Plato Flashcards
What is a symposium?
A drinking party where people shared ideas and views on a pre-decided topic. Drunkenness was thought to encourage frankness.
What form does Plato mainly write in?
Dialogues
What does Plato’s Laws and Republic mainly focus on?
What the role of love and relationships should be in a perfect society
When and where is Plato’s symposium set?
Athens, Greece, 416BC (Late 5th Century BC)
Who is Agathon?
A tragic poet who’s play has just won first place in a competition.
Is in a lifelong pederastic relationship with Pausanius.
Who is Aristophanes?
A comic playwright (Frogs, Birds)
Who is Eryximachus?
A doctor
Who is Pausanius?
Agathon’s older lover, a legal expert
Who is Phaedrus?
A beloved, long-term friend of Eryximachus
Who is Socrates?
A philosopher
Who is Alcibiades?
An Athenian statesman and general
What do Plato’s characters represent?
A diverse range of Athenians
Which legendary woman’s story does Phaedrus reference to show how love can make anyone courageous?
Alcestis
He states that Alcestis died for Orpheus due to the great tenderness of her love, and was honoured by being brought back to life by the gods in an act of devotion and virtue to love.
Orpheus, who didn’t dare to die for love, was punished.
Which character is Plato’s mouthpiece in the symposium?
Socrates
He puts forth Platonic ideas and views mainly, and what he says should be interpreted as Plato’s own views and ideas on each matter.
Which idyllic concept does Phaedrus explore that became a real-life group?
An army of lovers and beloveds- a man would perform his best as he does not want to look bad in front of his lover/beloved
The Sacred band of Thebes - a troop of 150 pairs of male lovers that existed in the early to late 4th century BC
What does Phaedrus label love as, after giving examples of legends dying for the sake of love, and then being rewarded in death?
The eldest, noblest, and mightiest of the gods; the chiefest author and giver of virtue in life, and of happiness in death
Which legendary Greek warriors does Phaedrus reference to show the virtue that comes with love?
Achilles and Patroclus
Patroclus fought and died for his beloved Achilles.
Achilles, knowing he could simply not fight and go on to live a long life, fought and died to revenge his dead lover, which Phaedrus argues to be more honourable than the actions of Alcestis, as he was honoured higher than her by the gods (Sent to Elysium, island of the blessed)
Which two loves does Pausanius talk of, and what is the difference between them?
Heavenly Aphrodite - Between two men, the love for knowledge, love of the soul, intelligence (She is heavenly because she was born from only Uranus - a man) - the BETTER Aphrodite
Common Aphrodite - Anything NOT between two men for knowledge, desire for physical bodies, which can end when a person’s body ages undesirably (She is common because she was born of Zeus and Dione - a man and woman) - the LESSER Aphrodite
Why does Pausanius vouch for pederasty?
Because it fulfils older men’s desire to pass on wisdom and knowledge, while fulfilling young men’s desire to learn - both men are improved in the relationship virtuously.
(Also he is the erastes in a pederastic relationship)
What does Eryximachus say about love?
Love is a medicine
What story does Aristophanes tell about soulmates?
Conjoined beings tried to overthrow the gods but got separated as punishment. Tried to find their other half, but often settled for those who weren’t exact soulmates. Their genitals were on their back so it was difficult to copulate - gods felt bad and put them on their front. Therefore everyone has a soulmate out there.
Why can it be assumed that Aristophanes isn’t being serious with his story?
He is a comic playwright - his story may just be a story and not an actual belief of his own
Who was Socrates’ mentor?
Diotima
What does Agathon say about love as a deity/concept?
Love is young and tender, living in all mortals and gods (unless they have a hard heart). Love is everywhere, and love only exists in and brings good things, never bad things - love is the greatest and highest of beings.
