Plato´s Dialogue, “The Symposium”: “On Platonic Love and The Myth of the Androgyne”.-

♠Plato´s Dialogue, “The Symposium”:

“On Platonic Love and The Myth of the Androgyne”:

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“The Symposium” ( Συμπόσιον) is a dialogue by Plato dated c. 385–380 BC. 

Plato sets the action in a symposium hosted by the poet Agathon to celebrate his first victory in a dramatic competition, the Dionysia of 416 BC. Each man must deliver an encomiun, a speech in praise of Love (Eros).   Each participant, by means of very personal expositions, adds something to a body that at the end is developed by Socrates. 

The dialogue concerns itself at one level with the genesis, purpose and nature of love, and (in latter-day interpretations) is the origin of the concept of Platonic Love. 

Platonic love is a type of Love that is chaste and non-sexual. This idea is also examined in this dialogue. Of particular importance is the speech of Socrates, relating the ideas attributed to the prophetess Diotima, which present love as a means of ascent to contemplation of the divine. For Diotima, and for Plato generally, the most correct use of love of other human beings is to direct one’s mind to love of divinity.

The dialogue´s  structure consists in seven major speeches which are delivered by: 1) Phaedrus (speech begins 178a): He was an Athenian aristocrat. Pausanias  (speech begins 180c): He was a legal expert. 3) The pshysician Eryximachus. 4) Aristophanes, a comic playwright (speech begins 189c). 5) Agathon (speech begins 195a): He a tragic poet, host of the banquet. 6) Socrates  (speech begins 201d): He was a Philosopher and Plato’s teacher. 7) Alcibiades (speech begins 214e), who was a prominent Athenian statesman and orator.

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♠Aristophanes speech: “The Myth of the Androgyne”: (To Read the excerpt from “The Symposium” click here)

Before launching his speech, Aristophanes warns the group that his praise to love may be more absurd than funny. His speech is an explanation of why people in love say they feel “whole” when they have found their love partner.

Aristophanes’ speech comes in the form of a myth.

This creation myth places humans of all three genders (androgynous, male, and female) in a primeval state of eternal bliss. However, we grew insolent in our blissful state and refused to properly honor the gods (and even tried to pursue them in their mountainous home). As punishment, we were split in two. Those with a “male” nature (the Children of the Sun) became homosexual men; those with a “female” nature (the Children of the Earth) became homosexual women; and the androgynes (Children of the Moon) became heterosexuals.

These creatures were very powerful and vigorous and made threatening attacks on the gods. The gods did not want to destroy them because they would then forfeit the sacrifices humans made to them, so Zeus decided to cut each person in two.

This is the origin of our instinctive desire for other human beings. Those who are interested in members of the opposite sex are halves of formerly androgynous people, while men who like men and women who like women are halves of what were formerly whole males and females.

Given that we are all separate, when we find our other half, we are lost in an amazement of love that cannot be accounted for by a simple desire for sex Love is the name that we give to our desire for wholeness, to be restored to our original nature.

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Just something to highlight: Have you ever thought that the expression “Meet My Half  Orange” could be linked with Aristophanes’s speech in this dialogue by Plato. And the same applies for “Soulmate”. Just for the record: Plato and Aristotle have argued about all the main philosophical topics ever, so their texts are all well worth reading, Aquileana.

Where is My Half Orange?.-

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Plato (427 BC /347 BC).-

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♠Read “The Symposium”, by Plato (Complete Text):

Click on the book cover to read “The Symposium” by Plato.-

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Image of  an androgyne, detail on ancient greek amphora.-

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Drawings of androgynous, dated Middle Age.-

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♠Nota a los lectores en castellano: Este tema ya ha sido tratado en el blog. 

Para consultarlo hacer click sobre el siguiente enlace: Platón: “El Banquete”: “El Mito del Andrógino”.

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♠Bonustrack: Hedwig and the Angry Inch: “Origin of Love”: 

This song is based on Plato’s Symposium (myth of the androgyne). Check out the lyrics.

 

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♠Links Post: 

http://www.sparknotes.com/philosophy/symposium/section6.rhtml 

http://www.connellodonovan.com/hen.html 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Symposium_(Plato)

http://outre-monde.com/2010/09/25/platonic-myths-the-myth-of-aristophanes/ 

http://www.laphamsquarterly.org/voices-in-time/platos-other-half.php?page=all

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♠Last but not least: The Cracking Chrispmouse Bloggywog Award. 

Thanks Maxima for nominating me for this beautiful award. 

The Cracking Chrispmouse Bloggywog Award.-

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The Rules of the Award:

1. Display the award logo on your blog /Ubicar el logo del premio en el blog
2. Link back to the person who nominated you/ Enlazar a la persona que te ha nominado.
3. State 7 things about yourself/ Numerar 7 cosas sobre tí.
4. Nominate 15 (more or less) other bloggers for this award and link to them/ Nominar a 15 otros bloggers y enlazarlos
5. Notify those bloggers of the nomination and the award requirements/ Notificar a los nominados de la nominación y de las reglas.

My Nominees Are: Clowie´s Corner,Pure Haiku, Family answers fast, Cat Forsley Me, Salvela, Rotze Mardini, Syl65, E-tinkerbell´s blog,Bastet and Sekhmet´s Library, Letras, pasión y más, D. A. Lavoie, Nómadas, Gigi papillon rose, Mon coin du français, El Mirador, 

If you don´t want to get awards over your blog, you can take it as a gesture of recognition for your great job as a blogger. Cheers, Aquileana 🙂

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