Plato's Symposium

E15103

Plato's Symposium is a classical Greek philosophical dialogue that explores the nature of love (eros) through a series of speeches at a drinking party, culminating in Socrates’ account of Diotima’s ladder of love.

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Statements (55)

Predicate Object
instanceOf Socratic dialogue
ancient Greek literature work
philosophical dialogue
author Plato
centralImage ladder of love
containsDoctrine Diotima's ladder of love
linked to: Plato's Symposium
describes ascent from love of bodies to love of the Form of Beauty
doctrineExplainedBy Diotima
linked to: Diotima of Mantinea
doctrineReportedBy Socrates
featuresCharacter Agathon
Alcibiades
Apollodorus
Aristodemus
Aristophanes
Diotima of Mantinea
Eryximachus
Pausanias
Phaedrus
Socrates
genre dialogue
historicalContext classical Athens
includesSpeechBy Agathon
Alcibiades
Aristophanes
Eryximachus
Pausanias
Phaedrus
Socrates
influenced Christian theology of love
Renaissance Platonism
later philosophy of love
modern literary theory
literaryForm symposium literature
mainTheme beauty
eros
nature of love
philosophical ascent
narrativeForm frame narrative
narrator Apollodorus
occasion celebration of Agathon's tragic victory
originalLanguage Ancient Greek
philosophicalFocus erotic love
immortality through love
relationship between love and beauty
philosophicalTradition Platonism
relatedConcept Forms
philosophical eros
the Form of Beauty
relatedWorkByAuthor Plato's Phaedrus
linked to: Phaedrus

Plato's Republic
setting Athens
a drinking party
settingTime late 5th century BCE
structure series of speeches
titleInGreek Συμπόσιον

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Referenced by (22)

Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.

Socrates portrayedIn Plato's Symposium
Plato notableWork Symposium
linked to: Plato's Symposium
Plato's Symposium containsDoctrine Diotima's ladder of love
linked to: Plato's Symposium
Platonism associatedWork Plato's Symposium
Critobulus mentionedIn Plato's Symposium
Serenade after Plato's Symposium inspiredBy Plato's Symposium
Serenade after Plato's Symposium inspiredByWork Symposium by Plato
linked to: Plato's Symposium
Alcibiades portrayedIn Plato's Symposium
Xenophon’s Symposium contrastsWith Plato’s Symposium
linked to: Plato's Symposium
Pausanias topicOf Pausanias’ speech in the Symposium
linked to: Plato's Symposium
Eryximachus sourceText Plato’s Symposium
linked to: Plato's Symposium
Diotima of Mantinea mentionedIn Plato's Symposium
Diotima of Mantinea primaryWorkContext Symposium (dialogue)
linked to: Plato's Symposium
Glaucon appearsIn Plato's Symposium
Stephanus pagination citesWork Plato's Symposium
V. Socrates; Alcibiades inspiredBy Plato’s Symposium
linked to: Plato's Symposium
Apollodorus of Phaleron knownFromWork Plato's Symposium
Speech on the nature of love alsoKnownAs Pausanias’ speech on love
linked to: Plato's Symposium
Distinction between Common Love and Heavenly Love isPartOf Pausanias' speech in Plato's Symposium
linked to: Plato's Symposium
Mantinea mentionedIn Plato's Symposium