Showing results for "Symposium"

In his celebrated masterpiece, Symposium, Plato imagines a high-society dinner-party in Athens in 416 BC at which the guests include the comic poet Aristophanes and, of course, Plato's mentor Socrates. The power, humour, and pathos of Plato's creation engages the reader on every page. This new translation is complemented by full explanatory notes and an illuminating introduction.

HarperCollins is proud to present our range of timeless literary classics.‘We who are here assembled cannot do better than honour the god Love’At an elite Athenian drinking party in 416 BCE, a group of friends take their turn to speak in praise of Eros, god of love. At this symposium the guests, including statesmen, playwrights, poets and Plato’s teacher, the famed philosopher Socrates, discuss love’s role in beauty, virtue, immortality, and shaping the world they ...

Plato’s "Symposium" is a series of speeches on Love given at a party in ancient Greece. They deal with questions of: what Love is; interpersonal relationships through love; what types of love are worthy of praise; the purpose of love; and others. It is the first major philosophical text on love in Western literature. It can be classified as a tragicomedy, using elements of both genres.Apollodorus tells the story of a drinking party or symposium that occurs long ago. Socrates and Ar...

The Symposium is a philosophical dialogue written by Plato sometime after 385 BC. It is a discussion on the nature of love, taking the form of a group of speeches, both satirical and serious, given by a group of men at a symposium or a wine drinking gathering at the house of the tragedian Agathon at Athens.

The perfect books for the true book lover, Penguin's Great Ideas series features twelve more groundbreaking works by some of history's most prodigious thinkers. Each volume is beautifully packaged with a unique type-driven design that highlights the bookmaker's art. Offering great literature in great packages at great prices, this series is ideal for those readers who want to explore and savor the Great Ideas that have shaped our world.Plato's retelling of the discourses between So...

In his brilliant dialogue, Symposium, Plato presents an imaginary dinner-party set in Athens in 416 BC where the guests include Aristophanes, Socrates and the most popular Athenian of his day, golden boy Alcibiades. The sequence of dazzling speeches culminates in Socrates' famous account of the views of Diotima, a prophetess who taught him that love is our means of trying to attain goodness.

Of all the works of Plato the Symposium is the most perfect in form, and may be truly thought to contain more than any commentator has ever dreamed of; or, as Goethe said of one of his own writings, more than the author himself knew.In the course of a lively drinking party, a group of Athenian intellectuals exchange views on eros, or desire. From their conversation emerges a series of subtle reflections on gender roles, sex in society and the sublimation of basic human instincts. T...

Symposium is a philosophical dialogue set at a banquet where prominent Athenians, including Socrates, Aristophanes, and Alcibiades, each deliver speeches in praise of love (Eros). The guests explore various aspects of love, from physical attraction to the divine and philosophical, offering diverse perspectives. Socrates shares the teachings of Diotima, who describes love as a ladder of ascent, starting with physical beauty and culminating in the contemplation of the Form of Beauty itself.T...

Of all the works of Plato the Symposium is the most perfect in form, and may be truly thought to contain more than any commentator has ever dreamed of; or, as Goethe said of one of his own writings, more than the author himself knew. For in philosophy as in prophecy glimpses of the future may often be conveyed in words which could hardly have been understood or interpreted at the time when they were uttered—which were wiser than the writer of them meant, and could not have been expressed b...

What if the truest measure of a man was revealed not in silence-but in celebration?Symposium by Xenophon offers a unique and illuminating view of Socrates-not as the somber philosopher of the courtroom, but as a witty, wise guest at a festive Athenian dinner party.In this dialogue, Socrates joins a group of prominent citizens who take turns giving speeches in praise of their personal virtues and ideals. What unfolds is a tapestry of ancient values, indiv...

The Symposium is a philosophical text by Plato dated c. 385–370 BC. It depicts a friendly contest of extemporaneous speeches given by a group of notable men attending a banquet. The men include the philosopher Socrates, the general and political figure Alcibiades, and the comic playwright Aristophanes. The speeches are to be given in praise of Eros, the god of love and desire, and the son of Aphrodite. In the Symposium, Eros is recognized both as erotic love and as a phenomenon capable of ...

Set in ancient Athens, Symposium follows a group of philosophers attending a banquet and indulging in banter, squaring off in a friendly battle of speeches. Plato included Socrates as one of the characters, which is thought to be a criticism of Socrates and his philosophy as against the previous belief that it is a fitting tribute to his teacher. However, multiple traditional views of this book suggest the latter to be true.Considered one of Plato’s most impactful works, Symposium was show...