.
- In Phaedrus, it is suggested that friendship should come before a sexual relationship.
To Phaedrus love is the a…
- aquistion of virtue & happiness
Phaedrus’ thoughts on honour?
- In homeric terms, love can represent honour on the battlefield, an army of lovers is indefeatable
what is a shortcoming of Phaedrus according to Sheffield
- why should a love of honour be its best expression?
