Plato

Question 1

What is a symposium?

Answer 1

A drinking party where people shared ideas and views on a pre-decided topic. Drunkenness was thought to encourage frankness.

Question 2

What form does Plato mainly write in?

Answer 2

Dialogues

Question 3

What does Plato’s Laws and Republic mainly focus on?

Answer 3

What the role of love and relationships should be in a perfect society

Question 4

When and where is Plato’s symposium set?

Answer 4

Athens, Greece, 416BC (Late 5th Century BC)

Question 5

Who is Agathon?

Answer 5

A tragic poet who’s play has just won first place in a competition.
Is in a lifelong pederastic relationship with Pausanius.

Question 6

Who is Aristophanes?

Answer 6

A comic playwright (Frogs, Birds)

Question 7

Who is Eryximachus?

Answer 7

A doctor

Question 8

Who is Pausanius?

Answer 8

Agathon’s older lover, a legal expert

Question 9

Who is Phaedrus?

Answer 9

A beloved, long-term friend of Eryximachus

Question 10

Who is Socrates?

Answer 10

A philosopher

Question 11

Who is Alcibiades?

Answer 11

An Athenian statesman and general

Question 12

What do Plato’s characters represent?

Answer 12

A diverse range of Athenians

Question 13

Which legendary woman’s story does Phaedrus reference to show how love can make anyone courageous?

Answer 13

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.

Question 14

Which character is Plato’s mouthpiece in the symposium?

Answer 14

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.

Question 15

Which idyllic concept does Phaedrus explore that became a real-life group?

Answer 15

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

Question 16

What does Phaedrus label love as, after giving examples of legends dying for the sake of love, and then being rewarded in death?

Answer 16

The eldest, noblest, and mightiest of the gods; the chiefest author and giver of virtue in life, and of happiness in death

Question 17

Which legendary Greek warriors does Phaedrus reference to show the virtue that comes with love?

Answer 17

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)

Question 18

Which two loves does Pausanius talk of, and what is the difference between them?

Answer 18

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

Question 19

Why does Pausanius vouch for pederasty?

Answer 19

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)

Question 20

What does Eryximachus say about love?

Answer 20

Love is a medicine

Question 21

What story does Aristophanes tell about soulmates?

Answer 21

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.

Question 22

Why can it be assumed that Aristophanes isn’t being serious with his story?

Answer 22

He is a comic playwright - his story may just be a story and not an actual belief of his own

Question 23

Who was Socrates’ mentor?

Answer 23

Diotima

Question 24

What does Agathon say about love as a deity/concept?

Answer 24

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.

Question 25

In Socrates, what does Diotima describe love as?

Answer 25

A great spirit (daimon), who mediates everything and everyone in love - he is neither good nor bad, fair or unfair.

Question 26

According to Diotima, why do men want love?

Answer 26

Men are ambitious and senseless, as they want to love a woman to procreate and have children, for the sake of a new generation to carry on his name, and give him a sense of immortality.

Question 27

According to Diotima, why do honourable and virtuous men want love?

Answer 27

Good men want to love others with beautiful and noble souls, so they can educate one another. This bond is greater than a regular marriage or one of people who have human children together. They produce children in the form of written works, which give them greater immortality b/c “many temples have been raised in [the children’s] honour” by everyone through history, but not one for human children.