SUMMARY of Plato's Banquet and Analysis

We are going to travel to Ancient Greece to study one of the most important works of Plato (327-347 BC) C.), The banquet or the symposium (385 BC C). Work that takes us into a philosophical dialogue starring seven wise men (Socrates, Aristophanes, Alcibiades, Pausanias, Eryximaco, Agathon and Phaedrus) and in which they discuss Eros/Amor. Thus, throughout the entire dialogue, each character is going to make a speech about what love is for him, presenting us with a vision of love from different perspectives: philosophical, artistic, medical or literary.

In this way, The Banquet stands as the first philosophical and literary work dedicated to love and that falls within the maturity stage of Plato. If you want to meet a summary of Plato's Banquet and analysis, pay attention because in a PROFESOR we explain everything to you.

Index

1. Context of Plato's Banquet
2. Summary of Plato's Banquet
3. Analysis of Plato's Banquet
4. Main Themes of The Banquet

To fully understand the work The banquet, first we have to explain who the author is and the context in which the work takes place. In this way, we know that Plato He was born in Athens around the year 427 BC. C., within an aristocratic family and related to the politician solon (Seven Sages of Greece).

From a very young age he was attracted to philosophy and soon began to frequent the environment of Socratesof him, becoming one of his most accomplished disciples. However, after the death sentence imposed on his teacher, he was forced to leave Athens and would not return until 387 BC. c. Moment in which he founded the Academy, which became one of the most important centers of knowledge until it was closed in 86 BC. c. (Justinian)

Regarding the context of the work, it is framed within the stage of maturity of Plato and the final period of Classical Greece. A moment that was characterized by a first spartan hegemony on the Greek sphere, the political decline of Athens after her defeat in the Peloponnesian War, a second hegemony stars in the city of Thebes (371 a. C.) after several conflicts with Sparta, the general crisis of the city-states, the disintegration of the population and the incipient rise of Macedonia and Hellenism.

We are going to offer you a summary of The banquet of Plato so that you know better this work of Plato.

The banquet takes us to a greek symposium (meeting of drinkers) or banquet, which is divided into two parts:

• Thewelcome and food in the kline.
• Party: It was the time when the guests drank while discussing and enjoying the dance and music.

In this way, Plato's work introduces us to one of the most common practices within Greek aristocracy to tell us about Eros, which stands as the central theme of the debate starring seven diners (Socrates, Aristophanes, Alcibiades, Pausanias, Eriximaco, Agathon and Phaedrus) who give us their personal opinion about love and in which they challenge each other others.

Thus, the play begins with the arrival at the banquet (organized by Agathon) of the guests and the debate begins when Eriximarco (moderator) proposes that each of the attendees, intoxicated by alcohol, do a praise/praise to love:

“…. I think, therefore, that each of us should make a speech, from left to right, as beautiful as possible. in praise of Eros and let Phaedrus begin first, since he is also placed first and is, at the same time, the father of the idea…”

7 speeches of The banquet of Plato

Thus begin the seven speeches of the seven guests, the main one being that of Socrates:

1. Phaedrus speech: It stands as the speech that serves as introduction to the reader, since he tells us about who Eros is as a deity: his origin, his greatness and his nature. Thus, Phaedrus tells us that he is the most venerable god of all and that he is the one who leads the individual to do beautiful things such as sacrifice for the loved one.
2. Pausanias speech: Pausanias refutes Phaedrus and goes on to speak of Eros as a god who has a dual nature (there are two Eros): Eros Pandemus/Aphrodite (physical, vulgar and perishable love = the impulsive love typical of young people and women) and Eros Uranium (love of the soul, pure, virtuous, immortal and of wisdom = the love of philosophy and typical of adult men).
3. Eryximachus speech: Continuing with the theory of the double nature of love, he tells us that both types of love must reach a Balance or consonance and tells us about love from a biological and medical perspective: the love of what is healthy/beautiful and the love of what is sick/embarrassing.
4. Aristophanes speech: It tells us that the Greeks are not aware of the power of Eros and that he is a little worshiped god. In addition, it mentions the myth of what human nature was like at the beginning of time: There were three sexes (male/descendant of the sun, female/descendant of the earth, and androgynous/descendant of the moon=disappeared), of which, male and female, who possessed two bodies, were separated into two halves and condemned to search for their other half, that's why love is the search of that half to complete you as a human being.
5. Agathon's speech: The speech of this diner does not add anything new, rather, it serves to enumerate and summarize the topics exposed so far to move on to the main speech, that of Socrates.
6. Socrates speech: He begins praising the speeches of his companions and through the dialogue, typical of this philosopher, he begins to give a lesson on what Eros is. In this way, he tells us that the one who taught him what Eros is was the wise diotima and he goes on to reproduce the dialogue he had with her, establishing that Eros is a devil who communicates God with men and who is the son of Penia (Poverty) and Poros (Resource), from whom he has inherited various characteristics; On the one hand, it is hard, dry and poor. But on the other hand, he is beautiful, good, wise and brave. Also, he is neither mortal nor immortal, it is the wish of possess the good, the procreation of beauty both in the body and in the soul and The virtue. It is Eros Uranium.
7. Speech Alcibiades: This last speech speaks of the virtues of Eros and focuses on highlighting the speech of Socrates. In addition, it serves to end the discussion about love, since, after this speech, everyone falls asleep except Socrates

The banquet Plato's stands as the first Western work that tells us about love. Also, it can be included in the philosophy and inside the tragicomedy.

On the other hand, it should be noted that The Banquet is included in what is known as the platonic dialogues or set of works (dialogues) that were grouped in the canon “Corpus Platonicum”, which is ordered in tetralogies and that is divided into two blocks depending on the historical period:

• ancient canon: Attributed to trasilo in the S.I d. c. and in which each dialogue is cataloged by themes. In this case, The Banquet is located under the theme of love.
• modern editions: Made in 1513 by the Aldine printing press. Later, it was modified by John Burnet in 1907 and grouped into 5 volumes (following the order of Trásilo's tetralogy).

Finally, we must also bear in mind that this work is structured in three main parts or blocks:

1. Introduction. Where it is explained that the guests go to the banquet organized by Agathon.
2. Seven speeches (central part). Each diner delivers his speech in the following order: Phaedrus, Pausanias, Eriximaco, Aristophanes, Agathon, Socrates, and Alcibiades.
3. Conclution. By way of closing, Plato tells us that everyone fell asleep, except Socrates.

"... Then Socrates, having put them to sleep, got up and left. Aristodemus, as he used to, followed him. When Socrates arrived at the Lyceum, he washed himself, spent the rest of the day as usual, and, having thus spent it, in the evening he went home to rest..."

Other issues to highlight within this work are the topics that are treated. Among those that stand out:

• Homosexuality/pederasty: To understand Plato's conception of homosexuality/pedophilia, we must frame it within his idea of dual love; the common (Eros Pandemus) and the celestial (Eros Uranium). Thus, our protagonist (speech by Pausanias and Aristophanes) establishes that the relationships Homosexuals are located within the celestial, in which women do not participate and which, Pausanias, defined as the "love of young men”(pederasty). Likewise, to explain the tendency towards homosexuality, alludes to the myth that says that men and women are a section of the original man and woman. So the trend is find your own symbol.
• Platonic love:In this work, Plato gives us his conception of love from a dual perspective: physical love and spiritual love. Being the latter, defined as platonic love. The one that distances itself from sexual love and that goes beyond, which is an intelligent, transcendental, pure love based on virtue.
• The ladder of love: It is the ritual or the forms of love that the individual develops throughout his life: 1) Love to the beauty of bodies; 2) Tolove the beauty of the soul about the beauty of bodies (leads to love for laws, customs and activities); 3) love of knowledge and wisdom/philosophy (leads to the purest form of beauty and virtue).
• ethnocentrism: Plato, through Pausanias, alludes to the idea of greek superiority against the inferiority of the other/barbarian. That is, those communities that have not known civilization (associated with Greek values ​​and customs), that are subjected to tyrants, who are simple and who do not have legislation that regulates love (in this case in relation to pederasty).

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